The Broken Reed.

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 925, 19 September 1896, Page 26

The Broken Reed.

A STORY OF TO-DAY.

Now there was iu~-the Athena of the South an asaemblage of women gathered together to do battle for their less favoured sisters. And, behold, the house was divided against itself, and some of the gathering condemned the damsel who filled the chief seat. And her handmaiden approached her and said : ' Lo. the election of the State Senate is nigh at hand, and we are not all powerful iv this house. Let us therefore fill tip all the offices with our chosen friends and drive forth these disseuters, or it shall come 10 pass that the advent of the election will fiud us unprepared to help those leaders who have invited our assistance.' And she who filled the chief seat answered : ' Thou sayest well.' And it came to pass accordingly, and all the seats of the assemblage were divided among their own people. And she who was ctiief looked at her ha-ndniaiden, who winketh with her eye and mut mured : 'It is well, my sister.' But those who had condemned the chief officer, seeing what had been dove and the purpose of it, waxed exceeding wrath, and rose up in a body aud uttered words of righteous indignation and piercing scorn because of the methods employed, and, ahakiug the dust from off their feet, marched out of the house. So that the house was more divided than before, and the matter was noised abroad. And she who filled the chief seat lose up and said : ' Lo, all my life long have I been of good report and no man hath accused me ot double dealing. ' Jiut whomsoever the Lord loveth He chasteueth, and mayhap these firebrands have been let loose upon me lest, peradventure, I should contract the swelled head. ' Nevertheless. I cannot deny their arguments, but shall leave the issue to the Powers above.' Notwithstanding which, she and her handmaiden straightway went down to the market place, aud waylaid a man who was migbLy with the pen And, heedless of the fate of Sapphira, they told him of their woes and ail the rumours that had beeu set afloat regarding those others who had not approved of her who was chief, and which rumours tho^e others hud denied publicly. Aud they said: 'Behold, we are not skill-d with our tougues or yens, but thou art a mighty man of letter=. Fight thou our bantu and we shall help thee hi thm« hour of nnti t d, even as the mouse helped the lion.' And the scribe winked the other <=-ye, and lifted up his voice and said: 'Lo ! I am thy servant, O damsels. Is it, not indeed the duty of the pen to protect injured innocence?' And as they went on their way rejoicing, he murmured, laying his thumb" gentiy upon his nose: 'All that man can do to further his own interests, that may ye be assured I shall do.' And it came to pass that he communed within himself and said : 'This damsel of whom they spake, and who verily had nought to do with their woe 3 had they spoken truly, was it not she who fought for mine enemy when a member of the Senate was last needed, yea, aud helped to win the day for him? Is it not she who hath been the deadly rival of her whom my soul delighteth to honour ever since that damsel entered our fair city ? Hath she not received from the State a weekly wage of ten shillings for half-an-hour's work per month, while the damsel of my heart woiketh from suur.se to sunset, receiving verily a good wage, bub basest ingratitude beside? Is she not, moreover, the chief cornerstone of miue enemies among womankind in our city (whose equnl we cannot produce), and sworn to do battle for them six months hence? Y^a, verily, those much-injured dams-els who appealed to me shall be avenged, for it bhall come to pass that I shall brand this damsel as the head and front of all their woes; yea, moreover, as a turiuodt who belonged successively to all the temples in Auckland, and their name is legion. True, she hath only joiued herself to two, but that is mere detail. Aud shall I not also cast that ten shillings in her teeth once more ? Verily, I have already done so seventy times seven, and shall I hesitate now '! ' Fort fend it, heaven ! Forbib it, ye sun, moon, and stars ! All that the hand of man can rake up against her or hers to the third oc fourth gtneration, that shall this baud rake up. Woe be unto her and all her friends And it came to pass that he took forth his tablets and wrote as he bad said, and the public marvellt d much at the rancour, and said, ' Surely no man hath written this ' And lo ! the time of election to the State Senate drew nigh, and the mau mighty with his pen said in his heart: 'Verily I. even I myself, shall be the chosen of this people. Do I not hud favour in the eves of the maids aud matrons of the city, and especially of them that make garments to cover the nether limbs of men?" And he approached the damsel who was chief in the women's gathering and her

handmaiden, and recalled to" them their promise to help him even as the mouse helped the lion And the handmaiden, who possessed the longest tongue, made answer : ' Behold our assistance is already promised to one whom we delight to honour, and who is wealthy in the land. Moreover, wo belong to thine enemy's camp, as do our lords.' But the damsel whom the scribe had maligned took counsel with the fire brands who had shaken the dust of the women's gathering from their feet, and they said : 'Lo, the hour of vengeance is at hand. Because he hath done this thing and maglined us and ours, he shall receive beans at our hands in the coming contest.' And it came to pass that the man who was mighty with the pen heard the words, and communed within himself whether he had been wise to make enemies unto himself And he weut to the damsel his soul delighteth to honour and spake unto her and said : ' Oh, my beloved, I am weary and sore afraid of failure in the strife. Upon you and your damsels alone can I rely.' And 10, she cast herself at his feet and moaned : 'My lord, if thy servant hath fontid favour in thy sight, kill her, but rebuke her not. Dost thou not know that my damsels and I are bound hand and foot in theservice ofthegrtat god, Labour. Therefore, we cannot help thee as we fain would do in return for thy kindness to us.' And the nun of the pen sat down helplessly, murmuring piteouply : • Et tu ßrute.' And he arrayed himself in sackcloth,and, pourmg ashes on his head, bemoaned his fate, saying : ' Marvellous are thy ways, oh woman I The man who trusteth in thee is as a broken reed shaken by the wind '