MARRYING MARJORIE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12244, 16 February 1918, Page 12

MARRYING MARJORIE.

(By J. M. LEGATE) Tom Oreggaa and his wife Janeb were packing apples in, a shed, which stood at tho entrance of their orchard in tho beautiful and fertile valley ofThames. A horse yoked in a spring cart stood tied to a tree noar by. Into this cart Tom carried tho apple cases as they were filled, dosed and labelled. They were addressed to such towns and districts in the more immediate vicinity as AV aihi, Hamilton, Huntly, Auckland, while some were sent as far ns Palmerston iand Wellington. It was a March afternoon, with a hot sun without threatening rain and the oicadto making the air to vibrate with their shrill whistling. Tom hurried with a case to the cart, and, returning to thp shed, glanced at his watch. < “ Ten minutes, and I shall have to go, Janet; trains, like time and tide, wait for no man-!” ho remarked, as he hastened to nail down another case which his wife had filled.

“Our orders are increasing, Tom; and to have someone to assist us with the packing of the fruit would he a groat relief for us both,” answered his wife.

The very thing I’ve been thinking mvself,” responded her husband; "but wnej;® aro you to find such assistance?”

"Why not ask Marjorie Man for?” said Mrs Creggau. "You know her old mother, to whom she was devoted, died about a year ago. Marjorie was loft,” she continued, “the little cottage in which she now resides, a few decayed fruit trees and au income, I understand, of scarce seventy pounds a year. I fool sure she would be glad to supplement her limited means through such light and pleasant work as picking fruit.” “How old would Marjorie he?” asked her husband, looking up from the packing case ho was nailing. “Well, Tom,” said Janet, smiling, “she has got beyond the years when girls glibly tell their ago, but still she is not old; I should say Marjorie Manfer is about thirty or thereby; but why inquire about her ago at all?” "Oh,” said Tom, giving the case a last tap with ,a hammer before lifting it on his shoulder for consignment to the cart, “ the thought just occurred to my mind that Marjorie ought to bo thinking of getting married instead of adding to her livelihood by helping us. How is it that such a fine young woman has not already got married?” “How is it that Marjorie has not got married?” said Mrs Creggan, repeating his question and detaining her husband, case on shoulder, with her eye. "leu men folk should remember that women do not live merely to get married. Marjorie until about a year ago nursed her invalid mother and tended her with a true daughter’s devotednoss for many years. Thus her chance of marriage was to a great extent lost, but not wholly so; for I am persuaded that had we only more men of a marriageable ago and circumstances in our district, and any such visiting our district, Marjorie should soon be wedded ”

“ Janet,” 'said Tom impatiently, “there’s wisdom in what you say; but I now must be off to catch tho train. Bun round and seo Miss Manfer—you can manage it easily before my return —iand seo if she can come to help us. Whatever terms you agree to, I’ll pay.” So saying, ho placed tiro case with tho others in tho cart, undid tho horse’s head from the tree, and, seating himself in tho vehicle, drove off to the railway station some couple of miles away. Left to herself, Mis Orcggan, seated on an empty packing case, began to think, even to plan. Tom and she had been very happy in their marriage, tho only blessing denied them —which, however, she could, never forgot—being the gilt of children. Yet, with horse and cows, with fowls and other domestic pots, tho loss, not wholly, waa largely atoned for; and with cheerful determination she had fought against her childless state making her of sour disposition or in any way aggrieved of life. So her clover little head she set on Marjorie Manfer. How could she bring brightness into her lonely life? she asked herself. She faintly blushed to acknowledge herself a matchmaker, yet felt intuitively rather than reasoned it out logically, that if Marjorie was to be married she must find-'a suitor for her. Now, how was this to bo done? Janet shrank from tho thought of going out in search of flic man herself, and she knew Marjorie never could be persuaded to do so. So what was to be done? In her perplexity Mrs Creggan walked from tho shed into the sun, only to become conscious that the air seemed filled with tho locusts’ whistling. Tlio sun, however, for tho moment clouded, and in the shade she turned wistfully to the path, which, twining round the tree trunks, led to her homo at tho other side of the orchard. Whether it was the turning of herself thus to do tho next thing to bo done, viz., to prepare herself tor her call on Marjorie, or whether it was directly sent, she could never absolutely determine; but scarcely had she taken a step aloug the winding path before, as a lightning Hash, there came into hei mind a plan for tho marriage of her friend, it was to use the packing cases from tho orchard, which were distributed with their contents throughout the province and beyond its bounds, as a, matrimonial post for tho marrying of Marjorie. The plan, Janet found, as to detail formulated itself in her mind as sho walked homewards. She would place a typed note unsigned, stating the many and excellent matrimonial qualifications of her friend anonymously, in such fruit cases as were consigned to any bachelor dealers whom Tom might think worthy of Marjorie. It never occurred to her that the number of these might be very small. She only thought of winning Marjorie over _ to service as a packer, without disclosing any further plans; and to accomplish this she was ready with liberal terms. But short time sufficed at home tor preparation for a visit to Marjorie Manfer, whom sho speedily persuaded to the idea, of assisting in the fruit packing. Thereafter sho hurried home and seated herself at her husband’s typewriter. When Tom returned with tho empty cart, after announcing that Marjorie was coming for tho packing, sho handed him with nob a little pride a typed note thus worded:—“ Should this come under the notice of any worthy bachelor in search of a wife, be it known to him that in the vicinity of the orchard where this fruit was packed dwells a lady with highest qualifications for tho position. She is beautiful, gracious, on tho sunny side of thirty, a splendid housekeeper and possessed of slight means- Above all, she is a good woman, kind and tender-hearted. This note—ot which sho horsolf is absolutely ignorant —is written by her fyiond, who would fain seo her happily married as sho richly deserves to bo.” Tom, on reading the note at first .frowned and was about to condemn the plan in utter scorn, when the happy, radiant look of earnestness and enthusiasm almost girlish-looking on his wife’s face arrested .him and closed his lips, touching his heart so that he had to turn away to hide a mist threatening his eyes. But Janet only had seen the frown. “Tom!” she pleaded with a little break-, hr her voice, “do send it; you know Marjorie is lonely ,_ she has nobody. Had she only had a sister, or a horse and cows as we have, but loneliness! Tom——” “Of course, I’ll send it little one!” interrupted Tom, almost boisterously kissing his wife’s cheek and laughing heartily. “ I tell you this is a good thing. MV 11 send three of these notes away in as many cases to-morrow, to three likely parties 1 One or other of the fish is sure to bite,” and he laughed again. But Tom Cr6ggan did not tell his wife, and there wore few things lip kept from her, that as surely as he sent among tho apple cases on the mor-

row, three to well-known friends with tna note enclosed; so surely did .he likewise post on tho same day, as. many covering letters to tho samo gentlemen further explanatory 0 f the matter, ohaigmg them with the maintenance or discretion and secrecy. Ho likewise sent a cordial invitation to each of them to visit him at the orchard. One or the three no favoured was a fruiterer m -Wellington, who had a mend, a bachelor of marriageable ago by name Charles Onrtruo. Receiving bv post Crcggan a „oto first, ho awaited too arrival or tho apple case with considerablo interest. This coming in course to hand, ho carefully extracted its note, and alter perusing the same sent it with his card to Cartruo, who resided in his vicinity. It so happened that Cartruo was meditating a. trip to the famous thermal district of the North Island, Rotorua. This, his friend, knew, and suggested that proceeding to Auckland, he should take boat thence to -1 names, call at tho Creggans' orchard, and so from the mining township reach his destination by rail. Cartruo was a contractor in a small way, a steady, reliable man of some thirty-five years of ago, and so nob too old to be above the love of adventureComing as tho noto did through a tnond whom ho highly esteemed, he determined to act upon his advice, and so set about preparing for the journev. Meanwhile, at the orchard Marjorie Jlanfor had been initiated into the work or packing. Otherwise she assisted in plucking the fruit, nailing up cases, labelling and addressing the same. She had been thuswisc engaged for upwards of a fortnight, when Charles Cartruo arrived at the orchard with an introduction to lom Crcggan from the fruiterers in Wellington; their mutual mend. A pleasant day was spent by Tom, ,his wife and Marjorie in the stranger s company, and ho departed null the promise to call again on his return journey. . Instinctively.-Cartruo telb that Marjorie was tho lady of tho note of the apple case ; but whether this were so °r not he had to confess that s e had excited more than a passing interest in him. He realised this in fuller measure when he arrived at Rotorua, so he hastened his departure to return to Thames, where, taking no his residence tor tho remaining part of his holiday, he became a frequent visitor at the orchard.

vJ f °* n nt bo occasion of one'of these visits that "cm, having departed with ms cases to catch, tho train and Mrs Li'cggan being absent on household cuties for tho moment, Mariorio and Charles Cartruo were left alone in the oi'OMrd| by tho packing shed ‘Miss Manfer!” ho said, ‘and she, halt-conscious of what was coming, turned to him with flushed face- “Miss Manter,” ho repated, “I have mot several women, and learned to respect and esteem them as friends, but you' are the first I have learned to love.” Ho spoke with wonderful deliberation and calmness, and Marjorie turned very pale. “You are beautiful/' he continued; "you are good,” be added, with tho first falter in his voice j 11 instinctivelv I know this, but above and apart from all considerations,” and here bis whole manhood seemed to thrill with emotion, so that his words found echo in the girl’s heart, “ I love you!” ho cried, seizing her hand impulsively; “I want you, I need you. Mill you be my wife?” As the first flush of a rosy morn mantles over the eastern hills -which stand guard behind the orchard, so at the first falter in his voice the colour raced back to Marjorie’s face- As the torrent of his impassioned words rushed upon her senses through her ears, that colour deepened into crimson, and tears filled her eyes. Soon he was kissing away those tears; and when Janet Croggan returned she met them, hand in hand, happy as children, on their way to seek her to tell of their engagement. But before they could speak a word Janet s true motherly arms were about' them both. To any outsider the act had seemed not merely impulsive a.s it was, but untoward, even uncouth; but to the.two lovers it was most seemly and delightful. “How did you know, Mrs Croggan?” asked Marjorie smiling, as, congratulations being ended, Janet with arms by her side was herself again. “How did I know?” laughed Janet heartily; “the birds, tho bees, the trees about you whispered it, the blue sky overhead declared it. Look at yourselves! Could you bide what you now possess, the very stones should cry So the happy three went down tho station road, to find that even Torn guessed their secret. The Oreggans were honoured guests at tho weddiim of Marjorie and Charles Cart-rue, which in due course took place, and now are ever welcome visitors at their homo in ’Wellington. Several children have been born to them. The oldest, a girl, is called Janet Creggau Cartrue.