“CRAZY QUILT.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12761, 3 October 1919, Page 4

“CRAZY QUILT.”

By FF.KGPS HfTAIE-

Author of "Ths. Xyrlprv o? a Hn.iifom Cab" "The Or-- n-.r-i«r- ---" Rod Mon*y."' Mr., rtn.. M-r.

CITAFI !;.U 1. < continued,!

I think you cun do ihnt. sir.” volunteered Shard, v. ho had known Canuoek tor many years. '■ J am "lad In see you back, ,-ir. Vonr lively pim-;iw-wigtilens toe office. M e are rather slow here. Mr Cannock.” "It senna in ag.-pe uirh you. Shard. \ou haven t chancy! a bu. iroro lb. - lone when 1 oarue hero a boy 0; ten w.lb m- father.”

•Mm a ui'e boy you were. sir. if I may \v--. to mC mu’ Shard in a ebatty u’a i.m nr “Bather >rsi ■ ''vM-, lie cgii.' ' I an re? tle-u still. Shard,” said

Cannock, rc-ligb: in" bis pipe •• ! g<. iv-und the world: you stop and fee tk.e world go round. 1 ' At tiiirty. sir, if you'll excuse me. you should marry and settle- You are thirty, Mr v’annoek." Worse lurk! A’oil. Shard, find me the lady and I'll marry, it she nun put up ivji.u ,-ucit a gipsy :i« I a;is. I’ve never tried marriage,” mused Cautlock : “it might be a change.” “One wbieb will lasi, sir." said Shard, severely. “Aon can t get out of marriage as yen have done out of other things.' 1 AA'iiat, other idlings? Go on. Shard. It seems t 0 me that. I'm in for lecturmg to-day That great and good man you serve has been jawing no end." “ -Afr Gregory is a pattern and an examine, sir.’ 1 " dickens be is! AA'eil. a world of Mr Gregorio." would be (00 much for me.”

‘ i-/ir! _ Sir!” remonstrated Shard, disregarding this flinpnney. ‘‘A*m.i really should settle down, sir. Think of the many things you have tried, and not one have you kept t-e.” ”1 get bored. Shard.”

” First.” said the aneient clerk, emphasising his immis with a quill-pen, •‘ton were at Rugby; then at Oxford.”

Quite right. Then I entered the Armv ”

“ -Mid grew tired of it in three years, sir. AVacn yon leit the service for the t city, Mr Cannock. I really did think you would rest.” Y-cIl. I d.ik.l t make am- nmnov in the city. Shard, and there 'was sueh a lot of sharp nraetice that mv morals, were deteriorating. T went, as a tutor after that to a nice but backward hoy. ’

11 There was no need for you to bo a tutor, sir. Aon always have your five thousand a year to fall back upon. And yet with all that money, sir. you traro! steerage, and ” ” Tfs to find adventure. ShardTravelling in purple and line linen bores mete tears- I bat tame civilised touring sickened me when 1 did the tutor business. But I stuck to the boys fo,- two years.”

“Oh. you did young Lord A'ane good, sir, 1 will say. I Tits father, the Marquis, said that he owed you much. He offered, if you remember, to make you bis secretary and get you into politics.” 1 preferred travel at the time, Shard- The Bed Gods called mo.” “The Bod what, sir?” said Shard, rather shocked. “Don’t tell me as yoirve become a heathen, Afr Cannock?”

“ I’ve become nothing hut a. wanderer, Shard.” Cnnnoek laughed. “ 1 have been to the South Seas and Tim•buetoo. returning hero at intervals, as yon know, to draw my cheques.” “Aon should travel with moie money, Air C’annoek.”

“T wouldn't have any fun if I did. so I leave it hero accumulating. 1 mnM he a rich man by now, Shard.” “ A’on are very well off.“sir. and have enough to marry on. Alay I ask. sit, where yon hare just come from?”

‘‘A ou may. Shard; you may- T have been earning my bread and butter as a cow-boy out AVetst, and between times 1 have, been a kinematograpb actor. Yon will scon see some American films in town. Shard, showing me as a daredevil high-flmr of the boundless prairie,.” “Oh, Air Cannock, and yon a gentleman” Shard was so .shocked that he lifted his hands and literally squeaked his surprise.

“AVell. and why shouldn’t a gentleman art before the camera ? It was no end of fun. Shard. Oh. 1 forgot to mention that T lectured in Ohio on ray Arctic travels.”

“AATuit are you going to do now. Mr Cannock?” “ Have a shot at flying.” “ Then it is the end.” iho clerk with a gesture of resignation, “ for say what you like, Mr’Cannock, those flying machines are not safe. Oh, sir, don’t risk it.”

“AAhy not? It’s exciting.” “ It’s not right, Air Cannock. Yon with your good loobs and kind heart and marry disposition Don’t, Shard!” Cannock flung up his hand. ‘‘You’ll make rao conceited.”

“ And a nice house Dial you never occupy iu the country," went on Shard, disregarding iho interpolation. “ to say nothing of your large income and heaps of fHands. Van can’t be spared, Air Cannotk. Aou can’t indeed, sir. So don t risk your life- Air Gregory Wimldn’l do it.”

I 11 bet ho wouldn’t.” retorted th" young man lightly. *‘ Air Gregory is a sight too fond of Air Gregory to risk his skin- He always was. AA’hy don’t yon oidiiea him to marry. Shard?” “ Uli. T think ho is inclined that way .sir.” said Shard, with a sly look which twisted his shrivelled face into a grimace. ■“ Do you know a Aliss Pauline Andortnn. sir?”

‘ Now bow the deuce can I, Shard." remonstrated Cannock, “when I’m always on the move? Mho is she 2 ” “The ward of Sir helix Pine, sir- ' *’the philanthropist. I’ve heard of him. Is she pretty?” “ A regular beauty. Air Cannock.” Shard smacked his lips. “ A Titania, sir ; fair as a lily, sweet as a rose.” “ Amu are poetical, Shard. Does she love Hunston?”

“There, sir. you puzzle me. She favours another gentleman as much as she dogs Air Gregory, and T cannot say, sir. io which one she leans.”

Y ise litania : slip has two strings to hrr how. And the other gentleman ?”

“Mr Tlandal Maxwell, sir!” Cannock whistle* 1/ and his eyes twinkled. “H’m! So that is whv Hnns.ton is shy of coining to topperTwo dogs and a bone. Eh? Suppose I enmo in as the third dog, Mr Shard, and steal the hone?”

“Oh. sir. you will hare your joke,’ began_ the old clerk, and then started to his feet. There is Mr Gregory’s ball, sir. Excuse me, sir.”—and he disappeared in a hurry, only to returntwo minutes later. “Mr Gregory is disengaged now, Mr Cannock.”" The young man nodded and sauntered hack to the front room, where he found, Hunston sorting papers. “Some women arc very trying,” ho remarked' heavily. '“All women. T should say. And this particular. on© ?” ‘‘ Impossible I She talked all the time, while asking for a legal opinion, and wpen I answered her questions, she did not agree with me. Lord help her husoand- poor soul!” “ Oh. then she has a- husband F” “ Yes,” sajd Hunston with reserve. “ Then whv does she call herself Hiss Lanra Weld?”- v '‘ How do yon know her. name, Cannock?” “You readmit out when her card came.” '•

Mass Laura AA’old. because she does call hersell Mias Laura, AA’ekb" “Oh!’ Cannock shrugged. “1 don'twish to question your leg.nl secrets.'' f have to tie discreet, you snow. ' said the lawyer, stolidly. “ After all. she. is only a parsing client, and I’ll npa-ej- sup her again- I hope po|. Such a temper. Strong us my nerves visually are, she has set them op edge with her incessant chatter and inov.rant eoutict ions.’' ' Come to The Empire and to sr.oper, turn, suggested Cannock “ A’cur nmwes will ~l'm ! v Mi right.”' 1 cannot lane to dinner, as I w-mj-kit- Imre, hut supper-, yes- LMbimA ie-t,uur;.| U j n ji n , S'rand?” 1 f s~ -at eleven -hart'.” ” rn be the l c. nlt’-muH, I don’t- like .•.-leueli. Aon go home now, 1 urn. noser 1 • ■ Ve ■ 1 r 1 11 1 1 • « n' l ve Vi ''iimge into mv .'oy-.-uit a rim a Hde in the Park. 1 M" ' A! a revel 1 ;;t his .lennvu •'ureM nigs and ihen we go to tlm mnsrc- mdl. (>,?ue home with mo after tnyper am-I me what i’ve i-rmi'-vp bad;. ITirnston eleven! \e 1! ’•m !s von. ]*.“.• i.hv. .To“ : : is truing aw-v “ ’■ " fight oh huh |,, sre his frir-p-l, :.U ! ii<' count rv. Well;-’' I f '“ ; ! ! jr!;o vidtiug a d-rk flat " iriiou! tire auc! romiott. Wb.-p Rer . Wires arc a wav things arc ;ihv;.-v« out of order. ‘’Sybarite! |’!i n , a ],- 0 yen comfortable. We learn lo do things for onrselve.; our West. .However, we’d sec. i f’j'ti count- yo;j ni for f , in n r'' n Vos. I sisnno-r ?n.” a r-'tn lv you arc. I i unnv I' 1 “ yhv do ye- ask me to supper, ihen?” retorted the lawyer. J uaat to see two tings quarreliiTm ever a bone. rd'orterl Cannock in bis tiiru. and alter Him cryptic nlternuce withdrew, chuckling. niA.AfPTMP JT. tttv: rxrvpKrn:!) n.\nu.Ns. t Maxwell was a civil engineer who ouiU- bridges and laid out towns and constructed railways in all four nuarmrs of the globe. ‘ IMnnlly h j? haunted die jringes of the rmnire. returning to Lr-mlon every now and then lo enjov civilisation and its pleasures. 5.1e norked imrd and lolnyed hard, and al though net so romantic as Cannock, was less stolid than Hunsfon, for whom he had no great love. Consef|uently. •.vlten the two you 11 men were enjoying themselves at The Empire. Maxwell was openly annoyed to learn that the lawyer was coming to supper. The engineer was a tall, thin, highly-strung man, as swarthy as a Cpanianl.-because of liis .Highland blond; and being ol Hu’s tempoi-m-dil. swore freely at the prosper!, of sitting at t,]io same table ns his rival. But of course, as ’Maxwell admitt'-d In himself. Cannock did not know that Miss Pauline Anclcvton existed. As a matter of fact ho did, because of .Shard s babbling, though of this Maxwell inn ignorant. ” A’ou’ro not usually an ass. Crazy” grumbled the engineer cro-sly. “so whyyon should act the goat now by asking that blighter to supper I don’t know. ’ “ Why shouldn’t f ’:‘" questioned Cannook. .who being behind the scenes was bubbling over with laughter. ” Hunny’s a, surly allium!, as I bold him. But he is my solicitor and our old schoolfellow, so J was led to lake pity on him. Your civilising; influence, Alax, will do Jum good. 11 “ Oil, rats!” retorted the other inelegantly and forcibly- “ I'd use my influence to move him off the earth if I could. I never liked him at school, nor did you. He always was a beastly fly in the ointment, hang him! It’s your silly impulsive nature.” “'lt is,” agreed Cannock unexpectedly. ”1 asked him on the spur’of the moment, and when ho refused I wxs glad.* Then later on he accepted, and of course. I couldn't withdraw my inviiation.” AVhy not. There's no need to stand on ceremony'with that hug.” “Oh, confound It, Alax, he's not quite so bad as all that.” ” He's worse,” said the engineer decidedly. ‘‘You see good in every hush, and think every blighter an angel.” ‘‘Perhaps. But there are two kinds of angels, Alax.” “I dare say. It : s easy to guess Huns ton's kind. And if you” will invite, angels from the Pit of fophet to supper, you can entertain them all by your own silly self. Crazy. I shan’t come,” “You are silly if yon don : t, Alax. I was glad when Hunny changed bis mind.” “AAhy.-' 1 Maxwell turned in surprise to find that Cannock was surveying the stage through his opera-glass. “Because 1 am sacrificing myself on the altar of friendship.” “ Crazy, yon re madder than usual, to-night.” There’s method in my madness, old son. After all, it is just as well for you to meet your rival and make sure how he intends to rob you of the girl.” The engineer flushed deeply red through the bronze of his skin. “ How do yon know I have a girl?” ” Old Shard told me.” And who, the several adjectives, is Old Shard:” Hunston s clerk, who has been in the office for the last century or so.” ”1 don’t know him. How does he come to talk about.my business?” ” Weil,” drawled Cannock removinc hi.-* glass. ‘‘.Shard knows Sir Peb\ 1 me. who is a client of the firm, and being a romamtie old sinner, h e has mit. to know that Runny loves Miss Pititiine Andert.on. He goes down to Paddocks; Sir helix Pine’s Hssex pla*".-* you know, Alax -and, I cx;>eet, learned that you were on the lovo-chase aho” ” l _ wish mind his own business, muttered .Maxwell, discontent • eclly. onyhow, there is the explanation, and I bring you and Hunny together ni supper, so that you mav set-tie*vour differences.” “ I have nothing to settle,” growled -Maxwell, bluffly. ” Then who is to have the girl?” .jl nrn - loves me and me only.’" 1 dare say Hunnv thinks the same (In "hose side, i s Sir Felix?” ‘’On-on—oh, hang it! J can’t ro tnr.t the orchestra is so noisv. i’ll tell you everything later.” ' • V 0 s b° !, ld have told me long ago 1 said Cannock in his ear. “and then I might bare helper] you.” Don i met,die. Crazy. T know vour well-meant, efforts, but they always result in more trouble ” (To be continued.)