CHAPTER XVII.-WARING.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 236, 13 November 1873, Page 3

CHAPTER XVII.-WARING.

Before that evening, Walt, r had receive I mt runt ions from Spoiled Fivo which had Occasioned him some uneasuie-M In his desultory, exeptn" al sort of life n.nong the bim ei»nmumty, nil labourng alter >i similar fmluon for a co'iunon end, he heard and suit much which ho uai unsuspected ot : knowing. It was prolvihly foituimte for linn that hewn unsuipicted, for he might otherwise hovo mem red tomo risk, i at it was e\trrmrly improbable tliat the dangerous members of that mixed community wwild have under-tood tho paradoxical fidelity which was one of hit chief characteristics. Ireland is prolific of ' informers' —the executive has, unhnppilv, never been ot a loss for mch despicable and corrupt tools with winch to do the inevitable dirty work of government—and vet there is no country in tlie world in.which the 'informer' is held in such ruthless detestation. No mitter wlut befalls him, howwer terrible !us fate, the popular ver hct is, ' scried him right.' The wretch who belraj 8 his fellow-men for the government pay is a moral leper, a cieature absolutely apart v.id dt>ba>* c 1 trom all human pity, o 10 who earns his filthy wages cai rjmg his life in Ins hand, and when he loses it, is )Ust so much dead carrion. Similarly, tiicro is not lung in the social a\ stem of Franco more admirable, w Inch makes a deeper impiession on the foreign observer, than the parental and film 1 relations as «>■ gee them there; .md \et there is no country pi the woild in which the hideous crime of parricide, held by tho ancients lo bo virtually impossible, is so frequent, or perpetrated under circumstances so appalling, and from mot lies so depraved Spoiled Five had the true liish hoiror.iml hatrel of an infouner, ciriie.l to its o\tremo , for supposing he hid been"mi\e I up in any cquno'al tiansiictiou, nor onl}*«ould ho regard the butrayal of a comiado as an abominable sin, but he hail a deeply rooted aye.ii m to being a parry to any kind of detection whatever, tie wvs a peitectly hone3t. sober individual himself, singulaily iudustnou s and tianqml in all bis wiys, and so little given to convi\iaht>, that he sometimes naked his popularity with his rough though rarely unkind employers, by his lack o disposition to drink and smoke, and his scanty appreciation of bowling jouality But he brd a native lawlessness m him ; he hated police ; he would hive lent a hand to the rope which should hang a spy, .my day ; while his usual vigilance and keen intelligence would be suffeied (o slumber strangely, if the matter in hand were the bringing of any other kind of delinquent into tionble. Without fu'ly undei.t aiding his chaiacter in these r • spects, Walter Clint had an impression that in conveying to him a warning that he would do well to send the dust Htelywashed to the nearest station for purchase by the bantfM without delay, bpoiled Five hail given a strong proof of his attatchment. He had not given any explanation, but had merely pressed the matter as an eirn st request, muttering something vague about quare people being about. Walter had told Dalv what Spoiled Five had said, aud found him unwilling to attach any great importance to it. Everything had been very quiet lately, and they had notany reason for apprehension in consequence ot the isolation of their hut Neither rumour nor their own observation led them to believe that there *vas any fiesli element ol diS'ir.lei, any addition to the aveiage of rnwd\isni in tho place They had not any Lirgs quantity of dust ready, and, but for the finding of tue nugget, which was, they had uo doubt, of very considerable value, they would not thought of proh'tring by the approaching opportunity of transmitting what they had to the station with the security afforded by numbers. But tho finding of the nug et made all the difference, and it was arianged that Walter should join the expedition. It wa* with singular approbation that Spoiled Fue heard this. Of cour«e it confirmed his impression that some piece of exceptional good fortune had befallen tho partners; and hn rexntion was proportionate to his short-lived satisfaction by Daly's increasing illness. It was quite clear that Walter could not leave his friend, who continued for many days unconscious of his presence, arid in a state of troubled delirium positively nprmlling to Spoiled Five, who, if he was not, as Walter had said, afraid of nothing else, was very afraid of that. 1 IToly Virnin '' he would say, with awe, which made the ejaculation half a supplication, ' listen to him now ! Isn't it dhreadful to heir him coin' an like that; it's ho must have the bad mind, I'm afeerd, though his ways i« »o quite and aijy.' It Vofame so e\ ident to Walter that their faithful assistant wa« becovnnor seriously shaken in his pood opinion of Lawrence, by his wild ravines and denunciations of imaginary enemies, that he endeavored to keep him as much away as po-sible Deermg laughed at the m m's ignorance and at Walter's consideration much to the indignation of Spoiled Five. ' Nothing to do with his thought?, with his past life, his goin't on hasn't! Ay, bedad, I'm goin' to believe that, nmn't I. for him or any other dochtor ! Maybe there's no Miss Kate, then ; that'i on his mind for some rayson best known to hunielf ? And who's that ould Clibborn he tuk me for last night, I'd like to know , and let a roar out of him as if he wn stuck with a knife ? Sure, they say when a nvin'a dhrunk hotel's the thruth, and why wouldn't he tell it when he's mad "> Ay it was the doethor there, I'm thinkm' he wouldn't be too pleasant to listen to.' After a few days, Daly's illness took a favourable turn, and he began to mend rapidly. Walter had suffered very much from both fatigue and anxiety, and was in great need of rest, when, late one night, aftrr he had almost begun to despair of Spoiled Five's return from the store, whither he had gone to make some purchases several hours before, the man came in, and said, with great seriousness, that he had something importint to tell him. His manner effectually roused Walter. ' Is Misther Dalv asleep?' he asked. ' ire is Why?' ' Because he mus'n't hear whnt I'm goin' to say. Come ont behind the house with me, sir, ay ye plnze ' Walter complied. Spoiled Five Iplnnted him«elf against the low wall, and taking hold of Walter respectfully, by the sleeve of his red shirt, »aid, in a low but decided voice, from which his habitual drawl was almost entirely banished : ' Misther Clint, you and Misther Daly has known mo for a good bit now ; did yezever know me to pry into your affairs, or to make yez an impiddent answer, or to tell yez a ho ?' ' Certainly no', Five; nothing of the kind. You have been our best friend in this atrange place, and perfectly trustworthy ' ' Thank ye, sir; that's hearty, anyhow. Well, then, yell listen to what I tell you, and you'll bo said »n' led by me' Won t you 3' His ugly dufiirurpd face, nntl his maimed fieure, acquired intense expression from his pa'sion-ite earnestness ' Won't yon 9> he repeated, tightening his grasp on Walter's sleeve, tfightly shaking him ' I tl «Jc so, Five. But you must speak out before I promise ' ' T'll smke out, at laste in as far as I can, but you will ha\e to take mv word, and not ask me for raysons, or for proofs—for that's just what I can't give you. There's quare people about, and the best men in the placers it gone to the station, and yell mind what I tould you afore, Misther Clint' Walter inclined his head in assent He was listening eagerly, watching the man's soarred face intently. ' There's disappointed people here ; and when men has come alf across the world to do the kind of work that's goin'here, and meets wid disappointment, if they're any way bad at all, they're not far off desperation. 1 can't say more about that, and I won't. I don t know what you and Misther Daly found, n..r where ye found it; I did'nt ask you, and I don't want to know ' Ho saw that Walter was going to speak, and he stopped him, by a quick movement of his mutilated hand 1 ISO sir, don't tell me. I pray and beg of you not to tell me Whatever you found, and wherever you have it, if it is about the premises, hide it —hide it, sir, somewhere away from the hut, and let no one but yourself know where it is hid. Ho it at once, sir, do it as soon as there is light; that will be in an hour • don't let me know anything about it Let me mind Misther Daly —l wil lie on the floor in the room, and he'll never know it isn't you ; or, if he cills you, I'll have some excuse ready —but do it, Misther Clint, doit, if you want to hi ing what you have got safe home to them that's waitin' for you an' it And tell me nothin' at all about it, that's all I ask for my own nakc. ' But, 1 said Walter as Spoiled Five loosed his hold upon hia sleeve, and stood watting his reply, 'you will suiely tell me what you apprehend, and who are the dangerous parties.' 1 No, sir, I won't I'll tell jou nothin' but what I have tonM you But if ye don't mind me if you don't be said and led by me, \oj and Misther Daly will only be sorry for it once, anil that will be all yonr life long ' He glanced up, along the frownmg face of the huge rock, which rose, a black mass, bphind the hut, towards the clear, steel-like sky, already beginning to flush at the approach of the awift-"oming morning, then limped into the hut, and softly entering the room in which Dalj was sleeping the deep, restful sleeep of convalescence, curled himself up on tho floor beside tho locker, and resolutely •hut his one eye, in dogged determination, if not in •lumber. Walter remained motionless on the little stone plateau at fits back of the hut, where Spoiled Five had left him All inclination t-> treat thp Irishman's warning lightly hvd disappeared He had no perception, no suggestion presented itself to him of the quarter from which danger was to be expected, or the form in which it might come, bul ho w.s entirely convinced hy Spoiled Five's manner an<: hi« words, and he resolved at once to act upon hi! counsel.

A f<» r trc\ i i^ sinco a cou^e upattirt hay ng at a part) exhibited hi • kof gen'lemanliiie-- in llioprc-a nee of n witty } • "'g h<\\ , the rernnrk >d, " tfo's almoit a perfoct trute ; *U li« lick* is inttinct."

A terrible disaster has just occurred at Bu-eto. in the province j>f Milan. Iv the Via Santa Croco existed a house belonging td the church of that name, and which h id lemained empty for a long titnr, tli*J last tenant baying left, fef using to pay any i ent, as it was" insecure. The cure, Fathtr Biotti, being umu'ling to hpend money en the place,' niulidesiiing to turn it to account, opened it as a school for the religious instruction of young gnls On the evening of August 17, about KM of them, of fiom 16 to 18 jears ot age, weie assemble 1 on the Hi s^and second storejs. All at once the floois gavu way, and the unfortunate pupils fell in aheap, mingled with the betms and the iiibbish Six were taken out dead ami some twenty more sei lonsly injured. The priest, to whose cupidity the accident is attributed, immediately took to flight, but a warrant for hi* arrest has been issued. • The following cure for American blight appears in the Australasian. The writer says : — " I got tho reoipo from a \cry smart American citizen, who applied it three ago, and his never had any blight since If tlie tms are not very car fully painted the first year (af er winter pruning) they may require a repetition of the mixtnre on the secon I year. The orchard contained in a farm winch he lensed three years ago was, from my own knowledge a mass of blight, from the roots to the to,'inoil branches of the tree*. Il is now perfectly clean. Dig a^out the roots and drench with mixture — 1 e«l ke osene, 1 pal *tale urine, 2 gal stale "oap-uls, 21b sill pi u , Boz3 sxhi, oi d sufficient fresh burned lime to mi»ke into a thick cream. Pa'iit tho trees carefully with the above, and blight will speediU disi.pptar. lion the liberty of the Press is understood in Germany may be seen from the recent, conviction of a citizen ol Ko nig*berg for sedition. This unlucky Komgsberg wrote a song f>r a fete, and ventured on being uncomplimentary to, the Government Only one copy of the song was printed — t'lat, namely, sent into the censor in due course, for licensing "Offence to superior authority" being established, the " publication " was held to consist in sending tho copy to the compositors, and the composer wai comic nned to three months' imprisonment. What do the Germans say to " Wilkes and bhertv ? " An attempt is to be made, says the Athenaum to revivo that most interesting game of cards. Ombre. It is famous in our eighteenth-century liteiature, and is declared to bo a much better game than Beziquc. A well-known Spinish schohr is preparing a short treatise on the game, •md the next season is to witnfss a new cauae of excitement and interest among eiu'-playera. Mr G. E Street has denned the wayside memorial to be erected on the apot wheie the late Dr Wilbeifoice met his denth Tt is thirteen feet hig'i fiom the ground line. The plan of the steps is octagonal, ten feet wide ; there are three steps, the upper one being in a cross form ; on the plain, and from the centte, rises tho plinth and base of cioas, which is eight feet in height' The memorial is to be executed in grey unpolished granite, by Mr T. Earp The 'lown O'er ' in Figaro says : — 'Two provincial journals havo been distinguishing themselves the yia-»t fortnight bv mutual abn«e. They remind me of & brace of Guinea negroes, with a kettle of pitc'i between them, alternately *aWw* one another with the same brush. Each does his part towards defiling the pitch, without any Tuible darkening of either ' Worlsworth, said Charles Lamb, one dnv told me that he considered Shakespenre grently merra'ed. There is, *a-d he, nn immensity of trick in all Sl,aVe«pcare wrote, and people are taken by it. Now, if I had a mind, I could write exietly like Shukespeare You jce, proceeded Charles Lamb, quietly, it was only tho mind that was rea'ly winhn<»l When Alderman Moon published the engraving (bv Cousins) of the Queen, the Prince Contort, nnd Royal children, in 1843, from tho naintincr bv Winterhalter, the price pnid to the pninter for the copyright was one thousand gum as, and to the engraving three t'lo-mnd gttin<"n Undetetred by here a failtne and there a failure, the proprietors of an Edinburgh journal, unable to reconcile differences with the compositors and printers in their employ, are taking vengeance on the men by employing women. The numlc-r at work is said to be f-om forty to fifty. Tho Japan Gazette «ays: — "Journalism is fust extending throughout Jnnan, a new paper making its appearance almost every week. Convicted criminals who nro hired out to work are eneourneed to buy newspaners and books with the earnnfis they obtd n, to read on Sundays, which is now a clay of rest to them." Compositor (reading his cipv) : " The whole of the fnsh'onftSle world assembled last night in the magnificent rooms of te 0, ch^'S ofS — , who " An Apprentice- "Who's «lv — the Dnehess of S ?" Conmositor (disdainfully): " Where do you pass your evenings'" The companionship (working staff) of the New York Evening Journal is constituted entirely of v omen. Hans Breitmnnn will soon cive the public the result of his recent visit to Egypt, in a volume entitlod ' The Egyptian Sketch Book." A retired netreM has been teaching elocution to the children in a provincial town, and the old people declare that a'l the young folks say ' bee-^outiful shceye ' and ' the noble juke' There are at tho present time fourteen paper mills in Canada, producing about twenty tons a day.