[COPYRIGHT STORY.] Sergeant Blixton’s Romance

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7, 16 February 1907, Page 27

[COPYRIGHT STORY.] Sergeant Blixton’s Romance

By

ORME AGNUS,

Author of “ Love in Our Village," Etc.

1. SPENT my vacation this summer at a little watering-place on the Dorset coast called Lulion, a charming spot unvexed by railways (and cheap trippers. It was a delightful holiday, and before the' six weeks were over, the fishermen on the beach, the iVicar, ,and Sergeant Blixton. of the County Constabulary, were my good friends, and the landlord and landlady . of the Lulton Hotel, where I put up at, . had supplied me with the biographies and genealogies of .the village notabili- . ties. Sergeant Blixton introduced himself to me one afternoon soon after my arrival. I had taken my writing-pad with tne, and in the field near the church sat down in the shade and began to . write, feeling in the mood. Blixton must , have ’been watching me for some time, but at last..his curiosity:got the better of him, and he sauntered up to me. ‘•Good • afternoon,, sir," said he, “A . fine, warmish day." “Good afternoon, Sergeant," I. said, glajicjng at the stripes on hise arm. - “Yfxu do seem to be doen a powerful lot jof wrrten; 'srrA’si w ->»-;>• ■■ rn-’ <|# "W-ell, a Tgplifd. . “Itf struek me, wiien 1 Saw you eome.jj you» were ?a hattist; '‘sWe get. atgmidish* few; of ladies and, gent L s j; here....in th’e course of ..the .year draw.cn things -,— »t they're very fond of drawen the church from just'here. I thought at first you was drawen. sir, till 1 seen you use one piece of paper after another. You write for the papers, I suppose, sir?" "Well, sometimes. Sergeant, but generally' I write books."—'*''"' ‘ t Blixton, was very much interested. He was fond of reading novels himself, she told me. and his wife was even more addicted to it. “I get a goodish few lent me,” lie said, “but I don’t remeiii- . her readen any of yours, sir. Mr Rill-*' dale, they tells me at the ‘Crown,’ your name be." .f • '" ; ■: ’ *> I smiled, quite content to let the Sergeant pump me. If I must receive confidence it was only fair that I should impart, some. — - “I don’t write under my own name,” I said, “I call myself Alex Blond." "Oli. then. I’ve read one of yours, sir. and that hot long* ago. What-.was' it called? Sir Sommat.” “Sir Jasmine, perhaps?” “That's it, sir. I did enjoy readen about his adventures in China. I called it real good. Fancy ineeten the man who wrote it.” . Sergeant Blixton and I were friends from that moment. He always found time to stay for a chat with me. and I learnt much from him. From my host I learnt that Blixton indulged ,in woodcarving as a hobby, and was considered lo be very clever at it. The next time I 'saw Blixton I mentioned that I would like to see his work, and hi* face flushed; with pleasure. ' ’ “You can and welcome, sir," he said, •‘bitt it won’t seem nothen to a gentleman as understand* it. Do you see, sir, I ..took it up to pass the time away, when I was laid up with a broken leg twS years ago, ami I've kept at it , since in hie spare time. If you’ll call at eufyen to-night* when ■ I’m ‘oil duty 1 skill be glad to show you all I’ve dphe.” ,Blixton had executed some really creditable work, and I made him proud ariel happy by purchasing a carved stool. His'wife, who was evidently^diffident'at having a real live author in the house, mV, I fancied, made great preparations

for my visit; at any rate, the house was spotless. She was a good-looking young woman, with good temper written plainly on her smiling features. It was easy to see that in their case marriage hail not begun to cool affection, and there was no doubt the .Sergeant was prouder of exhibiting his wife than his carvings. When, presently, she left the room, he remarked with emphasis: “Perhaps I'm not the best judge, sir, and you haven’ asked my opinion, but that’s the best woman in England, bar none.”

“Certainly no one can be a better judge of that than her husband," I said. "Quite true, sir, quite true. It's sommat nowadays for husbands and wives to speak well of each other, more’s the pity. The best day’s worK I ever did was when I took Lily to the Church. You might call it romantic, too, the way we came together, and I’ve often thought it wouldn’ make a bad yarn if it was put together properly." “May I hear it?” I-asked a little diffidently. I was doubtful whether mixton would think this a ease for “copy.” “With pleasure, sir. if you are not in a hurry. Sit down, sir, and I’ll get some cider—the wife comes from Devonshire. and her people send us some every year —the -.real genuine stuff it is, too.” It was indeed the genuine stuff, and when I had duly praised it, the Sergeant, nothing loth, began his story.

“We’ve been married nearly three years, sir, and what I'm goen to tell you about happened when I was stationed near Weymouth. I was as strong and lusty as any man in the Force, and for that matter am still, except the leg I broke troubles me a bit now and then. My beat at that time was where there’s a goodish few gentlemen’s houses in

their own grounds, and just before Christmas particular orders were sent round that we must keep a sharp lookout as a lot of burglaries had taken place upalong. I kept such a sharp look-out meself that I arrested one gentleman I saw getten in a drawen-romn window at two o’clock in the morrien. He explained that he lived there, and had lost his latchkey, but I didn’ believe him, as he wasn’ dressed like a gentleman, and I marched him to the station, but the Super recognised him and apologised. I felt a big fool aver the business. but the gentleman was very pleasant about it, and, instead of complainen, gave me half-acrown. He was a writer of scientific books, and had been out with the fishermen, that was' why he was dressed so poorly. •‘That made me extra careful, but some weeks afterwards I had a genuine case. It was one night about the middle of January, a bitterly cold, night witlf a bit of fog that made you shiver. ' I was’ passen ‘The Planes,’ a house that stood by,itself, with a goodisth-sized layvn.and shrubbery at the side and a garden in the front, when 1 saw a light move-in one of the downstair rooms that made

me a bit suspicious. Mr. Courcy, one of our magistrates, lived there, bnt I knew he had gone abroad for the winter because liis wife was in a poor state, and he had asked us to keep; an eye on the place, as only the, .cook and housemaid ami gardener were left to look after it. 1 didn' think it was likely they would be roamcn about at three o’clock in the rnornen, and I felt sure fil .got ji .ehanee t at. last to diytipgiiisli meself.

“1 opened the gale, as quietly as I

could, and crept round to the window—the drawen-room window as it turned out—which opened on the lawn. But there was more than me about, for as

I was creepen along there was a noise like an owl hooten from the shrubbery the other side of the lawn. I knew what that meant. There was a burglar inside, and the noise came from the chum left on guard outside, and the hoot was a signal that there was danger. It was no use hopen to take him unawares. and I made a rush for the window which was open, as I expected. But just at the moment I reached it there came rushen to it to get out, not one burglar but two, and I saw I’d got a big job on hand. One of them was half through the window before he saw me, and I laid hold of him ami pulled him out. - He laid hold of my legs, and pinched ’em till he took the skin off, but I didn’t, mean to *t go. ‘Come and knock him on the. head. Chummy,’ he called to his mate. “ ‘All right. Art, I'm here,’ ses the other, as he-jumped out of the window and .came for me. Luckily by that time I’d got uppermost, ami kneelcn on Art’s chest, and holden his head down with my left hand I drew me truncheon with’ the other, and waited fWChummy. ' I’d have "given’anythen just'" then for another hand, so that I could have blown me whistle for help, bnt 1 dared not let go of Art nor put down me truncheon for an instant. However,’! shouted for help at the top of me voice. I didn’ know then’but Jakeii's, the gardener, had gone 'away for a couple of days, and there was only the two women in the house. However it turned out my shouten did some good, for the fellow on the look out in the shrubbery, luckily for me, thought more of his owii skin than of helnen his mates, and look to his heels. “I kept shouten and whiren me truncheon round to keep off Chummy, who was goeu round and round me, looken for a chance to dart in. If help didn’ come soon it was certain I should be bested. How long it lasted like that I can’t say, but suddenly Art, the ehap I was kneielen on, stopped strugglen and lay quite still, moanen and groanen that, he was eboken. But it was all a “fake,” for suddenly he made a big effort, eaught my left hand in his teeth, and bit two fingers lo lhe bone, and at the same instant caught hold of me beard, and pulfed me on the top of him. That was Chummy’s chance, and he made the most of it. He sprang at me and caught-• hold of me right arm, and tried, lo wrench the truncheon from me. ‘“Knock his brains out. Chummy,” Art?crjed,'a'nd when Chummy found he couldn’ make: me leave go he hit mo sagavely* in tub face again and again. My nose was ? bleedjen, two teeth were knocked loose, 1 and iqy lip was eut, for he was a rpgn 1 —

lar brute, and didn' care, but still kept bashen me savegely. 1 was fast loosen me Reuses. I suppose, for I had only a hazy notion t must -hold on to the fellow on the ground al any cost, when help came from where I should never have

expected, “It turned out, sir. when we talked about it after, that the cook had been wakened by the noise of the burglars ntoven about, and she wakened th# housemaid. ‘There's burglars downstairs, and we shall be murdered,’ cried the cook, and with that she covered her head with the bedclothes, and lay quaken. But the housemaid. Lily Dale was her name then, was of a different sort, sir. ‘Wei,’ she ses. ‘they’re not goen to do a* they like,’ and she jumped out of bed, and began dressen herself, though the cook begged and beseeched her not to go or she’d be murdered. It was just then that I saw them, and while She was putten on her clothes as fast a* she could she heard the struggle, :u.* heard mo' eall for’help. ‘A policeman has got them, and they're tryen to murder him.’ she ses to the cook. ‘l'm goen lo help.’ ... , ■ , , ,- , . “Now, f think you’ll agree., sir, that most women would 'have oeOn like the cook, and lain themblen,. and the moat you would expect a q iinwnuiriuh woman to do would be to open tfie window and scream ‘help,’ or ‘murder.’ But Lily was a braver maid than that. She ran downstairs, and picked up the poker and unlocked the door, when an idea struck her. She rode a bike, and .once slic’d been thrown off by a dog comen for her.' Somebody had told her to carry cayenne pepper in a squirt, which would .keep off the fiercest dog that ever was, and just as she was comen out she thought of it, and went back to get the pepperbox. She came runnen to us just ni I was getten 100 weak to struggle any longer. ‘You villains!’ she cries, ‘what are you doen? Let go al once.’ “My strength was gone, and Chummy, tellen her to take herself oil' or he would do for her, pulled me off his mate, and gave me a blow behind the ear at tho game time. I should have been completely at their mercy but for her. She said after that she was so fi'ijjb.tened ■that she thought her heart was goen to burst, but she didn’ show it. As Chummy knocked me over she aimed a blow at him with the poker; but he knocked it on one side., with the truncheon he’d wrenched from me, ami then the cowardly In-ute gave her_ a knock with it that nearly broken her arm, and make her giddy\,wjl h tiie pajn. . But she had her wits about her still, and befeye he was aware she took, a step or tw?u.towards him.-and gave him a good dousen of pepper iii his eyes, nearly’ blinden him for Hie time. You never heard n man rave and curse ami yell so much in all your born days, for, besides the pain, he was as helpless .as a baby. But that was nob

enough for her. She did the same to the other chap, who was tlyottlcn me for al! he was worth. That made him helpleas, and then she ran to the next houre, ■ bout three minutes’ walk off. and called up the coachman, who came back with her. .Meanwhile, I’d managed to slip the bracelets on Art, anil then I fainted, 1 suppose, for when I eanie to the ixiachman had got hold of Chummy. It was quite laughable to see ’em, helpless as babies, rubben their ryes ami cursen and gropen and staggeren. AVe locked 'em in the stable, and then the coachman went for my mates.

“Brave as that girt was she was a woman for all that, for what do you think ■he did. sir, as soon as the two were under lock and key? Why, sat down and cried and sobbed as if her heart would break. It wasn’t the pain of her blow ; it was lieeause she was overwrought, and acted like all women do when sonimat’s got on their nerves.

"When my mates came they were surprised when I told them what that girl had done for me. They made her show her arm. although she kept sayen it was nearly all right, but when they looked at it they found it so bad that Chadwick went, for the doctor, and the coachman got out Mr. Courey’s carriage ami took me to the hospital and Chummy ami Art to the .station.

••Chummy ami Art were brought up before the magistrates the next nmrnen, but. they had to be remanded twice for it was nearly three weeks before 1 could leave the hospital, and Lily wasn’ able to use her arm for nearly a month. The ease got in the papers—A Brave Housemaid —Tin- Burglars and the Pepperlmx • —it was called, and it made quite a big stir. When at last Lily and 1 were able to give evidence the Court was crowded, and there was a storm of eheeren, I can assure you, sir, when she left. 1 fancy some people expected to see a great bony female, more like a man than a woman, ■ml they were rather surprised to see a slim, modest, good-looken girl, who blushed sometimes, and weiit pale by turns, when she found what a commotion she had made.

“When Mr. Courey came to hear of

it he ran over from the South of France and made a lot of her. He made her go at his expense to Torquay for a week or two to get (letter, though she declared there was not hen the matter with her. And when I was able to leave the hospital I was told to go to the seaside till I was better. Perhaps you will laughj air, when 1 tell you I thought Torquay would do me as much good as anywhere. 1 found out where Lily was lodgen, ami as we bad a lot to talk alsmt it was quite a common thing for us to take a walk along the beaeh. At any rate, we found out that we had a liken for each other, which grew stronger and stronger every day, and long before we left Torquay I asked her a question and she said ’Yes’ to it without any trouble. “Well, sir, when the assizes came on Chummy and Art, who had been convicted times and again London way, were sent to the seaside too—at Portland—• for seven years. When the trial was over Mr. Courey shook hands with me and said he was very proud of what I had done, and could he do any then for me? “I thanked him an dsaid, smilen a bit, there was one tiling I should be obliged if he would do. “’What is it?’ he asked. ’Don’t mind tellen me, if it is in my power.’ “ ’Well, sir.’ ses I, I understand it’s a rule at your house, "No followers allowed,’’ but seein’ as Lily has promised to marry me I should take it as a favour if I could visit her sometimes.* "lie shook hands with me again, laughen heartily. "Come as often as you like. Blixton.’ ses he. Tn this case the rule is rescinded. And let me congratulate you on a verv wise choice.’

"In »ix months we were married and sure a couple never had such good wishes. My mates gave us a present, this parlour furniture was a present from. Air. and Airs. Courey, and sonic of the folks round about subscribed and gave my wife a handsome gold watch inscribed ‘For her brave conduct in assisting the police in tile' discharge of their duties.* Quite romantic altogether, wasn’t it, sir? And Hie best of it is that it was the biggest success of a marriage ever made in Dorset.” ,