A Dilemma in White and Brown.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume VII, Issue 6, 1 March 1903, Page 430

A Dilemma in White and Brown.

By AWAKIMO

IFff!! ® begin with, he had been struck on the white girl — |k Mabel Denton her name was * Jill. 7 — three or four years previously, and had found her by no means unwilling to reciprocate, pour passer le temps. But when he had suggested more lasting relations, he found there was an easy-going, but permanent opposition in the background, against whom he hadn't the slightest chance. So he took the only possible course — backed out gracefully, and tried to cure himself as quickly as possible. They still remained on fairly intimate terms, however, and I think he called her his Mother Confessor. Things were at this stage when the brown girl came into the matter. She was decidedly pretty for a Maori, but with that rather sensual type of face not uncommon to her race ; likewise intelligent and remarkably clean — which is rare. He had first noticed her on a yachting cruise in the harbour, when he had been storm-bound for a night at the kainga, where her father was head man. The village schoolmaster there told him all he knew of her, which did not amount to much, and he did not include any mention of a lover. (It wouldn't have mattered to Freddy if he had, because lie meant business). Freddy's visits to the kainga became frequent, and he made no secret of their object. He was really head over heels in love. So on the whole it was not surprising that he began talking of Ngaia one day to Mabel. He was telling her how superior to every white girl she was, and where he was sending her

ito be educated and learn European {etiquette. He was also going to have her voice trained ; she sang hymns in a fine, clear voice. What was surprising, though, was that Miss Dent on suddenly interrupted him by starting to cry hysterically. Freddy's an impulsive sort of youth, and the next thing was that he was kissing her tears away and calling her " dear old chum " and " little sister " — words which are pretty harmless as far as the meaning goes, but depend a good deal for their force on the tone in which they're spoken. By the time she was rational again, he was feeling ashamed and anxious ; but she was not — took it all as a matter of course. And then he gathered the news that the permanent was permanent no longer (this was the first he'd heard of it), and — well, as I've said, he was an impulsive youth — lost no time in getting himself hopelessly complicated — " well in," he termed it. It was about this time that he came to me to talk about his troubles. " You see/ began his request for guidance, "I'm fairly in love with both, of them, and I honestly believe, without egoism, that they're both in love with me— Ngaia is at any rate, and so is Mabel, too !" It was then also I learned something of his courtship of the former. The old chief had at first not looked on his suit with favour — being only too well acquainted with the ways of white men — but after Freddy had pulled the heir-presump-tive to the village sovereignty, Ngaia's juvenile nephew, out of the harbour, and gained a couple of

huia feathers from the grateful grandpapa for doing it, his pretentions were viewed with an unbiassed mind, and finally he was accepted with open arms. I ought to have said that Ngaia had been more than agreeable all the time. " And now — oh, if this was only Salt Lake City ! " he groaned. I told him he ought to be ashamed of saying such things, and of showing such a weakness in the first place. I asked him what he thought of doing. "I'd jolly well like to cut altogether ; clear out and leave the colony," he answered, " only it's so sneaky. And it's just as mean to hang on with both — besides, the risk if either finds out about the other."' I remember quoting from an epistle of Paul to the effect that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, and then he shouted : " I know ! I'll toss up ! " Then he proceeded to shift the blame on to the shoulders of Fate. After manipulating a coin two or three dozen times he announced, doubtfully, that Fate had shown favour to the fairer claimant. So I heartened him with suggestions about the white man's burden, and the worth, of an equal helpmeet, and sent him off to harden his heart, and disengage himself as best he could from the claims of Ngaia. I don't know that he ever noticed any particular slackening of her affection for him before, but certainly that evening, as they sat np in the bush, he detected a calmness that helped him very quickly to the distasteful task of picking a quarrel, and that once started, she kept up her end of the conversation with such agility that he soon stopped feeling he was actiner like a brute, and began to look upon himself as the injured party. Finally she went off, smoking the clay pipe of open rebellion, which for all their lovers' quarrels she had never flaunted since he had induced

her at the beginning of the affair to abjure tobacco altogether. Freddy didn't know whether to be sorry for himself or glad. You can imagine then what sort of things he said when he got this note next morning • " Dear Old Fred,— 1 am sorry I shall not be at home this evening. Jack came back yesterday and made up everything. I know it was very wicked of me to let you hope as f did, but please forgive me and let us be friends always. Your old friend, Mabel Denton. P.S.— We are going to have croquet on Thursday, and should be pleased to see you if you care to come. After he had cursed his luck with more willingness than fluency Freddy decided the only thing- to be done was to try and win back Ngaia. At the kainga he found the place strangely deserted, but the chief turned up as though he had been watching for him, and starting talking nervously : " Tenakoe, Heredi \" " Hullo ! seen Ngaia ? " "Oh, yes ; she orrigh' ! You want b.acca ? " " No, thanks ! " I said, "Ts Ngaia knocking- about V " Yes ; her knockin' 'pout. Good weatter for fishin' !" Freddy got suspicious. "Look here, you old heathen, where' s my Ngaia ?" Honi's eyes shifted, and he made another vain attempt at propitiation with tobacco. " Hang your bacca ! Where's Ngaia ?" " Well, look 'ere, boss. You see she bride. Her bound make-a-marry. You no marry. Her get that feller Whoanoa. They scoot las' night." " Scoot ! Where ? Say quick !" screamed the frenzied lover. " Down coast, to Hokoana, in

canoe. They go Whoanoa's uncle's pa! " " Where's a canoe ? Find a man, look sharp ! I'm going after her I" But Honi had prevented pursuit by the simple expedient of sending the able-bodied men of the village out fishing in every available canoe. The cliffs prevented land travelling.

In any case it would probably have been too late by the time they were overtaken to do anything. So Freddy went home lamenting. But it was pretty rough on him, after his really praiseworthy attempts to act honourably by both girls ;it hit him hard. No, he's not married vet.