HILARY'S WEDDING DOWER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 4, 23 May 1890, Page 21

HILARY'S WEDDING DOWER.

(.By Gkobgb E. Walbh in N, ¥. Independent.)

A sorr, balmy breeze waß sighing through the tall pine trees, and rustling a marshy bed of coarse wire grass that flourished on the banks of a small lagoon in Southern Florida. A few Northern song birds, happy in their Southern home, were echoing their familiar thrills from the dense intricacies of a neighboming cypress Bwamp. The unusual bellowing of a bull alligator arose from themarshy lake occasionally, and hushed the croaking frogs into silence ; while the fierce cries of voracious hawks, circling around in the air, startled the smaller singers in their innocent enjoyment. The distant crack of some teamster's whip, clear and sharp as the report of a rifle, sounded through the pine woods in unison with the long drawn 11 Git up " of the " cracker " settler.

These were the only sounds that broke the oppressive silence and lonesomene6B of the place, A small, Cracker log-home stood on the summit of a knoll just back of the lagoon, surrounded on two sides by an orange grove and on the other two by pine woods. A half visible sandy road began at the door of the log house, and wound its sinuous way into the pines, disappearing gradually into semi-dark-ness. The golden fruit of the orange trees, the pendant blossoms of the i climbing jasmine, the huge roses of every hue and shade, decorated the lonesome house and its surroundings with the richest gems that Nature can produce. The beauty of the flowers was no more attractive than their odour, which scented the air with the delicate fragrance of a dozen perfumes. Hilary Benson, clad 10 a loose-fitting, poorly-made stained dress of some unknown hue, was working quietly among her rose bushes. A broad-brimmed sun bonnet shielded her face from the glare of the sun. Her hands, once small, Bhapely and pretty, were sunburnt, stained with the juice of fruits, and dirty with the fresh soil. The clear complexion of her face was gradually taking on the same dull brown colour of her hands, while her long locks of hair were falling carelessly over brow and shoulders.

She was not a pretty picture thus attired, nor was her appearance neat, tidy and attractive. She was conscious of this, too, and occasionally, with a twinge of. conscience, she would straighten herself up, and try to smooth out the locks of stray hair, brush out the wrinkles in her dress, and glance ruefully at her spoiled hands.

" It's no use, though," she burst out, petulantly, as she stopped once in the midst of this process. " I can't be tidy, and clean, and— and pretty, as I once was. I don't see anyone down here, and Jim isn't a bit like he used to be. He's getting low, and rough, and dirty — just like all the Crackers. And 1 " She looked down at her poor, soiled garments, and then continued : " Yes, I'm getting so, too." Unable to contain her feelings longer, she burst into a flood of tears. Her soil-stained hands were clasped over her face, while the teais trickled slowly between her fineers. Violent sobs shook her slight frame, and made the old, ill-fitting dress shake and bob about in the most ludicrous manner. When she had finished crying she dried her eyes, and as if half relenting her show of weakness, she plucked a rose and said softly to herself : " And yet I love these flowers, and fruits, and the birds. If I could only have companions — some one to talk to. It would be — " She gave a quick start and uttered a little feminine scream. Standing within ten yards of her, smiling, apparently, at the ludicrous evolutions through which the queer, old fashioned dress had been passing, stood a stranger, holding the bridle of a Cracker pony in bis right hand. The smile instantly faded from view and the face assumed a grave expression. " I beg pardon, Mies, at this intrusion," he began, in a clear bas9 voice ; " but I need a little information. I've been in the saddle all day, riding round in a circle, I fear, and not yet at my destination. These Florida roads are very confusing. Can you direct me to Mr. Benson s ?— Jim Benson, I believe they call him. Hilary had time to collect her thoughts during the time it took the stranger to make these remarks ; and when the question was put to her she replied quickly, showing no traces of her recent feelings in her voice : "You will not have to go far to find that place. I know Mr. Benson well, and he lives right here." She gave a sweet smile which seemed to change her whole beiDg. Then adjusting her bat on her head, she continued : " Jim will be here soon ; I expect him every moment. Meanwhile, you can put your horse up in the stable, and make yourself comfortable. You must be tired after such a long ride. I know from experience that it is very fatiguing to ride through these pine woods. I used to go with Jim on fox chases when we first came down here ; but I don't any more."

" Then you're from the North, too, I judge," responded the stranger, evidently glad to find a Northerner in this far-off wilderness.

" Yes, indeed, I am," said Hilary, emphatically. " And I wish I was back in New York again." She checked her enthusiasm, blushed violently, and continued, with more restraint :

" I like these pine woods, and the flowers, and the fruits, and the beautiful biids ; but life gets monotonous down here. I don't have many companions, and Jim is away a great deal. It gets very, very lonesome."

Unconsciously she uttered the last sentence in such a sad tone that the stranger's attention was attracted by it rather than the words.

" i eupposa so," he remarked sententionsly. The small pony was properly careri for in the primitive sort of barn, ana tbeu the two turned towards the h .use. The loud crack of a whip reached their ears, and a lumbering ox cart was seen to

emerge from the pine woods, rolling slowly down the heavy, sandy road.

" Is that your husband, now ?" inquired the stranger. " That is Jim," replied Hilary, evasively, looking towards the heavy cart.

She left her brother and the stranger talking about orange groves and Florida land, and entered the small log house shortly afterwards, to prepare the evening meal. She knew well enough the meaning oi the stranger's visit to her home. Her brother was one of the " land poor " Crackers who was anxious to dispose of some of his Florida fruit and vegetable land to Northern settlers and speculators. He had been advertising in the county paper and had made arrangements with several real estate men to send possible purchasers out to him.

Jim Benson was a Northerner by birth, and he had enough of the Yankee spirit in him to devise schemes to get rid of his land for fair prices. Purchasers would come to him when they would not go to any one else. His strict eye to business was called " luck "by many ; but he knew better than to believe in such a fickle goddess. He had come South to make money, and, though he always complained of being poor, he was really getting rich fast. So far as ready cash was concerned he was poor ; but his lands were increasing in value every year. Nevertheless, he had degenerated. Moneymaking had absorbed all of bis time and attention, and he had gradually sunk into the low state of things which are characteristic of those isolated sections of country. Ha had adopted the peculiar vernacular of the Cracker tongue, and had lost all of his former habits of cleanliness in dress, speech, and manners. He was carelera, slovenly, and and dirty to a degree that would have astonished his Northern friends. The tendency to fall into such ways is strong in all isolated places, and Jim had simply yielded to it with a degree of passivity that was more than common.

Hilary, on the contrary, vainly strove to keep up the old ttandard of respectability. She vigorously refused to adopt any of the Southern expressions, and watched her language carefully. Her garments were neatly made, and for years she tried to make them look pretty and tasteful. But Jim constantly complained of lack of money, and she could not get the material to make new ones. Then she patched and repatched, made and remade the old ones until there seemed to be no possible way of making them look better. Things began to grow worse. She had to beg, coax, scold, and demand new household utensils. Every cent that her brother made he wanted to put in land, and she had fairly to wring a few dollars from him to get the ordinary necessities of life. This was not the sort of life that the girl had expected when her brother had made the proposition to her to go to Florida and keep house for him, while "they cultivated their orange grove. She had gladly given her consent, for she loved her brother, and thought that she would enjoy the warm, balmy Southern climate. Five years later she was dissatisfied with her bargain, aud with good cause.

Often she would look in her small mirror — a relic of her early horne — and note the marks of change on her pretty face. There was a healthy glow on her cheeks, but that was gradually changing into a brown, sallow hue. Continnual drudgery, irritation, and longing for companionship were also leaving their marks on her knitted brow.

This afternoon she threw off her hat and hurried into her room to inspect her flushed face in the mirror. She started back witb an expression of horror as she caught a glimpse of herself. Then she broke down in laughter, which finally gave place to an expression oi mortification.

Her face was streaked with lines of dirt in the most ludicrous manner. If she had painted herself for the clown in the circus she could not have made a better effect. The whole cause of it flashed across her mind in an instant. Before the appearance of the stranger on the scene she had clasped her soil-stained hands to her face, and the tears, mingled with the dirt, had completed a picture that was truly mortifying. She looked into the glass again, and then laughed at the sight until the tears rolled down her cheeks.

" What a sight I must have made," she broke forth. "He must have been laughing at me all the time I wa3 talking to him. But, then, I don't care ; he tbinks I'm Jim's wife, *nd I won't tell him otherwise."

Consoling herself with this thought she soon made her toilet, and stirred around briskly to prepare the meal for the evening. It was nearly sundown when Jim Benson entered the house accompanied by the stranger, whom h6 introduced to her as Mr. Dawson

" He's come down here ter buy some land," ha continued, after the introduction ;" aa' I jes' guess I've got sone that'll suit him. He ain't goin' 'way from here till he sees Borne of the purtiest land in Floridy. We ain't goin' ter charge ye nothin' fur yer bo*rd while ye stay here, so don't get alarmed 'bout how long ye stay here." "But if I stay here for aoy length of time I should prefer to pay board," Mr. Dawson replied. " Waal, we won't talk about thet now." Jim answered, effecting a sort of compromise which he intended to take advantage of if the stranger concluded not to buy of him. "Hilary there ain't much use ter strangers down here," he continued, jerking his finger in the direction of bis sister. " I 'specks Bhe's mighty slad to see ye, Mr. Dawson." " Why, Jim, of course I'm glad to see anyone," quickly replied the girl, flushing up in spite of her effort at control. " That is only natural. It is a little lonesome here."

The visitor was not a little interested in ihe change that had|been made in the appearance of Hilary. Her face was flushed by her exertions over tlie fire ; htr eyes sparkled with joy and excitement, while a neat and very becoming dress had rephcid the old-fashioned garden gown. Her hair was neatly combed back and tied in a simple knot on the top of her head. Everything about the hom9 was neat and tidy, showing that an experienced houaskeeper had been at work. Tae meal was simple

and cheap, consisting of cracker beef, grits, sweet petatoes, sweet bread and fruits. A little bouquet decorated the centre of the table. Mr. Dawson was hungry and tired, and he ate heartily of every dish set before him. After supper the two men smoked their pipes and talked about land. Hilary busied herself in the kitchen, rattling the dishes around livelier than common. She did not catch much of the conversation of the evening ; but when all her work in the kitchen wa3 finished, she heard her brother say : " Yaas i I'll sell you thet whole section dirt cheap. It's fine rollin' pine land, with some high hummock land here and thar, an' a fine clear water lake right in thi midst of it. Thar ain't a better section in the whole State of Floridy fur settin' out a big orange grove and buildin' up a nice winter resort Of course thar ain't no railroad out thet..way yet, but they'll have one thar mighty soon, you can bet ; the land is too rich an' the country too fine to let it go long without ruunin' a railroad through it. If you like I guess we can take a trip ont thar ter-morrow mornin', an' get back agin in a couple of days ; it's 'bout twentymiles to the west of us." " I should enjoy the ride out there," repliel Mr. Dawson. " Let me see ; you say it is in township 33 and range 22 ; that brings ns about here." With his finger he traced out the section of land on an official railroad map, which was divided up into townships, ranges, sections, and quarter sections for the guidance of surveyors and land speculators. Now, Hilary know that her brother had bought a section of land in the township and range that tbe two were speaking about, and that most of it was nnder water. He had bought it from tbe Government on a sort of speculation, intending co irrigate it if possible, She knew, also, that the investment was a failure, that the land was poor and worthless. Her brother had always been sharp at & bargain ; but she had never known him to cheat a customer deliberately. This was a common trick among the real estate dealers in the State ; and many of them would sell low, wet hummock land, immense marshes and lagoons for the best high rolling pine or hummock land. Not a few were justly accused of selling the water by the gallon, and even the air above the land for exorbitant prices. But if such " heathenish tricks " she never thought her brother would be guilty. She did not listen to the conversation further ; but repairing to her own room she took down a large map of Florida and quickly located township 33, range 22. It was as she expected. It was one of the unsurveyed and unsettled sections of tbe State, with ominons black marks traced here and there over it, which to her untutored eye indicated lakes, marshes, swamps, lagoons and low river bottoms. She hastily closed the map; then, renting her chin upon her hands, she gave herself up to quiet meditation. A new side ot her brother's character was about to reveal itself to her. Of all things she despised dishonest tricks, cheating and swiniling. Yet Jim, her brother, the only relative she had in the world, was deliberately negotiating a gigantic swindle. And would she not be a party to it if she kept quiet? Would not Mr. Dawaon look at it in tint way and learn to despise her ? " Well, I will let them pro out and look at the land ; and then if he concludes to buy, why — " She stopped in the middle of her sentence. Another thought dawned upon her mind. Would not her brother take him to a good section of land, and then, after getting his aoproval, sell him tbe poor section ? This was a common trick with the land speculators' " Impossible 1" — she muttered aloud — "impossible 1" Yet the troubled expression on her f ice was proof that she did not think it absolutely impossible. The two men were off on their long journey before sunrise the next morning. Twenty miles is a cimparatively short distance ; but in the Florida flat lands it is a. tedious and tiresome trip. Right after heavy rains the land is flooded with water and mud. The giant-like palmejto roots, forming an intnca.s surface bed, seem to be the only substantial foothold for wheels, whik 1 the spacps between sink down into everlasting beds of mud. Ho^seba^k riding through the flat lands is thus made dangerous and unpleasant. Hilary did not expect to see her brother and his visitor for at least two or three days, and so fch u prepared heraelf for another long, lonely vigil. But thia time she had th mghts to occupy her mind, and she went about her work with feverish excitement. Unconsciously she found herself bestowing special care upon the room which had been assigned to Mr. Dawaon. Everything was cleaned, scrubbed, dusted and polished. A few little ornaments were transferred from her room to the guest's chamber. The day of their expected return found a beautiful bouquet oE roses, will jasmine and lilies in his room. Hilary then went about her household duties, stopping now and then to think, or to look down the sandy road to see if any one was coming. Toward night she heard her brother's familiar shout in the distance, and shortly afterward tbe two horsemen emerged from the pine woods. Their horses were covered with sweat and foam, while the riders looked tired and jaded. " Back again, Mrs. Benson," shouted Mr. Dawson, cheprily, as he dismounted from his horse and handed the bridle to Jim, " and hungry as bears." Hilary stammered some reply, and then choking dowa something in her throat, she aeked timidly : " Did you like the land— was it as good as you expected to find it?" " Yes, yes ; first-class," was the quick response. •' It was just as \ repiesented. I have about decided to buy either that section or the one next to it. I haveu't seen the other section, and so I think I'll buy the first." "Do not. Take my advice, and don't buy any land in township 33, ran^e 22. Jim is — is deceiving you. He bought it from the Government, and it was reported to be mostly under water. You will be cheated — deceived — if you buy it. Take my advice."

Hilary Btammered through this outburst, half frightened at the unexpected step she bad taken. When s ha was through she turned pale and wished that she had kept quiet. " But I've ju9t seen the laid, and it's all right," replied Mr. Dawson, with a puzzled expression on his face. Hilary felt that she had gone too far to retire, and so she replied eagerly : "He didn't take you to the right placa. Ha took you to see another township and section. They all do that sort of thing down here. lam only a woman, but I know." " Well," ejaculated Mr. Dawson ; " I've heard about Florida real estate agents before, bat-—" " Oh, don't think that Jim is bad. Ha isi't. Hdd good ; but— don't think hard of him, or of me,'' Hilary nearly burat out into sob 3a 9 she finished. " Certainly not," was tha gallant response. " I understand. Thank you for your kindness. I'll do as you say, trusting that the other section is good."' There was an exchanging of glances a* Jim appaared on the scene, interrupting any further intercourse. That evening, while Bmokicg thiir pipss, Jim Benson was surprised to he «r his visitor say he hai changed his mind. Ha would not buy tbe section they had see a ; bat he would take the section in township 34. " But ye haven't seen th9t yet," replied Jim, after recovering from his surprise. " Thet ain't good land. 'Taint half as good aa the one I showed ye to-day. Yd ain't goin' ter buy land without seem' it." "I; will answer my purposa," was the quiet response. " lam willing to take the risk. We will draw up the papers to-morrow." "All right, ye caa do a 9 ye like," Jim answered, knocking the ashes out of hia pipe ; " but, understand, I a-n'c crackin' thet ud aa bein' any great shakas. If ye get stuck don't blams mi, I ain't to fault." On the following day the two men completed the sale. Mr. Dawson had a word or two with Hilary before he departed, during which time ha took occasion to thank her again for her kindness.— He was going to spend several weeks in the woods, camping out on the land which he had purchased. On his return he promised to stop at the Benson home for several days before returning North. Hilary said good-bye to him with a peculiar quaver in her voice, and a great excitement in her breast. " What a pretty woman she is," Mr. Dawson muttered to himself as he rode away. "He thinks I'm Jim's wife," thought Hilary, as she watched hia gradually receding form. " What a queer crank," growled Jim. " Hd'a gone an' bought some land thet ain't worth the water thet covers it." "He has?" inquired Hilary, eyeing her brother with a penetrating gaze. "Of course he has. He took thet land I got from the Gov'ment. I told him so ; but he wouldn't b'lieve mi. So 'taint my fault." A strange misgiving made Hilary feel faint and weak. She made no reply, but turning round she hurried into tke hou^e, while her brother strolled out to the barn, '■ Can it be possible ? " she muttered, faintly. " I cannot be mistaken." She took down a pile of books, maps and papers from her brother's desk, and sorted th m over. She finally found the paper she was looking for. It was a deed of land from the State of Florida to James Benson. She glanced hurredly through the sentences until she came to the clause which specified the land and its location. To her horror she found that the land was located in the northern half of township 34 instead of 33. For a moment she could not believe her eyes, and she studied the figures intently for several minutes. But there was no change in them. The good section of land was tha one which her brother had advised Mr. Dawson to purchase ; the worthless section was the one which she had recommended. Her brother was honest, after all, but she had managed to get herself into an unpleasant predicament. " What can I do? Jim would never forgive me, and Mr. Dawson, what will he think of me ? Oh, dear, I'm always getting into trouble." To relieve her pent-up feelings, she burst into tears, and had a good, lons cry b^f jre her brother returned to the house. Life once more resumed its old time monotony. The soft, balmy air of the pine woods, laden with the fragrance of a thousand biossjms, pervaded everything like some pleasant soporific from the gods. Tne stately magnolias, queens of the Southern forests, slowly opened their great suowy blossoms, making an impressive spectacle aa they towered far above all other flowers of the woods. In the bonnet-covered pools and lagoons, hundreds of white pond lilies opened their glorious beauty to the Southern sun, emitting a heavy fragrace that vied with the pleasant odour of the snowy orange blossoms. To Hilary the endless succession of flower blossoms was a source of continual enjoyment. The delicate shade of green which characterised the young foliage of the cypress trees, was no less charming to her than the dense hummocks alive with the blossoms of star-flowered jesamines, trumpet climbers, solanum ; lantanas, lilylike amaryillß, Easter lilies, king lilies, and the scores of other luxuriant bloomers. A certain unrest possessed her, which ihe vainly tried to overcome. She wandered around in the pine woods ; cultivated her favourite vines in the earden ; spent hours down by the water's edge, listening to the croaking of tbe froga, and even resorted to the olu pastime of horseback riding. Under the nerfous strain she grew pale, irritable and absentminded. Nothing seemed to possess quite so much interest for her as formerly. Several weeks after Mr. Dawson's departure Hilary was engaged in her favourite occupatiou agaia— training her flowers— when her

attention waa attracted by the sight of a horseman approaching the house. Jim bad been away for two days and a night, and she was expecting him home before sundown. As the horseman came nearer a nervous agitation affected Hilary so that her hand trembled and her face turned ashy pale. There could be but one horseman like that, but one form and face stamped so indelibly upon her mind. She was powerleaa to move, and when Mr. Dawson reached her side she was unable to utter a word. She looked and felt like a condemned criminal before her judge. " It is a fine day, Mrs. Banßon, for this kind of work," remarked the horseman with a peculiar ring in his voice that irritated Hilary. " I'm not Mrs. Benson," Hilary blurted out without raising her eyeß. " I'm simply Hilary— Hilary Benson, Jim's Bister." •' So I have been tolds.nce I left you," replied Mr. Dawson, with an increased ring of sarcasm in his voice. " You didn't do me the kindness to apprise me of that fact when I was here before. Bat then your other act of kindness " He paused, but Hilary did not move or speak. " I have been oat to see my purchase," he began, abruptly. Another pause, but still no movement from Hilary. " I was quite surprised at it. If I had known the nature of the land beforehand I would have been wise to have taken a boat with me. A beautiful lake of muddy water covers the most of it, surrounded by picturesqua banks of coarse saw grass, while delightful, lagoons and marshy flats oover the rest of the section. When I get my house bnilt on the shores of the lake I shall be pleased to have you come out and inspect the place. It would be a refreshing sight to you and your brother, I'm sure "

Human nature^ could stand no more, and Hilary, stung to the very heart by these remarks, gave a half-smothered sob or two, and then lost complete control of her feelings. A sight of a pretty woman in tears will melt even the hardest heart, and Mr. Dawson, after biting his lips once or twice, dismounted from his horse, and apologised for bis words. " No — no— l don't want any apolcgy," sobbed Hilary. " [ deserve it— it was all my fault — Jim was innocent, but I—lI — I " She paused and looked up at her companion with her innocent eyes, now clouded with tears, and said, appealingly : " But it was all a mistake. I thought you were being deceived, and I tried to warn you. But — bat — I was wrong." It took some time for her to tell the story intelligently ; but when she had finally made her companion believe it his old-time admiration for her returned in double force. Hilary waa certainly beautiful, with her tear-stained cheeks and bright eyen, and there was something so bewitching and fascinating about her innocent, unguarded manner, that Mr. Dawson was hardly accountable for the act which followed.

When Jim returned he found the two laughing and chatting in the most confidential way— a familiarity that struck him as being rather peculiar.

Hilary didn't have the courage to tell her brother about ber part of the land transfer ; but Mr. Dawson kindly took the burden upon his own shoulders, and related tbe whole incident as a good joke. Jim listened, started, stared at his s.ster, and then remarked, with a withering glance at her : " Tbat'B jes' like a woman. They don't know nothin' 'bout business."

Hilary begged his pardon and forgiveness for doubtinghis honesty when Jim gave with his rugged promptness. The three then laughed over the matter, and squared up the transaction in this way. Jim paid half the cost of the latui, Mr. Dawson the other half, and the two tben deeded the poor section over to Hilary aa her wedding dower.

So Hilary became the possessor of a large tract of worthless Florida land, with innumerable lakes, swamps, lagoons and marshes scattered plentifully over it.

Mr. Michael William Balfe, son of ihe composer, is in a state of distress. A fund is being raised to enable him to utilise certain inventions of his own which will, it is said, secure him a livelihood.

The Western Australia Bill is hardly among the most creditable of tbe Government's actions. Instead of leaving it to a Select Committee to consider whether or not a territory about the size of British India shall be handed over to a population considerably inferior to that of North Pancras, the Government should have decided the question for themselves, and decided it in the negative. If the few inhabitants of Perth and tbe other coast villages on the western seaboard of Australia want responsible government, we snppose — being Engl'shmen of adult age — they are entitled to have it. But no valid reason, except one, has been given, why they and their posterity should be endowed with tbe area of half a ontinent which they could not govern, if government were needed, an I have not so much as explored. The one argument in favour of this superfluous generosity to a handful of settlers, at the expense of the Empire, is that Australian feeling expects it. This iv plain words me ins that the Colonial Office has allowed itself to be bounced by tbe tall talk of the politicians of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland We yield to no one in admiration for the high qualities of those colonists ; but it is ridiculous to say that taey wouM have a substantial grievance if for the present the Western territory were reserved for the Empire. As it is, the Impejial Government will reserve to itself the right of vetoing aDy Statute directed against free immigration which the Colonial Legislature may pass, and will keep in its own haniD a slice tf the northern territory. If we can interfere to thia extent with the independence and sovereign powers of this infant State, we might as well go further, and keep it out of its vast unoccupied estate till it is a little nearer maturity. A.t any rate it may be hoped that the Select Committee will see to it that a site near King George's Sound is reserved for an Imperial garrison and an Imperial naval station.— ££. James $ Gazette.