The Storyteller A SOLITARY

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 40, 6 October 1904, Page 23

The Storyteller A SOLITARY

There was a difleicncc of twenty years between tlic brothers, yet, to \nn\ t \i ilvm, 1 1 . mieht h.ucvbppn more. Patrick, the younger, was florid and hearty , the elder, James, was unpopular- -a giay, withered old churl, who earned, written on his face 11 c record o£ his life's failure. His conversation, when he made any, was cynical. When he came into a room where young peoplewere enjoying themselves, playing cards or dancing, hi's shadow came before him and lay 'heavily on the meirymalvers. Fortunately, he did not often so intrude , he was happier in his loom at the top of tTie fine house, where he had his books and his carpenter's tools. If one of those young people whom his cynicism witheied CO|UW have seem him at his carpentry, how different he would have seemed ! They would have seen him with his grim/ness relaxed, and his gray face lit up, with interest, anfd would ha.\e been ama 7 cd to hear hi.-, low, cheery, whistle, full ami round as the pipe of a bullfinch, at night, when his telescope swept the stars, and he trembled with the delight ol the visionary and the student, he waa a new man. ile was a cle\e: man, born out of his proper sphere, and with only so miuth education as ho had contrived 1 to get at during a 'hard hie. What came to him ho assimilated eagerly, and every one of those books m his cupboard, rare old friends, had been read over a hundred times 110 ougjht to ha\e had a chance in his youth, but las father was the last man in the world to encourage out-of-the-way ambitions m his sons. Father and mother were alike — haul, grasping, and ungracious. 'i he fatho~, on the whole, was a pleasunter person than tie mother, with her long, pale, hoise-face and ready sneer , he was only uineompioinisingly haid and ungemal to all the world. There were other children besides fnese two, all long since dead or scattered. Two of the boys had run away and gone to Anieiica , their first Mle >s home remained unanswered, and after one or two attemptb they ceased to wrifte. The one girl had slipped into a con'vetnt, oiler a h'orrihefd glimpse at the home-lite of her paients when slhe had retiumed from her boai ding-school. She had been sunt away to a convent in a distant town whMe still a meie child She bad come and gone in i earning ■vacations,, still 100 childish to be moie Hum \a;;uely iepelled by the unlovely inle of her home Hut at sixteen she came home ' for good ' , \ery much for evil, poor little I'Jily would ha\e safd, as 'he lealised mils full S'ordidness tie gnnding manner of lite which was to be hevrs. i\ o wonder she wet her pillow night after night with her teats for the pure and gcvitle atmo-.pheie of the convent, for the soft-voiced ami mi'd-e\ut nun-,, and tho life of the spirit wlmh shone ideally fair by this appalling life of the woild .So, after a time, •■he had her will and escaped to the convent James could never understand why he, too, had not broken bounds and ri.n ol! to Amenta with Tom and Ahek. Perhaps be was of a more patient nature than tihey. Perhaps the life held him down. It was, indeed, suVh a round of haid, unvarying toil that at night ho was content to drop down in his place like a dead man and sleep as the wo''n-out, hordes sleep, dreaming of a land of endless gieen pastures beyond men's harrying. A luck ard Tom were younccr They had not had time tio get broken to hardship like him, and Patrick was yet a baby. Friends or social pleas<uies wcie beyonti their maddest dreams Their parents' idea of a life for them was one in which haid work should keep them out of mischief. James could never remember in tlhose days a morning when he had ridden refreshed , he wasj always heavy with sleep when following the plough horses, on feeding the cattle Food of the coarsest, sleep; of Ithe scantiest, were the rule of the house. Jo.a , or love, or ki-ndness never breathed between those wails Meanwhile the father was getting old, and a time came when he sat moie and more by the fire in winter, sipping his glass of grog and readmg the country papers, or listening to his wife's acrid tattle. Mrs Rooney hated with an extreme hatred all the good, easy-going neighbors who were so soft with, their children, amd encouraged dancing and race-going and cardplaying— t(hc anru.seme.nUs of the In^h middle clashes. Sh© haid a bitter tongue, and once it was set agoing n 0 one was safe from i lf— net the holiest nor pure&t was beyond its defilement. ■It was about this time that the laborers began to thihk the young master rather more important than Hie old one • '"but for their connivance James Rooney could never have been drawn into Fenianism. The coiwpuaey was jiufst the thing to fascinate the boy's mipiession-

ablo heart. The poetry, the glamor of the ron^antic devotio/n tb ,Mc-t|her Country fed his starved idealism ; the mikinight drillings and the danger were elements in its atfraeti.cn. James Rooney drilled with the rest, swore with them their oaths ot fealty to Dark R-osaleeti, was out v.M'h them one wintry night when the hills were coveiui with snow, and barely escaped by the skin of Iw-. teeth from t/he capture which sezit some of his fiiei'-ds injo penal semtude. Mi.s. Ilcoiicy's ama/ed contempt when she found that h»r eldest sen was among ' tlie bo) s ' was a bt.udy in chaiacter. The lad was not compromised openly , and though the police had their suspicions, they had noxlnng to so upon, aud the matter ended in a dpmiciliary \ isit which ip'ut Mrs. Kooney in a fino rage, for tflie had a cunous subservient .ambition to stand well with the gout ly 110 a ever, soon afte- that, as she was pottering aboft't tho fowl-yard one bitter day— she would never tnust anybody to coJlect the eggs from the locked henhouse hut hei self— she took a chill, a nil not long afterwaui.s died. If she had lived perhaps James would never ha\c had the courage to assert himself and take the leinsi of management as lie did. But with her going l!ho iron strength of the old man seemed to break down He fiulfillod her last behest, which was that her funeral was to take place on a Sunday, so that the farm hands should not get a day oft , and Hhen, with some wnde,r at the n^v masterful spirit in his so>n, he gave himself up to an easy life. ihiN in James Rooney was not altogether tiiio ie<iii!t of Ins Fen.amvm As a metier of fact, he had fallen in lo\e, wirh tlie overwhelming passion of a lad who had hitheito li\ed with every generous emotion ie;nev,ed The gul was a gay, "sweet, jet impassioned cieatuie who wa; the light of her own home At that home .lames Rooney had first realised what a paradise home may be made , and coming from his own gloomy a'^i horud s-un omidin -, the sunshine of hers had almost bhnued him In UkU white house among the wheat XjcifJs love reigned. And not only love, but oha'ilv, h ispita'itv, pati iot ism, and lehgion. There was novei a rourrh word heard there , e\en the household iKviUni-s, the cmary m the south window, the co'nfo.'table c.ts, the fnendly dogs, partook of the genes at Min'inie-'s h \i]i(.n<r ru/,0 aJmitk-d ficely to that laving circle, James luHiaiey was one held in affectionate regard The man w.ho had been Ihc means of bringing him there, JUur 4l -o O IV.r^cll, was Ids Jonathan, for to him young ho, ii-\ had giviM all his heio-worKhip. J[ e was, indeed ot tui' 'liroif slun, older, giaver, wiser thaAi Ins friend James Rodney spoke to no one of his love or his hope-, Foi he had hopes. hllen, kind to every one, singled him omt for special kindness. He had seen in hor deep ejes something shy and tender for him. For some time, he was too humble to be sine he had read her :m'o aught, but at la-4 he believed m a flood of wild rapine that she had eho-.en him. Ho 'did not speak, he was too happy m dallying with hi-> joy, and he. waited on from day to day. One evening ln> was watching her simginor, with all his heart in hist oyos AmonE people less held by a great sincerity than the<-c people were at the time, his secret would ha.vo bin n an open amusement. But the father and mother braid wil'h eyes dim with tears ; the young sisters about tho fne (lushed and paled with the emotion of the song , the hearts of the listeners hung on the singer's lip-i, a'ul tHieir evs weie far away Suddenly James Roon?v looked round the circle with t'io tecling of a man who awakes fiom sleep. His lne;\l was opposite to him, also ga/.ing at the singer ; tho uuoiation in his face turned the > oimger man cold with the shock. When the song w^s done he said ' goodnight ' (jj'iictly, .Mid went home ft was earlier than u'l.al, al.i'da I . i'd he left his fuend behind lu,m , for Hiis one nigli'i hei was glad iu>t 1,,) have his company , he wanted a Cfine-t interval m which to th nk what was to be done. Now, when he Halisrd tiia ( M.iurrt O'Donneil loved L( r, he c'uiscd Jus ov n folly that he had dai r ed to think of 'winning; heir. What girl with eyes in her head would fo.ke In m, gray and square-iawcd, before the gallant i,oo\mg fc-llon who w T a f s the ideal pahiot And Ellen— Klkn, of all the Women living, was best able to appreciate O' Darnell's qualities That nigiht he sat all the night with his head bowed on his ha,Wds thinking his sick thoncihts amid tihe rum of hi,s castles. When he stood up S'Mvonng m the gray dawn, he bad closed that [\v-ro of his life lie tell as if al toady tho gul had ebono '*n between them, and that he was found wanting. That was not the end of it, however. If. he had been left tin himself he nucht ha\e earned out his high, hero io ro<-ohe to go no more to the house winch had become Paradise to him. But his friend follbwod him, with the anxious tenderness that was between the two, and with an arm on his shoulder, drew his secret from him. When he had told it he put his face down on the

mantelpiece by which they were standing, ashamed to look O'D'onnell in the face because they loVed the same nell spoke, and his voice, so far from being cold and angry, waa more tender than before. ' So you would have taken yourself oft to leave me a clear fieM, old fellow ' ' 1 Oh, no,' said the other, Humbly, ' I never had a chance. If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and Should not have dared to loive her." 1 Dear lad ' ' said O'Donnell. ' But now you must take your chance, if she chooses you rabhei than me — and, by heavens ! I'm not sure that she won't — it will make no difference, I swear, between us. Which of us shall try our luck first ? ' They ended by drawing lots, and it fell to O'Donnell to speak first. A night or two later he overtook James Rooney as the latter was on his way to Ellen's house lie put his arm through Rooney's and said, ' Well, old fellow, I've had my dismissal. I'm not going your way to-nig|ht, hfut I believe your chance is w<oluh a good deal. Presently I shall be able to wish yo*ii joy, Jim.' They walked on together in a silence more full of feeling than speech could be. At the boreen that turned up to the white house they parted with a hand-clasp that saiid their love was unchanging, no matter what happened. That night James Rooney gott his chance and SrpoKe The gmt! hr>aid him with a rapt, absentminded look that chilled him as he went on When he had done sihe answered him : ' I can ne\er be your wife, Jim. I have ma ( !e my choice.' ' But — ■ — ' stammered the lad. ' I know what }ou would say,' answered quietly. I gave tihe same answer to Maurice O'Donnell. Why did two such men as you care for me ? I am not wortfH it, no girl is worth it. 'Tis the proud woman I ought tb be and am, but I can't many the two of you, artd perhaps I can't choose.' She laughed half sadly ' Put me out of your head, Jim, and forgive me I'm away to the convent at Lady Day ' And from this resolve it was impossible *'.*♦ move hep. From that time neither O'Donnell 1 nor Jim Rooney was scon at the white house, and in the har'vast time Ellen, as she said she would, entered St. Mary's Convent. Jim Rooney never lo\ed another womaai, raid when, in tiie following year, Maurice O'Donnell went to New Orleans to tale up a position as the editor of a newspaper, Jim Ro.oney said good-bye to friendship as lastingly as he had to lo\c. T|ho old father died, and left what wealth he -had to be divided between his two sons For all the pinching and scraping it was not much , theie seemed something unlucky about the farm, poor, damp, and unkindly as it was. Jim was a good bi other to the joung lad giowing up. He Ikept him at a good school during his boyhood anld nursed his share of the inheritance more carefully tihan he did his own They had the reputation of beincj far wealthier than they weie, and many a mil would ha,\o been well pleased to make a maich with Jim Rooney. But he turned Ins back on all so. iai o\eituies, and by arid by he got the name of being a sour old bachelor, ' a cold-hearted najgur, 1 going the way of his father before him. But the rule on the farm was \ery different, e\ery one admitted ; to his men James Rooney was not only just but generous Presently the young fellow came home from school, gay and light-hearted. He was a tall young giant, who presently developed a fine red moustache, and had a rollicking gait well in keeping with his bold blue eyes. He was soon as popular as James was the reverse, and his reputation of being ' a good match ' made him welcome in many a house full of daughters. Ono day the youth came to his brother with a plan for bettering himself. He wanted to draw out his shaie from the farm and to invent it iai a general shop which was for sale in the countn town, close by. Now Jim Rooney had a quee" pride in *dm that made the thought of the shjnp % cry distasteful. The land was quite onothefr tllnng, and farming, to his mind, as ennobling an occupation as any under heaved But he quite understood that he could not shape the young fellow to his ways of tli niking. lie paid, gently : ' And why, Patrick, are you bent on leaving the farm and bettering yourself ? ' The young fellow scratched his head awkwardly and gave one or two excuses, but finally the truth came out Ho had a fancy for little Janic Ilyland, a,nd she had a fancy for him, but there was a richer man seeking her, and, said the young 1 fellow simply, ' I am thinking; if the father knew how little came to my share he'd be showing 1 mo the door.' * Does Janic know, Patrick ? ' asked (the elder brother. lOh divil a thing ' ' skid the younger, with a hnlffihamod'lalugh. ' I don't trust women with too much ; 'but if I had Grady's, I'd soon be a richer man than

they think, me. Old Grady cut up for a lot of money, and he was too old for business. It's a beautiful chance for a young man.' ' Well, Patrick,' said the other at last, with a sigh, ' your ahare ■won't buy Grady 's, but yours and mine together will. I'll make it orver to you, and you can keep yo|ur bhare in the farm too. I'll work the J farm fot you if you won't ask me to have anything to do with Uhe shqp. Tut, tut, man !' he said, puehingVway Patrick's sccictly delighted protests ; ' all I have would como to you one day, and why not now, when you Uunk it will m,ake you happy ? ' So Patrick bought Grady's and bronght home Janid Ilyland. He has prospered exceedingly, and makes Ihe la^i-sh display of Ins wealth which is characteristic of the Irishman. They have added to the old house, thrown out wings and annexes, planted it about with shiiibbcTieis, and mado a carriage drive. Yoiung Patrick g,rowi'ng up is intended for the university alid one of the learned professions, and Mrs. Patrick has ideas of a season in Dublin. Her house is very finely furnished, witjb. heavy; pile carpets and many mirrors, and buW and ormolu everywhere. Sha fools her brother-in-law tlo be the oho blot in all her Mplendar and well-being. When Patrick first brought her hjome, she tjook a vehement dislike to James, which has raliher waxed than waned during the years. He munch) ,her as lit Me as may be, working on the farm duri.ng the daytime, and in the evening departing, with his slow, heavy stop, to his sanctum upstairs, where he has Ins books, his carpenter's tools, and his telescope. Yet her words worry him like the stinging of gnats, and the Ragging oif j ears has made him bitter. lie turns out delightful bits of carving and cabinetmal|ing from time to time, and he mends everything brokefn in the house with infinite painstaking. Up thcio iai his garret-room the troubles fall away from him, and he forgets the lash of Mrs. Patrick's toague. Tfho hardest thing is that she discourages the children's friendship for him, and he would dearly love the children if only he might. The otiher women are rather down on Mrs. Patrick about it , indeed, Mrs. Gleeson told her one day that the c. ;e;at|aTe was worth his keep if it was only for his handmesis about the house. Patrick has grown used to bus wife's gibes and flings, which at first used to make him icd amd uncomfortable, lie has half come to believcf in the secret hoard his wife says old Jim is 1 accumulating. But James, in his high attic, looks upon the mountains and the sky, and shakes of! from him with a superb gesture the memory of her taunts. — Katharine Tynan.

Dining the fortnight ending September 26th Messrs, Baldwin and Ray ward, Patent Attorneys, Welling,ton (District Managers, Mirams Bros., Joel's Buildings, Crawford street, Dunedin), prepared and filed the following applications for Protection under the Patent Designs and Trade Marks Act :— Reid and Gray, Dunedin r a>n improved mangold sower ; Ohristchurch Meat Co., Christclturch, improved apparatus fox securing the tops or covers of pre&wvmg tins ; Patrick Cody, Rivcpdale, an improvement relating to pneumatic tyres' ; Edward Tavlbr, Brisbane, means for operating, controlling, and determining Ihe amount of liquid to be drawn from a \essel by a syphon ; A. A. Bushell, Pertfli, W.A., folding stand for usable attachment with bicycles ; Gray and Tollman, Ilobart, improvements in mechanical cbinfeed stamping and frank itig apparatus ; P. Mcllvride, Wanganlii, an improved nose-bag ; L, Caselberg and Co., Wellington, Trade Ma/rk " Rex " ; Casey and Hubbard, Melbourne, improvements in pumps or auction dredge machinery ; A G. Land, Christchurch, impirfoveme>nts iin bicycles , J. W. Perry, Chrisitchiurch, an imp<roivdd adjustable seat for vehicles 1 ; E. I-]. H-annaford, Dunedin, an improivement relating to the locks of doors ; J. R. Skinner, Christchurch, improvements in arid relating to cushion heels of boots and shoes ; Raphael Paladini, Welli{igt,on, improved- apparatus for flushing the pans of water closets ; Alex. McLeod, Brisbane, improved t-li-pod stand for cameras ; D. I-I. K. McGuinness, Victoria, an improved elevating hand truck ; E. H. Kirby, Victoria, improvements! in and relating to closed circuit fire alarms ; Regal Shoe Co., U S.A., Trade Mark " Regal " ; James Davies, Auckland, improvements fn wagons and the like ; R. Whiley, Jun., Ohau, improved railway station indicator ; S. E. Dennis'ton, Irtvercargill, apparatus for treating, flax ; H. J. Gardiner, Christchurch, a bicyde attachment to carry a child or parcel Baldwin and Rayward's handbook on patents for inventions is obtain'ahle free on application. Just isdudd— Pamphlet describing the new Patent Law of the Commonwealth of Australia, sent post free to any addresa on application...