Please wait. Contacting image service... loading
Hide article pages Show article pages
  1. Page 48
    Page 48 thumbnail
  2. Page 49
    Page 49 thumbnail

Article text

On this Page 48
.By- B. CECIL DOYLE.
"To-morrow -sees the-end of it nil," said
the woman, and made a suddeii passionate
gesture with her .arms. Yet, even as she
snoke. she - knew that realisation did .not
bring the swiftsense of pleasure freedom
should baye brought. • Was it: always jthns
when- desire lay; within the jpjup.. ,, What
had gone?
"i suppose 1 am growing, old," she
thought, bitterly. :;f.
She leaned her head back in the cushions
of her deal squatter chair, and looked put
over the brown plains, which were merging
into grey mist wraiths with the Bwift-steal
ing of the night. . A wandering breeze, that
yet brought no grateful sense of coolness,
ruffled * the trailing branches' of the .great
pepper tree which grew against the Veran
dah. It was burdened by the smell of
burnt grass, for there were fires to the east,
and smoke'had 'veiled the sty-line all day.
There came the barking of a dog from the
6tables, and the far-off wailing of curlews
brought -that. overwhelming sense of dreari
ness that only the bush-born know, and
then again the painful stillness of the sum
mer, night om the plains.
And to-morrow she would be away from
it all! . . . . ... .
.For. ten years, she had inwardly raged
against it all. The dreary wind-swept; win
ters, and the long, hot fierce summers,
generally dry, when her husband had spent
his spare time over calculations, and Jxad
said daily that , they were overstocked, and
that if rain did not come on such and such
a date he did not. know -what they were to
do. He had extracted a kind of mournful
pleasure from '". always . anticipating the
worst;,,when the blow did riot fall he con
veyed the idea that he considered it crimin
ally'negligent of Providence to spare the
rod of chastisement. For ten yeara-.the
woman had ordered iris house, and formed a
sympntheticchonis to his plaints- she had
entertained his friends, who, in their turn,
gave her. long accounts of deals they had
made, and. the price.wool was likely, to
bring next year, topics never differing in
kind, only in degree. She was popular with
the men of the district, because: she pro
vided good , meals and cool drinkables, arid
listened to them without wanting to talk
herself. . They went home, and ,told their
wives what-a splendid all-round woman . Mrs.
Charlton was, and, as a result, she was riot,
so popular with the .women. They suspec
ted her of riot being as interested in re
cipes as she might have" been; and knew for
certain that she did not sew, and all really
moral worneri sewed.
The woman on the verandah was thinking
over those ten years. What had been the
gbod of it all; the soul-war and the weari
ness? She had managed well, she thought,
bitterly, for no one bad ever guessed the
hatred she fplt for it all.. - Jiist before her
husband died he had said complacently that
they had been very happy together,,and she
had assented sweetly, and kissed his fore
head, feeling the unreality of it all.'. Only,
her gift" of being able to stand outside her
self as- it were pulled her through the time:
Always she had extracted a subtle amuse
ment from life. It gave her exquisite
pleasure to know that, while she graciously
dispensed hospitality, and discussed two
tooths and tiie price of hoggets, inwardly
she gave herself the satisfying luxury of
contempt of it all. ,
Steps sounded sharply on the boards of
the verandah; she sat up abruptly, and
smiled a little in the thickening darkness.
A man came past tlie stream of light that
shone from an open door, arid she stood
up to greet him with a few _ conventional
words of welcome and surprise. He was
ill at ease, arid a silence fell between them.
"I was sitting out here.because really I'd
finished everything I had to do, and it's so
hot inside." she said, moving a chair.
"I've ridden straight in from Hintori,"'he
said. "I only heard yesterday yoii were
leaving so much earlier.. Why? Is it kind
to leave your friends in the dark;- I did
£>? d;iWriev' aP^'- 5 <rii ■ gone;'' ,1
^••#/-^;4t^s«^3^%-coinV'-)aie!S
a^Ung;; »,-$>}& J^s&jsj fetweeii^
lopg firSers.: ■;,. ,. - .1
■''tiop&.&iok'herei :teil^ wW shoulll!
play parts?,t I've ;orily. been .waiting miJ
Jlt% tome had.sqtie.iby, and-—'
sli40■*<
, '®bs,that's fluieklf^
knew, yotfd. .understand. *You idwnvs I
you blessed ^aman.',', " i,
swap; Jf sresisted'faintly^ land then 1 ay J
B,/ti 4sj_ke came closer to 3ier the
pt tu^tpbaceo fihe always associated sS
mm reached lier,. and she moved a littlpl
lips a trifle paler.» , ■„■■.'■.■■■,.•. ''
^ saiC,arid his voice was-rii
H, ^ t k^Wd follow voul
the world's end? Didn't ydu-know TJ
all right'^ t0 da,l? yOD' w3ben-'t j,
For - ah - instant' the Old glamour m
oyer her, carrying_ber aldngiwith it i
^ said, gently, leaning i
j^?" How' ,ong is it since I met j
"Seven years. Serfin lifetimes sinci
knew you were made for me;. Child "
vo'cp .was , low,"; rieduetive. ; "It' i
rT ■% - to ffafe fbh those years ft
V$
• - What had .they meant i for -film? AM
she smiled a.little. Wraith-like there fltf
across hermind the memory, of a day jn i
JStVjtM l\ad gone. A red. sun, sink
T^elnnd the plain, the. hot westerly blowi
and their horges, cantering along, side
aCjjS ^ e /ST®44} wide sweep 0f Is
J^d, suddenly,r hke tke flame that spra
mstantaneously from a spark, thev hi
they loved each Other,* mid the whole wl
was; changedi But since theii there 1
been so much, and the years had tiS
heavy toll, and no. thing ..remains when
]Tas- ,■«; serpent's, hiss, came 1
thought that now, she "would be worth'!
mm s winning that many men would i
her make love ofvaryihg degreefl
Tlie man was bending over her.
der^aVe * vome^-too «odn?" -heaakedjij
Shestrangled a;,desire tp laugh Thin
are .so rarely riuneinial in life; theyl
mostly -too early—or too late. *
^he arai Of the chair, f
„,v i p «r ®*ie ^'d. very quietly and .
cisievly, lam not coming .back." .;
—3 Jarf®wt»n&'' he said, soothing! v. «i
when you.ve had a cbauge vou'li see tlira
clearly agaw. YouVe got a little art
W6!^3?8 &}b<:business arid: all M
but 111 .-do- that now.. ..When you cM
dearestcoming back—to me-js|
- ^enthe ^mouldering flame in f
leapt into hfe. She faced hhn there inl
darkness; a dim figure that yet seemed
forth— mtensity as her 'words pod
"ct coming back; don't you und
stand. Don t you understand the worn
you knew is dead—dead with all the c
things that have gone. Do vou re
l have been, /starving all these Years,'
that .something has gone. Nothin» a
hound* the highest point; the re£)|f
<,orne" \ • 1 «ave you ev»*
thrng long ago, and you gave, me—proti
turns and the mood of the moment. .
wo let me finish. You said. long ago
night, do you remember—that if 1, ™
nf rJT ?nu/d ',3e haPPJV in a bark kl
Do jou ? But. .of course, you don't rami
her. I am .a fool. You are 'no worse tbd
anyone else; you meant it atthe.time. Si
said if I wpuld leave all this and goY
you that you. weren't afraid-to begin
that we could go further out, where to
wouldn t bother about us, and there «
all problems. You swore you would w
fail; that life Would hold audi hapnin
yoU | W°uld fear nothing, neither life V
^eath, ana . tiiat, -eveiytliing mi
he right, because love, would
it. so. You said all the usual «
. tnes, and I believed them. They were
to me then, and { touched the stars,
theu—perhaps you have forgotten.

PKSper -riyetendea to •cafe"for SJebn tvfcri

Ctaivin^ ^ife^eta >'iietbiBgrfer;;.me
Kkegi vi tori K Xuf e "hew' ammgi rep. me

gas "and gloved youi'■,.' Y wanted hrippir
S^iuad I' was -prejpared.io hiake. a big
gfrr for it. . , . You said; you would
fflffiten up etoiythiiig next day; and I
'0,fo meet you ;6t"theH\uadfniir Dfest even
9v and we'd/drii ve-straight ' river the bot

You «ee, 1 have remembered' eviery

tiug! 1 «'as there waiting ;at the time.

ll- „ "»— nkrv^.tttilifin Jl. ImiVP

w the sun set ved and- saTieny as 1 have

B^hed so toany suns isfefc htirep'-and- it

lev darker and darker; and thert . were
Bhh>' noises. ■"'■ You'know the noises 'of the
Kaiiat night.' ■•'There'catne..the «ryi of-that

■M-that is like the1 •scream, of a.woman,'
Brf 1 could fee) the hair-oh my.head freeze,
B^ t'ne curlews; wailed; and; shrieked. J.
Kn't think they-ever called as tliey did that
Bight, I remembered tbat old nurse I'd

Erf as a child said they .Were , banshees, and
But when. they .keen toy a ,long .time they

Kf lanientmg .-for someone wlio jias dmd. L
_re lamenting—..— ... .. .

Echu-ed you lying somewhere on the road;
Be bay raare was always treacherous. . 1
Ewght of you.^yinfe "If I'nraboye ground

[Jl'lTe there to; meet you." You see, I be
ped it all, and I fought—oh, what didn't

think? Those hours—and, the/silencer—

the waiting,; 1 .thin]c I tunied my
j^se round wilh some idea of.searching.the
«ad, until I .came to you. ; 1 don't JurPif.
)jd 'giinms came out to look for me-^per
ips he giieSsrid^I'verieyerknowm. Auy
jjay, .lie saidim. fwnd he wahderihg about
iying with a touch of the sun. and no one
mew. If you had .come and told mc 1
$gd have.Understood that you bad spoken
in the wings of a mood, aud it would have
jeen all right.: Ifybrinad.dhjty sent a note
ifeit to let me Wait! Nothing will ever
flhe out the memory, of that night. You
§1 am not. prbud. I am telling you
gout it quite frankly, because lam dead in
li the ways that matter now. Someone
fjtffenbt-ixtt talk's, and plans and lives"'

'ge gripped tier arm. "Did you think I
^tiot sutfer trio that night}.' Before God,

_!«as not a .mood; T aid-mean to go;, it
Emnt everytliing tO me, new life, new hope,
Efoything. I ineahtto go to the very last,

■rtifl then 1 thought of many things. For me
Ewould have Been nothing; a little talk,
Ben it would hare blown: over. But yoii
Btre a proud; sensitive • woman; " arid ' the

odd's censure would have hit you. I had
.1 think of your—and Charlton was-my
iriend!" , ' -.

She laughed. "And you remembered it
it the last moment. Be honest; I'm not re
entful now. It has all- passed;' -so let us
_y frank". You counted the cost, and you
Hieb't think it worth while, It would-have
Ben unpleasant; and a thing must be well'
Borth while for-One to deliberately choose
■t if it's unpleasant.' It would have meant
Bur leaving your positron, and beginning
Bent. NTow,,everytbmg is 'all right;' When
Bdecent interval has elapsed we could
B®rry, and our friends would talk a little,
B"l«end us wedding presents, arid it would

11 begin over'again." .

'You cared for me once," he muttered.
■You are over-tired now, arid.pot'looking
■t. things in their proper values. Gome to
Be, and forget it all? Ah, child, cvery
■hing is possible when one loves. I will
■oath y°u to love me again, arid'yon will
Blow with me ^ that the best is still to

moved her arms with a gesture of
Bopclessness. .

3)ont' you See there is nothing left to

Begin with. The you I loved: was never

Bhere. I created him. .and he:is dead. I

Bntorry. I'm afraid I'm being unpleasant;"

rut you will go away, and forget soon;; For
ince I am goirig to be myself, the new self,
[•need to tell you how things pressed on

Ire, and you said you -understood.- But you

ever did. I was talking a strange language.
If late I haven't even wanted to voice
hings to anyone. I have grown weary of
ring thrown'hack" on myself from non
omprebension. . The woman you knew is
rare. I took.myself by the throat, arid de
ibeiytely choked the life but. It was

itber amusing, because no one knew- the

' I had gone. • I have watched, the red

coming over the plains every'morning",'
Wondered howl could get through the
; but the day passed somehow, and the

sank glowing and ■ angry. Then the
fcs. the hot. silent nights, when I eould
Tot sleen, arid walked up and' down
lie paddock, praying for a fcool" breeze, and

■ost welcoming the faint light.in the

that said the nisht was almost over,

the misery of it all. There was always
" "og going wrong—the -windmill, -or.

k waS driving quicker than, was ex1'
or else-there-was a flood. Grows,
i, rabbits—I-haye liyed'to the, tune of
"i all. Pcan: discourse- oh poisah-^irta
poisons; on lambs, and sheep arid oat-j
; on taxes, and wages, I am word-perfebt'

it all. Andrtaow I bate it! Ij-Tie cruelty;
4 Bordidriess; the ..poor, stayed teaih;:
ties »oing -through; and- the rinfortunate
ijillocks; a motberle«? lamb with its eyes
icked out. dying wifh thiri-t; a kriocked

ipt'se, left 1i£lnles«(..h'x^ltho ..roftd,, )fy
rthas aclied will) jt all until it can ache
wore, and it's all so uselessly,. It just

on. And to-morrow I am free. I fam
now that I stjick to. it. simnly becariee
i not care le^brij??!; toibreikjawav." or
?* there anything else, who knows?"

"A nephew otdobn's is cpiritog h° manage.
wT will never*'sto it-:again;-' Ttonight I
'atehed the red sun sinking on the plains
"f the last time; and what's the rise: I
nildn't tell you,all I. lhought;. but I ,nn
ptood bov^imoi r1|a^e ^ied„gitrsing it
tat fiendish;^ririhkirigBf0.wK the Hell-,
at' plain I am . /going % seEh?ch'
1 .the things.. I. have dreamt .about—
SgfTtree' in^l^pjnf|^q(p6t!a^bl!}| sky in

h c6ri4Jtgnt)pf; Puis JSntwli9%in| in
^lelteied bbtoin'of the /- Tyrolesp^ xohjip

m narcissi In milliorip all abloom;, in -
Jtatzerlaud, ..apd &^ Miqwdrift. -l,pf daisies '

"rig. adtw leagUngtb^ ttiei A^cropdlis,
here and" there Mriung poppies flake
}t splashes of blood. Trees, and imn
".water,afid;gj;^rl"tobWa:"<doudj6Ghlue

.along a flag-bordered stream , bush'-grass
«:/ensi,the^Ito^irit^vfetotrieri^

1 "ayqir§ad:-«|f-'inen>goJng mad crav

.vinpl
£mysef

(Mi all
cotout;.

ritotltef
lewith

always ,

$