Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

"For Father's Sake," or A Tale of New Zealand Life

Chapter XXXIV

page 397

Chapter XXXIV.

Here's Nellie! Here's Nellie." A chorus of merry voices echoed the joyous shout, while several noisy rollicking children tore down the garden path to meet the new comer. Like the touch on the spring of Jack in the Box, the cry affected the whole household; in windows and doorways popped out many faces. But the younger brood fast held sway, and the elder had to bide their time. In vain Mrs. Main tried to check those little dancing feet, in vain Grace scolded; those little angels of our world knew nought, cared for nought, save that they were glad, and that Nellie had returned; forgotton were all former grievances, all past negligence.

"Nellie, you should not encourage the children to be so noisy," exclaimed Mrs. Main. "Such conduct is really outrageous,"

"I am surprised," echoed Grace, in a tone of angry remonstrance. But Nellie, remembering her previous behaviour, stooped and kissed her little baby brother.

"They are not vindictive, mother dear," answered she, playing with the soft brown curls. "They are returning good for evil. But mother," added Nellie, looking up with the brightest look they had seen on her face since her return, "I am sick of speechifying, and the thraldom of hunger is upon me. Under such circumstances, I am the patroness of 'Bustling Martha.'" The coquettish look which was thrown in the direction of the kitchen, had its desired effect. Mrs. Main and Grace burst into a merry page 398peal of laughter; and the tantalizing children gathered around, and sought to lead indoors, the sham starveling.

"This is going too far," exclaimed Mrs. Main angrily, and Nellie seeing her mother's displeasure, bade the children begone. "I shall tell you all about my country visit by and by. Play about in the garden until I am ready," said she, as she turned to follow her mother indoors. O, what a beautiful thing is that love, which unites together the inmates of a family. How it mocks those outward attractions, which are often so essential to Affinity's Love. How it defies the attempts of time to teach it forgetfulness. How it scorns the grave that would seek to separate its tendon; and, when circumstances add their weighty influence to the furtherance of that annihilation, what a disdainful laugh ascends from the depth of Filial Love. Let new attractions arise, let fresh ties be made, let the heart grow rich in the fat of reversionary things; calm and serene above its rivals towers the ligament that binds together the offspring of the same parents; and in the spirit of the patriarch David it cries, "O brother, O sister! Thou Jonathans of our soul; lovely and glorious art thou in thy life time, and in death we are not divided. Thy love is above all, surpassing even the love of our affiliation." And while these children were holding up their palm branches and crying "Rejoice;" from the drawing room window someone else was viewing the joyful entry, and smiling half wistfully, half amusingly, at the innocent character of the triumph.

"Whom do you think is here," asked Mrs. Main, as they entered the front door, and stood a moment in the large hall which Grace had made resplendent in every description of Maori curio in the anticipation of their Glasgower's visit.

"A king by the look of the house, and a prince by the look of Grace's face," answered Nellie, first glancing around page 399the hall and then up at her sister's face, the last with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Right, wiseacre," gaily answered Grace. "You have learned the science of divination during your country sojourn. As a reward for your foresight, you will not be kept any longer in suspense. Lo! the hero of your prophecy," stepping aside to give the stranger room for advancement. "Now, mother, for the formal introduction."

"Walter Main Thornton. My daughter Elmy," came in very measured accents.

"Extremely honoured by the renewal of our acquaintance," politely responded a familiar voice, and a white hand was outstretched, and two laughing grey eyes looked down.

"Why!"—Nellie dropped her half extended hand, and gazed at the man in speechless astonishment.

"Don't throw those great eyes at me, cousin Elmy," laughed the culprit. "They are too lovely to give away. I owe you a grudge, you know. But come, don't be malicious," added he, pleadingly; "won't you shake hands, and make it up?"

"But surely," began Nellie, doubtfully; "surely you—" here her words forsook her again, and she could only stand and stare.

"I surely am your cousin, if that is what you mean. Do you know, aunt," and the young man turned to look at Mrs. Main, who was no less astounded than her daughter. "Do you know this young lady rejected the privilege of an introduction about two years ago, and now she is repeating the offence. I don't know what I have done to be so treated."

By this time Nellie had regained her self-possession. "Cousin Walter," she said, in her calm clear tones. "I will not beg your pardon, for I have committed no offence. But," and raising two dark shining eyes to his face, and stretching out two small gloved hands, "I welcome you to page 400New Zealand with all my heart." Her eyes filled with glad tears, and for a few moments she could say no more.

Then there came an explanation, and Mrs. Main and Grace became possessors of the knowledge of that steamer episode two years back. Laughing and marvelling at the strange incidents of life, they turned to see what repast they could find for their hungry truant, leaving Nellie and her cousin a few minutes alone.

"Are you not sorry for your refusal, Miss Nellie?" asked Walter Thornton, looking down at the sweet face, and inwardly admiring its winning expression. "We might have become good friends by this time. Indeed, we should have, for the names would be our link."

Nellie looked out at the bright sunshine, at the pretty gay coloured flowers, at the happy children in their play, and in her mind there arose the vision of a steamer, with its crowded deck, its moonlight, and its conversation. "No, cousin Walter, I am not. My action was the fruit of impulse, and not of self-consideration. Had it been God's will that we became known to one another, I would not have had that feeling of restraint. We both had work to do before our introduction; but," and for a second time Nellie raised her eyes to the fair manly face; "I am so pleased to make your acquaintance now, and I trust with intercourse, to be made your friend." Then her eyes took a sad dreamy look, and she continued, half to herself, "You are not much like him, cousin Walter. You are taller and fairer, and of course much younger. But you have his broad open brow and his voice. Ah! that was what struck me as familiar on our first acquaintance. I am pleased—more than pleased; 'twere better the likeness be not too striking, else the remembrance would become too prevalent, and the inevitable too often lamented." Then, rather abruptly, "You are like your mother, I suppose?"

page 401

"Yes and no. At least, I am like both parents."

"And your mother," asked Nellie, softly: "what is she like?"

"By the photo, like you father, without his beard."

A tender smile lit up the face of the questioner, and her soft eyes glistened like two shining stars. "Thank you, Walter. Papa spoke of your mother on his death-bed, and I shall never forget his words." Then she brushed away her thoughts, and listened to the voice of her mother, who was reminding her that she (Nellie) was hungry, and that Bustling Martha (Mrs. Main) was impatient.

"Come, cousin Walter," commanded Nellie, in a playful tone. "Come; and while I relieve Martha's feelings, do you recount the means whereby you discovered that I and that wilful girl of your former acquaintance were one and the same."

"It took some time, I can assure you, Miss Nellie," began Mr. Thornton, seating himself opposite the girl, and looking across the table at the saucy face. "It was not until I saw your photo, and heard of your recent return from a trip you had taken about two years ago, that I dropped upon the truth. My suspicions had been aroused by the likeness in your sister; but I knew I had not seen her face before. So I ransacked my brains to find out where I had seen its counterpart. I am afraid I appeared very rude at first, did I not, cousin Grace?" and he turned his smiling eyes toward the window, where Grace had encased herself in a huge arm-chair.

"Well, I hardly know," came from a mysterious depth. "I certainly thought you stared at me very hard, and that you were uncommonly stupid when I spoke to you. But," here Grace assumed a condescending tone; "but, there! of course I put it down to Home training. I would not be the least surprised at anything Homelanders did. I met a page 402girl the other day, one new from Home, I mean, and because she had to get through the fence she actually cried."

Mr. Thornton burst out laughing. "That's really too bad of you Grace. First you label me uncouth, and then you back up your statement by the use of an allegory of polish."

"Hum: If crying be Home polish it certainly is not Colonial."

"I don't mean the crying, I mean the getting through fences. You have no idea what a difference there is between life out here and life at home," added Mr. Thornton turning to Nellie. "Why, if a girl in Scotland were seen doing half what I have seen girls do here, they would be looked upon as indecent, vulgar."

"And yet," answered Nellie, ever ready to defend her native land. "And yet those highly respectable people would slander one another; would criticise, and rudely pull to pieces, one another; would, if thwarted in their purposes, do to those who crossed them, all the injury that lay in their power."

"Is that attribute confined to the homelanders, Miss Nellie," questioned Mr. Thornton, throwing a meaning look toward the half-concealed figure in the window. "A little while ago, I heard some one severely criticise a passer by, who had crowned herself with a tiny black hat, from the back of which projected a huge white ostrich feather, the which, by reason of its continued waving and sweeping, was doubtful whether to remain where it was or 'take the wings of the morning and fly away.'"

A roguish smile crept into Grace's face, and she opened her lips to make a cutting retort, when Nellie's voice intercepted her.

"Oh no!" answered Nellie, her thoughts reminding her of some rather painful encounters with the critic and the page 403backbiter. "Colonials can be just as bitter towards one another. Still, I think the fence-climbing, and such like experiences, tend to take the thoughts from one's own person, and to divert the mind from petty spite. What I mean, is that the freedom and openness of colonial life keep the mind in activity, and prevent the thoughts from getting putrid by its imaginary grievances. There!" exclaimed Nellie, suddenly taking up her knife, and commencing to do a little sensible work. "There! I have been speechifying again, I declare. I do wish you people would not make me talk. Talking always drives away my common sense. Avaunt! with you two, and leave me in peace."

Both Walter and Grace did their best to draw Nellie into further conversation, but failed, and at last had to retire; but just as they were passing out of the room, a thought seemed to suddenly strike Nellie, and she called them back. "Oh! by the way, cousin Walter, I forgot to ask you. Did you come out to New Zealand with the intention of picking up a rich heiress and thus making your fortune? On my way down this afternoon I happened to overhear a rather peculiar conversation between two new arrivals from your country. A parvenu I guessed by the accent, and by the entire ignorance of colonial ways."

"Auw," said one, opening his mouth lengthways instead of the ordinary vulgar sideways, and flourishing his silver headed riding whip, which to my thinking was all the silver he possessed. "Auw, it's a gweat mistake two come two the Colonies for woives. There are no moneyed young women in New Zelland."

Mr. Thornton burst out laughing, more at the disgusted face of the mimicker, than at her words. But Nellie was too serious to laugh, and a bright angry look flashed into her dark eyes.

page 404

"I warn you before hand, cousin Walter," said she, throwing aside her light jaunting tone. "Although you are our cousin, if that thought prompted you to seek your fortune in New Zelland, you will either have it rudely taken from you, or you will be made to return to whence you came. Thank goodness, there are no moneyed young women here, but there are moral; and I pity the man who marries a New Zealand girl for what money she possesses. Why, to the end of his days she would dispise him."

"Nellie! demanded her mother. "How dare you speak to your cousin like that. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

Then that peculiar winning smile broke out over Nellie's face and she looked at her cousin, herself restored.

"I was not speakiug so much to you as to myself, cousin Walter," she said. "But such craven spirits in men arouse my indignation. We are a simple people, we colonials; and we welcome, with an unstrained welcome, the foreigner. But let that foreigner understand, we will not tolerate his airs; and the moment he starts his 'Aws,' we despise him with a silent holy scorn. You, Walter, we understand, for have we not your cablegram?"

That evening the chamber of business consultation was thrown open, and all those of the Main family who had reached the age of official dignity, entered and took their respective seats. But for a little while we shall turn our steps toward the nursery or play-room, or whatever room you choose to call it, and interview the juvenile quarter.

I wonder if my reader has ever had anything to do with children attending the public school. If so, the home-lesson scene will not be unfamiliar, and my poor little description not needed. Should the answer be otherwise, though I hope not, by enlarging to a threefold my feeble words, you will get a pretty good idea of that amusing entertainment. page 405Oh, the babble of noisy chattering tongues, and the constant um um of the inarticulated words, and the pat pat of the feet, and the silly childish squabbles and makes-up. It certainly is amusing, and a pleasant change, to take an occasional peep into the room, as we are doing now, for instance; but to remain there long would, I fear, drive you distracted. Two children, little girls, were reading aloud; indeed, they seemed to be competing with one another which could read the loudest. Two were writing and squabbling at intervals; and one, being too young for anything else, was superintending the whole. A large table, crowned with an innumerable assortment of books, consisting of half-torn exercises, copy books, arithmetics, and goodness knows what not stood in the middle of the floor. From the display anyone would imagine that the young students, although themselves ranging from three to thirteen, had achieved in their youth the wisdom of Socrates in his senility.

Suddenly one of the juvenile scriptors looked up from the all-absorbing picture of a cow he had been carving on the back of his exercise, and exclaimed in a mysterious whisper, "I say, Eed! wouldn't it be dandy fun if cousin Walter married Nel? What a jolly feed of cake we would have. My!" smacking his lips; "don't I remember Milly's. We had whips of cake then. It's too bad of Nellie keeping us waiting so long for hers."

"O, Tom, you glutton! Just fancy wanting Nellie to get married and go away like Milly, all because you would like some cake. But it would be dandy fun though." And the little preacher lost herself in glowing pictures of sumptuously loaded feast boards, and flower crowned halls.

The superintendent looked horrified. If those two thought it "would be dandy fun," he did not. In his little brain similar feelings may have been at work to those that heat the heart blood of older people to a white heat when page 406they see the frequent sacrifices of every virtue upon the mistaken altar of worldly comfort, and, as in Tom's case, for the enjoyment of a piece of rich indigestible cake.

"What do you, a baby like you know about marriage," said Tom contemptuously, as he surveyed with pride his hieroglyphic handiwork.

"Indeed, I know a great deal, Mister Tom-ass, and I mean to get married myself when I grow up."

Tom burst out laughing. "You get married! Oh! that's good, to be sure. You will have to wait till the joker asks you; and," another scornful laugh "and it's a monty that joker won't be a patch upon cousin Walter."

"Edie's rosy lips pouted, and her saucy blue eyes danced. "And who wants a cousin Walter patched joker? You perhaps, certainly not me. I am going to marry a gentleman, not a long-legged giraffe."

Down went the reading books of the two listeners. "Oh! I'll tell. I'll tell. You called cousin Walter a long-legged donkey."

"I didn't! I didn't," cried the trembling culprit.

"What did you say then?" demanded the two.

"I didn't call him anything. I said he was nice."

"O, you story teller. You called him a monkey. You are not allowed to call people names. Now we'll tell," and out of the room the two tale-bearers trooped, leaving their sister in tears, and the superintendent delighted; he (the superintendent) was having his revenge.

"Tom," moaned Edie, "don't you tell what I said, will you? Those nasty things to go and tell. I sha'nt lend them my pencil again, the spiteful cats."

Tom pretended not to hear his sister's pleadings, but presently he began turning his head from side to side somewhat like a duck when trying to see the sky.

page 407

"Don't you think you'r a fool, Edith Marvell Main? They won't tell, they dare not; but it would serve you jolly well right if they did; you airing your knowledge! what next?"

Edith dried her eyes and resumed her work. Presently back trooped the little tattlers.

"We-ell, and did you te-ell? and what did mamma say?"

Edie was defiant now, and could afford to sneer a little.

"You'r going to catch it when Mamma comes. We told, of course we did, didn't we go out?"

The two little girls stood hand in hand surveying their sister, and as they spoke, wagged their towsy heads and pointed with their disengaged fingers, and really looked very comical.

"How can you tell such lies?" indignantly echoed the exercise. "You need not say any more; I can't bear story-tellers."

Order reigned in the nursery for the space of two minutes, then—"But I say Eed!" Tom made a dart at his sister and snatched the ruler out of her hand. "It would be dandy fun wouldn't it?" commencing to rule his exercise.

"You mean sneak—give me my ruler," wailed the little girl, and once again the flood gates of her eyes were opened, and the torrents rushed forth. "I'll te-el; give it to me." A sudden dart forward. A scornful laugh from Tom. A renewal of the attack; and then Master Tom brandishing the ruler above her head, and perambulating about the room, defied his sister's advances. Poor Edie subsided into plaintive sobs; and Tom satisfied that he was master of the situation returned to his interrupted ruling. Five minutes afterwards—

Bang! The children almost leapt out of their skins.

"Finished! thank goodness." Then without any warning, away flew all books. From the table and from the hands they were snatched, and scattered to the four walls of the page 408room; and two struggling squeeling little victims were being dragged all about the floor.

"Tom! you fool! you will spill the ink. Let go the table cloth, can't you?" cried Edie, holding on like grim death to the corner of the cloth and the edge of the table. "Squeek?" "Squeek!" came from the half-choked victims. "Ha, ha!" from the laughing garroter. Back rebounded the strained cloth; and back rebounded Edie, measuring her full length on the floor. "Oh, my poor head;" jumping up and rubbing her damaged topnot, and laughing as gaily as usual.

"Blind man's holiday!" and blind man's holiday it was.

Tom, of course, was blind man; the fraud, he could see all the time; and the rest acted holiday, I think. Then came a romping, and a crawling, and a whispering, and a poking, until the wily blind man lay down and feigned sleep. Nearer and nearer crept the unsuspicious attackers. How their hands itched to insert their sharp nails into the flesh of the poor blind man. A whoop! and a dart! and one of the little prisoners were struggling and kicking in Tom's great arms.

"Wasent that good? Wasent it now, young shaver? Tom good boy. Tom catch Laura, all same Cousin Walter catch Nellie. Tom very clever boy, Tom is;" this to the little superintendent.

"Do away, bad Tom. Milton don't like Tom. Tom taid Tousin Walter take my Nellie away;" and the indignant little superintendent tried to hide behind Edie. Tom made a grab at his little brother—there was a scrimmage, a forward rush, a crash; and Tom and Edie and Milton, and the tablecloth, and the ink, and all, rolled over on the floor, a heap of glorious confusion. Ah! it was well for these young miscreants that the elder members of the family were so busily engaged, and so far removed from their din. Milton, page 409however, did not forget his grievances, poor fellow, he forgot he himself had been married not many months before, and the next day, when all were quietly seated at the table—in honour of Cousin Walter's visit the little ones were permitted this breach of nursery laws—and when the solemn blessing was being pronounced; after gazing intently first at Nellie then at Walter, he startled the whole company, and stopped the verbal completion of the blessing, by exclaiming in an Irishman's whisper, "You won't take my Nellie away, will you Tousin Walter? Tom say you married her. Nellie won't leave Milton more."

A general titter was passed round the table, then a stifled laugh, then an explosion, and in the midst poor little Milton was ordered from the table. He went away quite passively, but ever and anon as he went, he turned his pleading eyes toward his sister, as if to entreat her not to leave him.

Yet while the baby play was being acted in all the openness peculiar to children, a similar performance was being acted by the adults. Like the juniors, many of the seniors declared "it would be dandy fun." Some had their doubts, and others wholly ignored the matter; and throughout it all Nellie and Walter met and conversed, and exchanged laughter and thoughts, and looked at the sham acting with indifferent eyes.