The Gold-Stealers A Story Of Waddy - Edward Dyson (e reader books TXT) 📗
- Author: Edward Dyson
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Sooner Than Let You Post Off To Elvas On So Bloodthirsty An Errand."
Sir Rowland Uttered This Speech With An Air Worthy Of His Puritan
Uncle, Of Calvinistic Memory; But, In Spite Of The Respect Due To The
Speaker, It Was Too Much For The Gravity Of His Hearers. Lord
Strathern And His Companions Burst Into A Roar Of Laughter, And Even
L'Isle, Amidst All His Anger, Felt Tempted To Join Them.
"Gentlemen," Said Sir Rowland, In Grave Astonishment, "I Like A Joke
As Well As Any Of You. Pray Explain This, That I May Share Your
Enjoyment."
Chapter 3 Pg 14Bradshawe, With An Effort, Cut Short His Laughter, To Say: "As A
Neutral Party, Sir Rowland, I Will Be Colonel L'Isle'S Surety, That In
Whatever Mood He May Set Out For Elvas, As Soon As He Finds Himself In
The Presence Of His Enemy There, He Will Be Gentle As A Lamb."
"You Deal In Mysteries; Who In elvas Is So Safe From L'Isle'S
Resentment?"
"Nobody But Lady Mabel Stewart."
"Lady Mabel Stewart!" Exclaimed Sir Rowland, Looking At Lord
Strathern. "If A Lady Contrived This Plot, I Shall Never Unravel It;
So You Must Do It For Me."
"Perhaps The Explanation," Said Bradshawe, "Would Come More Gracefully
From My Lord."
"If I Knew The Details Of It," Said Lord Strathern, Interrupting His
Hearty Laughter, For He Seemed Resolved, At All Hazard, To Recover His
Fifty Guineas, In Sport, Out Of L'Isle. "I Can Tell But The Beginning;
And Then, Sir Rowland, You Can Squeeze The Rest Out Of L'Isle
Himself."
"By All Means," Said Sir Rowland. "L'Isle, Take A Seat, And Learn To
Stand Fire. You Must Not Dodge From A Volley Of Laughter, That Happens
To Be Aimed At Yourself."
L'Isle Reluctantly Sat Down, While Lord Strathern Said: "Have You Ever
Discovered, Sir Rowland, That L'Isle Is A Monomaniac?"
"No! On What Point?"
"Discipline! He Is A Little Touched Here," Said My Lord, Laying His
Finger On His Temple, "On The Subject Of Discipline. He Never Eats
Heartily, Nor Sleeps Quietly, But After Detecting The Breach Of A
Dozen Of The Rules And Regulations Made For The Government Of His
Majesty'S Troops. He Fancies That They Were Made Expressly To Afford
Him The Pleasure Of Detecting The Breach Of Them."
"Is This Disease Prevalent In Your Brigade, My Lord?" Sir Rowland
Inquired In a Sarcastic Tone.
"By No Means; I Have Kept It Down; For My Method, Looking To The
Spirit, Not The Letter Of The Law, Discourages It Greatly."
"I Have Seen Something Of Your Method, My Lord," Said Sir Rowland,
Smiling; "But Cannot Say That I Have Mastered Its Peculiar Merits."
"That Is Very Likely," Said Lord Strathern, Complacently. "As Every
Art Has Its Mysteries--So Each Man May Have Some Peculiar Gift In The
Application Of His Art; Even Though Taught By The Same Master, No Two
Men'S Handwriting Are Exactly Alike; So Each Of Us May Have Some
Inimitable Peculiarity In His Soldiership. It Is Certain That L'Isle,
Not Understanding My More Enlarged And Liberal System, Wished To Force
Me Into His Own Narrow Notions, And When I Would Not Yield To Him, He
Intimated To Me That I Was Training Up Banditti. I Had To Recommend To
Him The Study Of One Of The Articles Of War, Which He Had
Chapter 3 Pg 15Overlooked. It Treats Of Subordination, And Of Each Man'S Minding His
Own Business. Neither Of Us Was Very Successful In Keeping His Temper;
And, Indeed, Being A Good Deal Rufff Us Was Very Sual; And Shine, As The Superintendent, Must
Withhold His Countenance From So Grievous A Sinner. Besides, There Was A
Belief That At Some Time Or Another The Faceman Had Thrashed Shine, Who
Was Searcher At The Stream In His Week-Day Capacity, And For That Reason
Was Despised By The Miners, And Regarded As A Creature Apart. Ephraim, It
Was Remarked, Was Always Particularly Careful In Searching Rogers When He
Came Off Shift, In The Hope, As The Men Believed, Of One Day Finding A
Secreted Nugget, And Getting Even With His Enemy By Gaoling Him For A Few
Years.
As Ephraim Passed Out From The Bar He Again Allowed His Eyes To Roll Up
And Meet Those Of His Enemy From The Dark Shadow Of His Thick Brows.
'Don'T Forget The Little Widow Was Sweet On Frank Hardy Before You Jugged
Him, Tinribs,' Said The Miner.
Tinribs Was A Name Bestowed Upon The Superintendent By The Youth Of
Waddy, And Called After Him By Irreverent Small Boys From Convenient
Cover Or Under The Shelter Of Darkness. He Found The Widow Haddon At
Home. She It Was Who Answered His Knock.
'I Have Come From The School Committee, Ma'Am,' He Said, Still Intent
Upon His Boots.
'About Dickie, Is It? Come In.'
Mrs. Haddon Was Dressmaker-In-Ordinary To The Township, And Her Otherwise
Carefully Tended Kitchen Was Littered With Clippings And Bits Of
Material. She Resumed Her Task By The Lamp A Soon As The Delegate Of The
School Committee Was Comfortably Seated.
'Has Richard Come Home, Ma'Am?' Ephraim Was An Orator, And Prided Himself
On His Command Of Language.
The Widow Shook Her Head. 'No,' She Said Composedly. 'I Don'T Think He
Will Come Home To-Night.'
'We Have Had A Committee Meeting, Missus,' Said Ephraim, Examining The
Toe Of His Left Boot Reproach Fully, 'An' It'S Understood We'Ve Got To
Catch These Boys.'
'What!' Cried Mrs. Haddon, Dropping Her Work Into Her Lap. 'You Silly Men
Are Going To Make A Hunt Of It? Then, Let Me Tell You, You Will Not Get
That Boy Of Mine To-Morrow, Nor This Week, Nor Next. Was Ever Such A Pack
Of Fools! Let Dickie Think He Is Being Hunted, And He'Ll Be A Bushranger,
Or A Brigand Chief, Or A Pirate, Or Something Desperately Wicked In That
Chapter 3 Pg 16Amazin' Head Of His, And You Won'T Get A-Nigh Him For Weeks, Not A Man
Jack Of You! Dear, Dear, Dear, You Men--A Set Of Interferin',
Mutton-Headed Creatures!
'He'S An Unregenerate Youth--That Boy Of Yours, Ma'Am.'
'Is He, Indeed?' Mrs. Haddon'S Handsome Face Flushed, And She Squared Her
Trim Little Figure. 'Was He That When He Went Down The Broken Winze To
Poor Ben Holden? Was He That When He Brought Little Kitty Green And Her
Pony Out Of The Burnin' Scrub? Was He All A Little Villain When He Found
You Trapped In The Cleft Of A Log Under The Mount There, When The Stream
Men Wouldn'T Stir A Foot To Seek You?
During This Outburst Shine Had Twisted His Boots In all Directions, And
Examined Them Minutely From Every Point Of View.
'No, No, Ma'Am,' He Said, 'Not All Bad, Not At All; But--Ah, The--Ah,
Influence Of A Father Is Missing, Mrs. Haddon.'
'That'S My Boy'S Misfortune, Mr. Superintendent.'
'It--It Might Be Removed.'
'Eh? What'S That You Say?'
The Widow Eyed Her Visitor Sharply, But He Was Squirming Over His
Unfortunate Feet, And Apparently Suffering Untold Agonies On Their
Account.
'The Schoolmaster Must Be Supported, Missus,' He Said Hastily.
'Discipline, You Know. Boys Have To Be Mastered.'
'To Be Sure; But You Men, You Don'T Know How. My Dick Is The Best Boy In
The School, Sometimes.'
'Sometimes, Ma'Am, Yes.'
'Yes, Sometimes, And Would Be Always If You Men Had A Pen'Orth Of Ideas.
Boys Should Be Driven Sometimes And Sometimes Coaxed.'
'And How'D You Coax Him What Played Wag Under The Very School, Fought
There, An' Then Broke Out Of The Place Like A Burgerler?
'I Know, I Know--_That'S Bad; But It'S Been A Fearful Tryin' Day, An'
Allowances Should Be Made.'
'Then, If He Comes Home You'Ll Give Him Over To Be--Ah, Dealt With?'
'Certainly, Superintendent; I Am Not A Fool, An' I Want My Boy Taught.
But Don'T You Men Go Chasm' Those Lads; They'Ll Just Enjoy It, An' You'Ll
Do No Good. You Leave Dickie To Me, An' I'Ll Have Him Home Here In Two
Shakes. Dickie'S A High-Spirited Boy, An' Full O' The Wild Fancies Of
Boys. He'S Done This Sort O' Thing Before. Run Away From Home Once To Be
A Sailor, An' Slep' For Two Nights In a Windy Old Tree Not A Hundred
Chapter 3 Pg 17Yards From His Own Comfortable Bed, Imaginin' He Was What He Called On
The Foretop Somethin'. But I Know Well Enough How To Work On His
Feelings.'
'A Father, Ma'Am, Would Be The Savin' O' That Lad.'
Mrs. Haddon Dropped Her Work Again And Her Dark Eyes Snapped; But Ephraim
Shine Had Lifted One Boot On To His Knee, And Was Examining A Hole In The
Sole With Bird-Like Curiosity.
'When I Think My Boy Needs Special Savin' I'Ll Send For You, Mr. Shine--
'It'D Be A Grave Responsibility, A Trial An' A Constant Triberlation, But
I Offer Myself. I'Ll Be A Father To Your Boy, Ma'Am, Barrin' Objections.'
'An' What Is Meant By That, Mr. Shine?'
The Widow, Flushed Of Face, With Her Work Thrust Forward In Her Lap And A
Steely Light In Her Fine Eyes, Regarded The Searcher Steadily.
'An Offer Of Marriage To Yourself Is Meant, Mrs. Haddon, Ma'Am.'
Shine'S Eyes Came Sliding Up Under His Brows Till They Encountered Those
Of Mrs. Haddon; Then They Fell Again Suddenly. The Little Widow Tapped
The Table Impressively With Her Thimbled Finger, And Her Breast Heaved.
'Do You Remember Frank Hardy, Ephraim Shine?'
'To Be Certain I Do.'
'Well, Man, You May Have Heard What Frank Hardy Was To Me Before He Went
To--To--'
'To Gaol, Mrs. Haddon? Yes.'
'Listen To This, Then. What Frank Hardy Was To Me Before He Is Still,
Only More Dear, An' I'D As Lief Everybody In Waddy Knew It.'
'A Gaol-Bird An' A Thief He Is.'
'He Is In Gaol, An' That May Make A Gaol-Bird Of Him, But He Is No Thief.
'Twas You Got Him Into Gaol, An'
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