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Article CATHERINE CARMICHAEL; on, THREE YEARS RUNNING. ← Page 14 of 15 →
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Catherine Carmichael; On, Three Years Running.
but at a little place called Oamaru he hired a buggy and a pair of norses , and had himself driven across the country to the place . He knew that Catherine was living in the town , and not at the station ; but even though the distance were forty miles , he thought that it would be better to send for her than to discuss such things as would have to be discussed before the bankers and the attorney , and all the eager eyes and ears of Timaru . What it was that he would have to discuss he hardly yet knew ; but he did know , or thought that he knewthat he had been banished from Warriwa because old . Peter
Car-, michael had not chosen to have " a young fellow like that hopping about round his wife . " It was thus that Peter had explained his desire in that matter of John ' s departure . Now he had been sent for , because of the property . The property was the property of the widow . He did not in the least doubt that . Christmas had again come round , and it was just a year , —a year ancl a day , —since she had put her hand out to him through the closed door and had bade him good-bye .
There she was , when he entered the house , sitting at that little side-table , with the very books before her at which Peter had spent so many of his hours . " Kate , " he said , as he entered , " I have come , you see , —because yoii sent for me . " She jumped up , rushing at him , as though to throw her arms round him , forgetting , —forgetting that there had been no love spoken between them . Then she stopped herself , and stood a moment looking at him . "John , " she said , "John Carmichael , I am so glad you have come at last . I am tired minding it , —very tired , and I know that I do not cio it as it should he . "
" Do what , Kate ? " " Mind it all , —for you . No one else could do it , because I had to sign the papers . Now you have come , and may do as you please with it . Now you have come , —and I may go . " " He left it to you ; all of it , —the money , and the sheep , and the station . " Then there came a frown across her brow , —not of anger , but of perplexity . How should she explain it ? How should she let him know that it must be as she would
have it , —that he must have it all ; and have it not from her , but as heir to his kinsman ? How could she do all this and teach him at the same time that there need be nothing of gratitude in it all , —nothing certainly of love ? " John , " she said , " I will not take it from him as his widow . I never loved him . I never had a kindly feeling towards him . It would kill me to take it . I will not have it . It must be yours . "
"And you ?" " I will go away . " " Whither will you go ? Where will you live ? " Then she stood there dumb before him , frowning at him . What was it to him where she might go ? She thought of the day when she had sewn the button on his shirt , when he might have spoken to her . And she remembered , too , how she had prepared his things for him , when he had been sent away , at her bidding , from Warriwa . What was it to him what mi ght become of her ?
"I am tired of this , " she said . "You must come to Timaru , so that the lawyer may do what is necessary . There must be papers prepared . Then I will go away . " " Kate ! " She only stamped her foot . " Kate , —why was it that he made me go ? " " He could not bear to have people about the place , eating and drinking . " "Was it that ?" " Or perhaps he hated you . It is easy , I think , to hate in a place so foul as this . "
"And not easy to love ? " " I have had no chance of loving . But what is the use of all that ? Will you do as I bid you ? " " What , !—take it all from your hands ? " "No ; not from mine , —from his . I will not take it , coming to me from him . It is not mine , and I cannot give it ; but it is yours . You need not argue , for it must , be so . " Then she turned away , as though going ;—but she . knew not whither to go ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Catherine Carmichael; On, Three Years Running.
but at a little place called Oamaru he hired a buggy and a pair of norses , and had himself driven across the country to the place . He knew that Catherine was living in the town , and not at the station ; but even though the distance were forty miles , he thought that it would be better to send for her than to discuss such things as would have to be discussed before the bankers and the attorney , and all the eager eyes and ears of Timaru . What it was that he would have to discuss he hardly yet knew ; but he did know , or thought that he knewthat he had been banished from Warriwa because old . Peter
Car-, michael had not chosen to have " a young fellow like that hopping about round his wife . " It was thus that Peter had explained his desire in that matter of John ' s departure . Now he had been sent for , because of the property . The property was the property of the widow . He did not in the least doubt that . Christmas had again come round , and it was just a year , —a year ancl a day , —since she had put her hand out to him through the closed door and had bade him good-bye .
There she was , when he entered the house , sitting at that little side-table , with the very books before her at which Peter had spent so many of his hours . " Kate , " he said , as he entered , " I have come , you see , —because yoii sent for me . " She jumped up , rushing at him , as though to throw her arms round him , forgetting , —forgetting that there had been no love spoken between them . Then she stopped herself , and stood a moment looking at him . "John , " she said , "John Carmichael , I am so glad you have come at last . I am tired minding it , —very tired , and I know that I do not cio it as it should he . "
" Do what , Kate ? " " Mind it all , —for you . No one else could do it , because I had to sign the papers . Now you have come , and may do as you please with it . Now you have come , —and I may go . " " He left it to you ; all of it , —the money , and the sheep , and the station . " Then there came a frown across her brow , —not of anger , but of perplexity . How should she explain it ? How should she let him know that it must be as she would
have it , —that he must have it all ; and have it not from her , but as heir to his kinsman ? How could she do all this and teach him at the same time that there need be nothing of gratitude in it all , —nothing certainly of love ? " John , " she said , " I will not take it from him as his widow . I never loved him . I never had a kindly feeling towards him . It would kill me to take it . I will not have it . It must be yours . "
"And you ?" " I will go away . " " Whither will you go ? Where will you live ? " Then she stood there dumb before him , frowning at him . What was it to him where she might go ? She thought of the day when she had sewn the button on his shirt , when he might have spoken to her . And she remembered , too , how she had prepared his things for him , when he had been sent away , at her bidding , from Warriwa . What was it to him what mi ght become of her ?
"I am tired of this , " she said . "You must come to Timaru , so that the lawyer may do what is necessary . There must be papers prepared . Then I will go away . " " Kate ! " She only stamped her foot . " Kate , —why was it that he made me go ? " " He could not bear to have people about the place , eating and drinking . " "Was it that ?" " Or perhaps he hated you . It is easy , I think , to hate in a place so foul as this . "
"And not easy to love ? " " I have had no chance of loving . But what is the use of all that ? Will you do as I bid you ? " " What , !—take it all from your hands ? " "No ; not from mine , —from his . I will not take it , coming to me from him . It is not mine , and I cannot give it ; but it is yours . You need not argue , for it must , be so . " Then she turned away , as though going ;—but she . knew not whither to go ,