1932-12-24 — Page 13

SPECIAL

A TREAT

for the KIDDIES

MORNING SHOWS. at 11.15 a.m.

SUNDAY

Ꭲ Ꭺ Ꭱ Ꮓ Ꭺ N

MONDAY. TARZA 'N.

·TUESDAY NO LADY

WEDNESDAY-

.

LORD BABS QUEEN'S

COMPLETE SHORT STORY

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1932.

The Packman's Pool

BY S. R. CROCKETT

IT'S just three days to Christ

mas," said Gray Stial to Robin as they stood at the black gates of the farm-town and looked up at the threatening. December jaky

Kirsmas-I think I hae heard tell o' that afore what is't 1" said Robin Stiel who was Gray Stiel's

•nephew and twelve years old.

"Oh," said Gray Stiel, whist ing on his smooth-haired little col-

it's a time, just!" But what is it a time fort continued Robin who was small for his age" but mighty persistent.

Robin, man, ye are awfu' iguer, ant. I mann send ye to the schule," said Gray Stief, who had been as far as Lockorby Lamb Fair and once met an Englishman. "Christ: mas is a time when folk hae mair to eat hau they ken what to do wi', and mair to drink than is guid for then-"

O Lord,'% groaned Robin, "I wuss Kirsmas wad come to the Nethertonn. I'm no mindia' what I hae to drink. There's naething sne stock enin' as cauld water, but to hae mair than ye can sat, it's just heeven to think on !".

Uray Stiel sighed and for a moment his face looked a little weary. He, too, did not know what

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MAK

ten him sore.

Then quite suddenly his sweet- *I cannot do that!'" said Gray heart, Peggy Sinclait, wall with a grap farmer's daughter in the low coun-

Allon Stie swore a great oath, try, married his master, Ralph and held up his cleuched hand Edgar, called Hoppety-Skip. She alive his head. His prison pales was eighteen years of age and shenres flushed purple. had been acted on by her people, Then I swear that if ye do not backward unkindly years had suit whose pride was awakened whet get me that ten pounds by Christ- There were late Hoppety-Skip came a-courting in nas day, I will tak the boy wi snowstorms into which the young dark green gig with lines preked me. It's an awesome-like thing to lambs were barn only to die. He out in red. That the bridegroom keep a boy frae his sin faither that himself was stricken with a pleuwas within a few years of seventy has tane a the trouble o bringin riny which cut-like-a-knife-into his made a difference to them, though him into the world, and noo ye flesh each time he mounted a brae. it did to Peggy, gentility's sacri wad hinder him frae, learnin' to Barn an honest penny, and to be But still he struggled on, with hopefice. upspringing in the loyal faithful For many days Gray Stiel went the staff o his faither declinin heart of him. Gray Stiel was true to the hill with n worse pain in years!"

he heart then last winter's stitch steel.

He had never, seen of pleurisy. Peggy since, though she had come to Nethertoun once or twice with her husband. But on the parti. cular days Gray Stiel had business among his flocks on the remotest and if Hoppety-Skip hilltops, wanted to see him, he could come to seek him.

But yet sorer, things to bear struck him. In one year his father died, his mother, left penniless, aged and infirm, came to live with him, bringing one Robin, a baby, the son of Allan, Gray Stiel's elder brother, who had levanted into parts unknown out of the reach of his responsibilities. Then one week after she had come to her son's house, she woke wailing in the dawn with a great and strange fear upon her. She was blind! Something had snapped after long wearing pain in her eyeballs-snapped sud only and without warning. And so she became a burden upon Gray, and wearied his life out by telling him so-which indeed was his great est burden.

1 With his own hands he had to dress her, and lead her about the He was nurse to little house. Robin, carrying him often to the hills with him in the nook of his left him hungry when was plaid, or in bad weather taking a And to tell the truth he hasty run down in the mid of the grown indurated to a brave, brisk, morning to the cot-house to see that hard life at the hill farm of all was right within.

f

Kone.

it

"

THEN to show that the blast of misfortune had not blown itself out, the one cow died, and Robin bad three miles to walk before he could get a bottle of milk for his two helpless charges, while the road was so rough that oftentimes it was churned into butter in his pocket by the time he got back. After the

*

*

*

So the years went on and Robin' grew a big boy. The weariful complaining of Gray's mother was suddenly stilled in the tenth year of his herdship at Nethertoun, and the lonely mun felt the want, acute ly. But from that day his heart was set on Robin, the child of his lost brother Allan. It used to be his Fear that he would come back and claim his son. Gray Stiel felt sure that Allan could do that, or any other mean thing to which he applied his mind.

So at the yatt of Nethertoun, lanning upon the top bar and look ing at the dull grey of a sky which presaged snow, Gray Stiel and his nephew Robin stood. Three or four dogs, feeling the need of keeping the blood coursing through their veins that nipping winter morning, tumbled over each other with riotous napping of teeth, worrying and yelping wih their noses in the scruff of each other's necks.

Nethertoun among the wild hills of Galloway. He had been four- teen years herd to Ralph Edgar of the House of Folds, commonly known as Hoppety-Skip from a hobbling way of walking he had, through his leg having once been put out of joint (it was said by an indignant former herd), and he now konw that he would not make a fortune in the service of his prelambing time it was easier, of at master.

course, for then he milked the ewes which happened to lose their lambs, And those who know understand that it is no joke to milk a full- sized old blackface of the moun--r-ring quivered through each tains-a "Snawbreaker" and the from sharply pointed oss

twitching tail, mother of many.

Gray had thought it was a fine thing when he was a younger man to get such a place, the sole charge of as fine hill" as there was in all Galloway, a cow's grass, que lamb in every two score of those drafted off the farm at selling But.Gray Stiel came through the time, and five and twenty pounds in trial, though it handicapped him wages. Gray Stiel at that time was for life. In the nutumn.. his eun- twonty-four years of age and sanning master offered him an advance guine.

upon his wages, part of which he used in buying another, cow, and HE was in love, too, and hoped part in paying some outstrading that this doing for himself" obligations of his father's, about would bring him quickly to the which his mother kept up a per- goal of his hopes. But after thepetual craking complaint weari first successful season a series of Rome to listen to.

*

AKE SURE THAT THOSE

CHOCOLATES ARE

NESTLE'S

cocked in

and E low ontinuous sound,

tu

The affectionate parent turned and strode unsteadily down the rough rocky track which led to- wards the loch. Gray Stiel watched him with wild whirling thoughts in his heart. At the angle of the path Allan stopped and shouted back..

Ten o'clock at the Packmina's Pool on Christmas mornin', ` and mind ye hae the siller wi' ye!"

*

GAY STIEL went back into the

house and his collies slunk un-

easily after him. Their master oughts they knew, to have been on the hill long ere this. There were not so many hours of daylight left in which to cover so much moss and leather. But still Gray Stiel sat and thought.

Robin, wearied of his book, bad risen and gone to the door with his dog Airie. Gray Stiel abruptly bade him come in and sit down. He was not to go out of doors that day while he was on the hill. He was afraid that his brother might. yet return,

Then, having locked the door, Gray took the path for the Craig Lee knowes, whence the best general idea of the hill can be got. The sheep, it appeared to him, were all on their several ridges and slopes, and Gray Stiel resolved (as he put it) to leave them to Providence for yae day!"-

A faraway whistle reached them

Then with an abrupt change of in the midst of their play, and in stantly every dog stopped in the direction he struck right across the midst of a spring, or was turned to moorland for Dee fords, conquer stone with jaws wide open for aing the heather and moss-hags with "naj's. Their ears were instantly his long shepherd's stride. He was the direction of the making a bee line for the House of Folds, where dwelt a woman he had never set eyes upon, sicce the had looked up and told him how much she loved him. But now it was not a time to lot any sentiment- al considerations stand in the way, He must see Peggy Sinclair-he could not bring himself to say the other name by which men called her. And as he anoke the image of Hoppety-Skip, "his mean, narrow visaged grippy master, rose before his eyes with a sense of physical disgust.

With a great fear in his heart Gray Stiel went to the barn-end and looked down the valley. What he saw made him turn sharply round and bid Robin go into the house and hide there.

Whereat the boy, though infinite. ly curious, obeyed, without ques tion. He had but one law, and that was the will of Gray Stiel.

#

THEN Gray took his staff in bis

hand and went down the glen. to face what he felt might be the greatest peril of his life.. Upon rock sat a tall, burly man clad an. parently in rags. The toe of one foot peeped through the brokon boot. His hair of a sandy grey was short cropped, and his face had an unwholesome prison pallor like half-bleached cloth,

L.

He was drinking raw spirits out of a bottle as the clean muirland nose of his brother told him a hundred yards off.

HE stopped and half turned on his

heel.

No, he could not do it not even And yet the for Robin's sake. thought of the babe whom he had held in his arms, laying him down in his plaid only that he might. milk the ewes, and-yos, it should be done.

It was late in the short winter's afternoon before he reached the House of Folds and asked for "the Mistress."

She enmo, and at sight of him set hand to her side with a strange "Ho,Square-toes !" he cried,little animal city, something like a waiving the bottle about his head, weak thing that has been trodden "come have a drink. You won't- upon

you upsettin' blastie. Well, then Gray," she whispered mechanic. then I will if ye will not. There "ally, "ye hue comed!"

Perhaps

He swinged off the remainder of she was thinking of the tryst she tht content without removing the never kept, At least Gray Stiel bottle from his lips. Then catch-Was Then it was that there came ing it by the neck he threw it with a strange construction into the Something seemed unsteady dim at one of the circling man's throat.

collies, who of course easily evad to grow so great and hard at the ed the clumsy missile. The bottle root of his tongue, that he had no smashed against the rock with an words to articulite. Then, all at ugly sound as Gray Stiel stood face once he noted that it was dark, to face with his enemy,

and he thought of little Robin sit Allan Stiel balanced himself un-ting alone with his dog in the cot casily, lurching a little, and try house of Nethertoun. Then words ing to suppress a hiccough. Then came suddenly to him. he smiled,

"I have a sudden call," he said, "I have come for my share of

"Allan has come back and swears the family estate," he said, "hair, that he will take Robin frae me you know, Gray-eldest son of his and-mak him a thief like him- parents, Where's the cash my el' if I winna gie him ten pounds father left-mother too! Give me on Christmas morning-}" my portion of goods, Master Stay.THERE was a pitiful look on the at-home, or Allas Stiel will soon face of the young mistress of let ye ken what's what

Allan" said Gray Stick, well do you know that our father not only left no money but died in debt--nt through any fault of his oxu, poor man. And as for my mother. God rest her, abe brought me nothing but the clothes on her back.

the House of Folds and her hand sought her throat, wavering un- wards like a little detached flame from a fire of green wood. Ob,

havena a shilling, Gray," she whispered, he he winna-And ob Gray, it want my faither!"

At the moment from this little parlour-there-game the sound of a kind of skipping patter as if a ALLAN STIEL laughed aloud. large dog bad leaped down from a chest upon the bare wooden floor. "Nonsener, man," he said, "I've And the girl involuntarily with heard you paid faither's creditors drew further from the door as it in full, and some of mine too. were, shrinking within herself. That shows ye hae diller Nae manWho's there who's there!" pays siller that he hasna got, Sae cried a high-pitched, querulous ilgo please, nine gamman wi' voice," what for caona ye come Allan. Ten pounds ye pay me or in whatver ye ore 1 ́Stiel-Stiel ! I will tak' awa' that callant of What's wrong aboot. Nëbërtoun 1, mine to learn my new business. Are ony of the sheep doid? Dinna Oh, it's a braw trade!”

say that the stendin's on fire!" There was no need for Gray Stiel Than he turned to his wife to ask what that trade was. The Gang in there," he said, as ho man breathed beggary, theft, and would have spoken to a dog, glanc- debauchery from polled head to ing over his deformed shoulder at cracked shoots." And to think that || her with an ugly look on his face. such an one had a crim upon strange under his crown of reverend Robin, and could make him like hairbarko

“Lend ye Yen pounds 'to gie to Gray Stiel drew his breath hard. your's ill-set brither my bonny, I havent the eiller he said pound notes that I has worked aas 'slowly, I haveną, a pound noté i hard for la- he screamed, when he the hoose

Funderstood, Gray Stiel, do ye vai Thời và lâu what to get full 1 cho con trai entre retorted his brother, there's your lấy vợ that fast in payin- back sweetheart, Peggy, married, to our what ye owe me already, that I rich, maister, a young loss wedded should fling awa' ten pounds, for. to an euld mars. She will never, you and, your brithor tò, waste, int refuse a loan to her jo for the’suke; drink anʼadebauchery 1200-2

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