Middletown transcript., 1901-08-03
"What's this dull town to me?
Robins not here.
What vast l wished to see,
What wished to hear?"

its wealth of gorgeous creepers were all
| themselves sufficient to remind the ma
that he was stranger in a strange lane
but the song seemed to pierce throug
the feeling of strangeness that assalle
him, and make him realize that after a
there was some family resemblance be
tween this sunny -scorching land and tn
cool greenness of England.
For a moment he lost sight of the hous
before him, with its background of tree
beyond the fence, and saw instead bi
English drawing. room, whose window
opened on to wide English lawn wher
the long evening shadows lay upon tn
velvet of the grass and the starlings strut
ted to and fro with self-satisfed jerk,
motion.
1t was the same song, too, which fel
upon his ears, but in What a diiferen
voice!
A trained refined English voice, small
but sweet, not very sympathetic, but yer.
correct and amazingly unlike the wealtl
of magnificent sound that came pourin!
out to him as he stood listening in thu
sunlight.
ooh! l can n'er forget
Robin Adair.
The last words came with rush o
passionate feeling-then there was silence
followed by the sharp bang of the closing
piano.
The listening stranger fastened his
horses bride to the post, and moved
towards the open door of the house.
But before he had time to reach it,
something tall and straight and white
came flying through the open doorway
and into his arms-something that drew
itself away again impetuously and re-
solved itself into a girl with tawny masses
of hair and flushed face, who looked
at him with surprised eyes, and then
laughed.
81 beg your pardon" she said, 81 came
out like a tornado. Were you coming
here?"
"Yes-I was-I am-if l may. They
told me at the last station that 1 might
perhaps find hospitality here, if this is
Mr.. Dering's house?''
eyes, this is Mr.. Dering's house and l
am his daughter We can put you up I
am sure. Are you wanting to be taken
on? Or are you just traveling%'
''Taken on?" his face looked blank.
eyes, as a hand. Lots come as you
have"
''Oh! No, no. I do not wish to be
taken on, thanks. am only travelling,
Miss Dering."
"You needn't say that, nobody does"
and smile flashed over her face; every
body calls me Deb, you had better, too. "
The stranger smiled.
"Well, it seems rather bold and cool,
still, if you prefer it, Deb; my name is
Jack HilIyard, and I am travelling for,
well-mainly for amusement"
{ ooh! well, that's very jolly thing to
travel for, and you are getting to know
US poor aborigines,'' she looked into his
face with laughing, saucy .eyes; ''come
in, and I'll find MOTHER
She deposited him in big comfortable
sitting room, and flashed off again, Every
like tornado" Jack said to himself with
a smiling remembrance of her bright eyes
and lovely face.
"By Jove," he muttered to himself,
'T didn't expect to find anything half so
in the Australian bush. And
her voice! Why, with that face and
voice she would have the world at her
ieet. Anyhow, I'm glad l happened on
the place."
And as the swift hot days passed by
Jack Hillyard congratulated himself with
more and more frequency on the freak Of
late which had brought him to the Der
ng's station.
They were a lively happy 7go-lucky
iamily,. full of friendliness and hospital
ty, ever ready with welcome for the
stranger within their gates, and heartily
aveTse to allowing the departure of their
guests.
Mr.. Dering was busy man, but always
-eady to take Jack Hillyard with him on
MS days rounds, unless Jack preferred to
,tay behind and spend his time with Mrs.
Dering and her two daughters, Deb, the
aughing beauty of eighteen summers,
md little Betty, whose years only num-
,ered eight.
sLittle wonder, perhaps that the free
iom of colonial life seemed like very
Paradise to the man who had come from
he heart Of our fa de steele civilization,
md who was sick to death of society, its
yavs, its manners and its shams
A curious sense of loathing frequently
ssailed him when he remembered land
le did SO as seldom as possible) that Eng
ISL uIdNlIS IOOAu HuiCAl DcD . sung udQ
,rought before his eyes ON the night OF
lis arrival; astill keener repulsion filed
lis soul at the memory of the small correct
roice which used to sing Robin Adair"
n that drawing room.
These sensations had way of stealing
er him when Deb was singing-and be-
legged him by an impatient desire to
brow up all his English life and obliga-
ions and settle here in the backwoeds
At this point he
lsualIy pulled himself up short with
ecollection that there was still in the |
void the little word "honor'
But as the days drifted by that little |
gord crept further into the background |
i his mind, driven out of sight by girls |
ipe, exquisite beauty pushed aside by