Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-06

shirt-SleeVed, tanned, bIue-eNeu anu pis' he
wore shabby moleskins tucked into his leg
g.ngs and a wide-awake on the back OF his
head. beam of sunshine danced dustily
past the loose boxes; It was warm and
friendly and Jones eyes twinkled through
1t at the Australian homestead across the
road. He had the appearance of man
cOntented with his lot.
The stable was up-Eug;ish; it was a great
zinc-roofed shed with a cemented floor,
boxes-empty-on either side, and one end
open TO the winds of heaven. On the groom S
left hand from where he sat in the open
ing he could see the yard, into which he
rounded UP a score of horses when one was
wanted, and his own mare doing beside 1t,
hitched 20 the fence. The horse paddock
stretched away behind it and lost itself
after little In the fiat. wire-fenced fertile
landscape. with the blue gum plantations
daubed on it's monOiony. a white gate stood
opposite to the stable; it shut in a glimpse
of short drive through trees and gar
den, and big gray house, amply veran-
daed, rOOmy and peaceful. staring at the
sunlight behind its passion vines.
The gate swung open and clicked TO again.
A girl with serious air and book in her
hand crossed the road, and Jones, the
groom, stood UP and touched his cap. His
attitude that of an English servant,
deferential and grave, but his eyes still
twinkled into the sunbeam. There was a
girls voice. when il sounded clear and mu-
steal. matched her looks and her Dresden
china air. She slender and very pretty.
young, too, and dressed In ruffing spotless
daiutiuess; it was not to be marveled at
that Jones face lit up al the sight of her.
Did You finish 'Sartor Resartus?'" she
said. hating before him.
I did, miss. He walked across to a
manager took out of it a newspaper, unfold
ed it carefully. and held it out, his hands
underneath so that she might take the book
that lay within. Il liked it very much
miss But there are some things l
should be very glad if you will be good
enough to read one or two pages aloud to
me. I've marked them with straws-there.
II makes the words seem much
clearer. And this gentleman-this
Mr. CarlyIe-is a little funny in his eX-
pressiOEs sometimes. isn't he?'
He has style peculiarly his own the
girl said. seriously. She sat herself on the
bucket and turned to the pages he had in
dlcated. But he is not obscure. You COM
planned of Browning. Oh, see! 1t
is the phraseology that has puzzled you
She read selected extracts from ''Ro-
nance the interlude Of TeufelsdrOckh and
Blumine. and Jones listened to the cadence
of her voice with deep attention. At the
end he ventUred a comment.
Just so. Love is a discerning Of the In
finite in the Finite | see he said
DO you believe all that about its melting
the barriers Of ceremony, miss may make
so bold to ask?''
.of course. of course" the girl said.
She passed on rather hurriedIy to another
passage. This time it was "Old Clothes"
and something of the impressive soIemnity
with which she delivered the philosophers
fronieS made Jones mouth tWitch once or
twice. But she quite unconscious of
the fact. She read with the sOberly intel
ngent appreciation of conscientious youth,
and Jones thanked her very humbly when
she had finished.
ITS a comforting sort of idea-clothes
and that not mattering. nor what man
was born tO-wOrkingmen like me- he said
benefit book.
makes me feel l could be goodish bit bet
ter. Thank You very heartily for the loan
miss he repeated.
She shut the little red volume and looked
mp him with a suspicion Of dispIeasure.
why don't you call me Miss Allin,' like
the other men on the stati0n?' she said
Miss is so-seryile Australians don't talk
like that. And they don't harp upon their
inferior positions; this is a free country.
and one man is as good as another. Every
body does not agree to that-a great many
squatters, like ourselves put on airs of
periority-but / will not, because I believe
in the triumph of democracy. Only you
you masses must educate yourselves. and so
attain to the same level as the men who
would like to be your masters"
OH said the representative Of the mass
es, blankly. He appeared to roll the crude
nOrsel against his mental palate before he
swallowed it "Well-Tll try, miss. But in
England. you see, it is different"
Why? said Miss Allin, with defiance,
I've never been to England; but If you are
a sample of the English working !
see no reason. II you are representative
of the people of that dreadful village you
have told me about"
Il was born and bred there. if that's
being a representative" Jones said. 1T
didn't seem dreadful to me. to the vii
lage folk generally" His eyes became
distant There were class distinctions,
certainly; but the squire was a just
man and that which man earned.
that he had -" Yes. the squire
Just, II he was hard sometimes. But he
was harder to his own kin than TO the poor
er sort about is door.
Patronage the girl said contemptuous-
You may call it so. Miss Anin." said the
Engishman. He was the landlord and
the faTm-owner, and the chief employer.
An autocrat. but he kept his kingdom
wholesome. and he purged ii of disorder
and discomfort just thoroughly he
would have purged 1t of democracy But
he would not stand mutiny If a cottager
could not keep his family decent because
ne liked the pot-house; if there was brawl-
Ing and someone's children ran wild In
stead of going to school; if there was
bully abroad, a shrew-the squire knew
how to settle the business. They had to
go, or mend their ways. But to the aged.
the sick, the solitary, he was more than a
friend"
You told me once that you rebeled."
Miss Allin said. You don't expect me to
believe you were turned out of your birth
place for brawIing, drinking. or being a
bully? II that were so, you must have
altered very strangely, Jones"
that Of a partisan. Perhaps ne had not
found many beautiful young women to
champion him. But he shook his head
rather sadly as he began TO polish a bit
az was bad egg miss. A lazy shiftless,
careless scamp. Think what II must have
been to him to have such a-to such a
blackguard iding about the place he had
spent his life in working for!
He threw his energy into the polishing,
and Mss Allin rose TO go.
Your squire may have been good
man according to his lights; but a system
that lets community depend the within
of Individual is wrong" she said. There
some pamphlets a woman thinker lent
me that you shall read. Meanwhile what
would you like to have neXt?'
'.Hesperides," the groom said, absently.
''Herrick!' the girl exclaimed in aston
ishmeDt.
Jones polished furiously
IL read some of his little things once -
he said This is a grand country, but II
Is strange to an Engiishman. / should like
TO read about the daffodHs, and the coun-
try junketings the queens of curds and
Ill.