The Delta independent., 1915-09-24
But you're Henry Craven's old part



wonder it wouldn't break your heart
If your dream came true"
1T wouldn't" said Cazalet through
his teeth. He wasn't a white man to
me or mine-whatever you may have
found him."
Il had little place near his one
summer, l know only what l heard
down there"
What did you hear?" asked GAIA
let. I've been away ten years. ever
since the crash that ruined everybody
but the man at the bottom of the
whole thing. 1t would be kindness
to tell me what you heard"
well. l guess you've said it your
self right now. That man seems to
have beggared everybody all around
except himself; that's how make 1t
out" said Hilton Toye.
He did worse" said Cazalet through
his teeth. He killed my poor father;
he banished me to the wilds of Aus
tralia; and he sent better man than
himself to prison for fourteen years:"
Toye opened his dark eyes for once.
"Is that so? No. l never heard that"
said he.
You hear it now. He did all that,
indirectly, and didn't realize it at the
time. I was too young, and the whole
thing laid me out too fiat; but know
it now, and I've known it long enough.
1t was worse than a crash. 1t was a
scandal. That was what finished us
off, all but Henry Craven! There'd
haan q eyi nin ia1 in.
vestments recommended by the firm,
bogus certificates and all the rest of it.
We were all to blame, of course. My
poor father ought never to have been
a poet Even IL was only a young
ster in the office, but I ought to have
known what was going on. But Henry
Craven did know. He was in it up to
the neck. though fellow called Scru.
ton did the actual job. Scruton got
fourteen years-and Craven got our
old house en- the river
And feathered it pretty Welt" said
Toye, rcdding. Yes, l did hear that
And l can tell you they don't think
any better of him, in the neighbor.
hood, for going to live right there. But
how did he stop the other mans
mouth, and-how do you lnow?"
Never mind how l know" said Ca.
zalet. "Scruton was a friend of mine
though an older man; he was good
to me, though he was wrong 'un
himself He paid for it-paid for two
that l can say But he was engaged
to Ethel Craven at the time, was go
ing to be taken into partnership on
their marriage, and you can put two
and two together for yourself
Did she wait for him?"
About as long as you'd expect of
the breed! She was her fathers daugh.
ter. l wonder you didn't come across
her and her husband"
81 didn't see SO much of the Craven
crowd" replied Hilton Toye. 81 wasn't
wouldn't be that old man when Scru-
ton comes out, would you?"
But CaZalet showed that he could
hold his tongue when he liked, and his
grim look was not so legible as some
that had come and gone before. This
one stuck until Toye produced a big
flask from his grip, and the talk shift
ed to less painful ground. 1t was the
last night in the Bay of Biscay, and
Cazalet told how he had been in it a
fortnight on his way out by sailing
vessel. He even told it with consider
able humor, and hit off sundry passen-
gers of ten years ago as though they
had been aboard the German boat that
night and Toye drew him out about
the bush until the shadows passed for
minutes from the red-brick face with
the white-b brick forehead.
Il remember thinking I would dig
for gold" said Cazalet. That's all /
knew about Australia. But you can
have adventures of sorts IL you go far
enough up-country for 'em; it still
pays to know how to use your fists
out there. l remember once at a bush
shanty they dished up such fruity
chops that / said I'd fight the cook II
they'd send him up; and I'm blowed
II it wasn't fellow I'd been at school
with and worshiped as no end of a
swell at games! Potts his name was,
old Venus Potts. the best looking chap
In the school among other things; and
there he was. cooking carrion at
twenty-five bob a week. Instead Of
lighting we joined forces, got burr
cutting job on a good station. then a
better one over shearing. and after
that / wormed my way in AS book
keeper, and my pal became one of the
head overseers. Now we're our own
bosses with a share in the show, and
the owner comes up only once a year
to see how things are looking"
Il hope he had a daughter" said
Toye, "and that you're going to marry
her, il you haven't yet2"
Cazalet laughed. but the shadow had
returned. No. left that to my PAL"