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Article CATHERINE CARMICHAEL; on, THREE YEARS RUNNING. ← Page 7 of 15 →
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Catherine Carmichael; On, Three Years Running.
hating the one man , not to do that would be impossible . As for loving the other man , there was nothing in it but a dream . Her thoughts were her own , and therefore she went on loving him . She had no other food for her thoughts , except the hope that death might come to her , and some vague idea that that last black fast-running river , over which she had been ferried in the dark , might perhaps be within her reach , should death be too long in coming of its own accord . With such thoughts running across her brain ,
there was , she thought , no harm in loving John Carmichael , —till now , when she was told that John was to be brought there to live under the same roof with her . Now there must be harm in it ! Now there would be crime iu loving him ! And yet she knew that she could not cease to love him because he should be there , meeting her eye every day . How comely he was , with that soft brown hair of his , and the broad , open brow , and the smile [ that would curl round his lips ! How near they had
once been to swearing that they would be each all things to the other ! " Kate ! " he had said , " Kate ! " as she had stood close to him , fastening a button to his shirt . Her finger had trembled against his neck , and she knew that he had felt the quiver . The children had come upon them at the moment , and no other word had been said . Then Peter had come there , —Peter who was to be her husband , —and after that John Carmichael had spoken no word at all to her . Though he had been so near to loving her
while her finger had touched him in its trembling , all that had passed away when Peter came . But it had not passed away from her heart , nor would she be able to stifle it when he should be there ,, sitting daily at the same board with her . Though the man ' himself was so odious , there was something sacred to her in the name of husband , — something very sacred to her in the name of wife . " Why should he be coming ? " she said to her husband the day after the announcement had been made to her , when twenty-four hours for thinking had been allowed to her . " Because it suits , " he said , looking up at her from the columns of a dirty accountibook , in which he was slowly entering figures .
What could she say to him that might be of avail ? How much could she say to him ? Should she tell him everything , and then let him do as he pleased ? It was in her mind to do so , but she could not bring herself to speak the words . He would have thought ! Oh ! what might he not have thought ! There was no dealing in fair v ; ords with one so suspicious , so unmanly , so inhuman . " It won't suit , " she said , sullenly . ? what have to do with it ?
" Why not you got " "It won't suit ; he and I will be sure to , —sure to , —sure to have words . " " Then you must have ' em . Ain't he my cousin ? Do you expect me to be riding round among them lying , lazy varmint every day of my life , while you sit at home twiddling your thumbs ? " Here she knew that allusion was made both to the sheep and to the shepherds . " If anything happens to me , who do you think is to have it all after me ? " One day at Hokitika he had told her coarsely that it was a good thing for a young woman to marry an old man , because she would be sure to get everything when he was dead . "I suppose that ' s why you don't like John , " he added , with a
sneer . " I do like him , " she said , with a clear , loud voice ; "I do like him . " Then he leered round at her , shaking his head at her , as though declaring that he was not to be taken in by her devices , and after that he went on with his figures . Before the end of November John arrived . Something , at any rate , she could do for his comfort . Wherever she got them , there , when he came , were tho bed and bedstead for his use . At first she asked simply after her brothers . They had been tempted
to go off to other diggings in New South Wales , ancl he had not thought well to follow them . " Sheep is better nor gold , Jack , " said Peter , shaking his head and leering . She tried to be very silent with him;—but she succeeded so far that her very silence made him communicative . In her former intercourse she had always talked the most , —a lass of that age having always more to say for herself than a lad . But now he seemed to struggle to find chance opportunities . As a rule he was always out early in the morning ¦ on horseback , and never home till Peter was there also . But opportunities would , of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Catherine Carmichael; On, Three Years Running.
hating the one man , not to do that would be impossible . As for loving the other man , there was nothing in it but a dream . Her thoughts were her own , and therefore she went on loving him . She had no other food for her thoughts , except the hope that death might come to her , and some vague idea that that last black fast-running river , over which she had been ferried in the dark , might perhaps be within her reach , should death be too long in coming of its own accord . With such thoughts running across her brain ,
there was , she thought , no harm in loving John Carmichael , —till now , when she was told that John was to be brought there to live under the same roof with her . Now there must be harm in it ! Now there would be crime iu loving him ! And yet she knew that she could not cease to love him because he should be there , meeting her eye every day . How comely he was , with that soft brown hair of his , and the broad , open brow , and the smile [ that would curl round his lips ! How near they had
once been to swearing that they would be each all things to the other ! " Kate ! " he had said , " Kate ! " as she had stood close to him , fastening a button to his shirt . Her finger had trembled against his neck , and she knew that he had felt the quiver . The children had come upon them at the moment , and no other word had been said . Then Peter had come there , —Peter who was to be her husband , —and after that John Carmichael had spoken no word at all to her . Though he had been so near to loving her
while her finger had touched him in its trembling , all that had passed away when Peter came . But it had not passed away from her heart , nor would she be able to stifle it when he should be there ,, sitting daily at the same board with her . Though the man ' himself was so odious , there was something sacred to her in the name of husband , — something very sacred to her in the name of wife . " Why should he be coming ? " she said to her husband the day after the announcement had been made to her , when twenty-four hours for thinking had been allowed to her . " Because it suits , " he said , looking up at her from the columns of a dirty accountibook , in which he was slowly entering figures .
What could she say to him that might be of avail ? How much could she say to him ? Should she tell him everything , and then let him do as he pleased ? It was in her mind to do so , but she could not bring herself to speak the words . He would have thought ! Oh ! what might he not have thought ! There was no dealing in fair v ; ords with one so suspicious , so unmanly , so inhuman . " It won't suit , " she said , sullenly . ? what have to do with it ?
" Why not you got " "It won't suit ; he and I will be sure to , —sure to , —sure to have words . " " Then you must have ' em . Ain't he my cousin ? Do you expect me to be riding round among them lying , lazy varmint every day of my life , while you sit at home twiddling your thumbs ? " Here she knew that allusion was made both to the sheep and to the shepherds . " If anything happens to me , who do you think is to have it all after me ? " One day at Hokitika he had told her coarsely that it was a good thing for a young woman to marry an old man , because she would be sure to get everything when he was dead . "I suppose that ' s why you don't like John , " he added , with a
sneer . " I do like him , " she said , with a clear , loud voice ; "I do like him . " Then he leered round at her , shaking his head at her , as though declaring that he was not to be taken in by her devices , and after that he went on with his figures . Before the end of November John arrived . Something , at any rate , she could do for his comfort . Wherever she got them , there , when he came , were tho bed and bedstead for his use . At first she asked simply after her brothers . They had been tempted
to go off to other diggings in New South Wales , ancl he had not thought well to follow them . " Sheep is better nor gold , Jack , " said Peter , shaking his head and leering . She tried to be very silent with him;—but she succeeded so far that her very silence made him communicative . In her former intercourse she had always talked the most , —a lass of that age having always more to say for herself than a lad . But now he seemed to struggle to find chance opportunities . As a rule he was always out early in the morning ¦ on horseback , and never home till Peter was there also . But opportunities would , of