The Doves' Nest, and Other StoriesMansfield, Katherine
General
The Doves' Nest, and Other Stories
Mansfield, Katherine
Fiction; Short stories, New Zealand
But he did not draw old Woodifield’s attention to the photograph over the
table of a grave-looking boy in uniform standing in one of those spectral
photographers’ parks with photographers’ storm-clouds behind him. It was
not new. It had been there for over six years.
“There was something I wanted to tell you,” said old Woodifield, and his
eyes grew dim remembering. “Now what was it? I had it in my mind when I
started out this morning.” His hands began to tremble, and patches of red
showed above his beard.
Poor old chap, he’s on his last pins, thought the boss. And, feeling
kindly, he winked at the old man, and said jokingly, “I tell you what.
I’ve got a little drop of something here that’ll do you good before you
go out into the cold again. It’s beautiful stuff. It wouldn’t hurt a
child.” He took a key off his watch-chain, unlocked a cupboard below his
desk, and drew forth a dark, squat bottle. “That’s the medicine,” said
he. “And the man from whom I got it told me on the strict Q.T. it came
from the cellars at Windsor Cassel.”
Old Woodifield’s mouth fell open at the sight. He couldn’t have looked
more surprised if the boss had produced a rabbit.
“It’s whisky, ain’t it?” he piped, feebly.
The boss turned the bottle and lovingly showed him the label. Whisky it
was.
“D’you know,” said he, peering up at the boss wonderingly, “they won’t
let me touch it at home.” And he looked as though he was going to cry.
“Ah, that’s where we know a bit more than the ladies,” cried the boss,
swooping across for two tumblers that stood on the table with the
water-bottle, and pouring a generous finger into each. “Drink it down.
It’ll do you good. And don’t put any water with it. It’s sacrilege to
tamper with stuff like this. Ah!” He tossed off his, pulled out his
handkerchief, hastily wiped his moustaches, and cocked an eye at old
Woodifield, who was rolling his in his chaps.
The old man swallowed, was silent a moment, and then said faintly, “It’s
nutty!”
But it warmed him; it crept into his chill old brain—he remembered.
“That was it,” he said, heaving himself out of his chair. “I thought
you’d like to know. The girls were in Belgium last week having a look at
poor Reggie’s grave, and they happened to come across your boy’s. They’re
quite near each other, it seems.”
Old Woodifield paused, but the boss made no reply. Only a quiver in his
eyelids showed that he heard.
“The girls were delighted with the way the place is kept,” piped the old
voice. “Beautifully looked after. Couldn’t be better if they were at
home. You’ve not been across, have yer?”
“No, no!” For various reasons the boss had not been across.
“There’s miles of it,” quavered old Woodifield, “and it’s all as neat as
a garden. Flowers growing on all the graves. Nice broad paths.” It was
plain from his voice how much he liked a nice broad path.
The pause came again. Then the old man brightened wonderfully.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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