The Long Journey. Susan Wright
Читать онлайн книгу.
through the trees past the farm buildings and then up the slight incline to the house. The workers who had been concerned at the delay of their boss had been watching for him and now he was being observed from every vantage point on the farm. Katherine was unaware of this but Helmut knew and thought to himself this will give them something to talk about in the long winter evenings.
He helped her down from the cart and walked with her to the front door when they entered it was the floor that caught her attention first. ‘What beautiful wood,’ she said.
‘That’s native Kauri timber; it’s used extensively in the house. It was Helga’s choice; I am pleased that you like it as well.’
The entrance hall was large and led up to a magnificent staircase; to the left was the dining room. As well there was a well stocked library and a small living room which was facing north therefore getting the sun. It had a well used look about it. There was another room leading off from there but Helmut made no attempt to show it to her. Later she was to realize that this was where he slept. Down the hall was a huge lounge with windows right to the floor with a panoramic view of the area. Katherine noticed a gigantic open fire place. ‘Goodness,’ she said, ‘you could put an entire tree in there.’
Helmut stood observing her reactions to the house. ‘I think this would be a fine room to put your piano, what do you think?’
‘Would you mind if I put it in that corner near the window? Then I could look out at the scenery while I play.’
‘Katherine, it is your house as much as mine now, you put anything wherever you like, and I leave it entirely to you.’
At this point they were interrupted by the most hair-raising screams coming from the other end of the house.
‘What in the name of goodness is that?’ Said Helmut as he ran in the direction of the pandemonium. Katherine followed as he ran back down the hall and into the other side of the house which contained the kitchen and service areas. Helmut flung open the kitchen door and Katherine came to a halt as she took in the scene before her. Too Gum was standing with outstretched hands holding a gigantic meat cleaver and shouting in what she assumed to be Chinese at a very large, most ugly ginger tomcat. So that’s Jeremiah she thought. She had an overwhelming desire to burst out laughing but thought better of as she realized that both Too Gum and Helmut appeared very annoyed.
‘Too Gum put down that cleaver immediately, do you hear me?’
‘This no place for dirty smelly cat. Me no work in here with it, he get out, velly quick.’
‘Let me remind you that this was his home long before you came here. You touch one hair on him and I will cut you off at the knees and then your Chinese pants will fit. After that I will cut off your pigtail put it around your throat and hang you from that tree, do you understand?’ Helmut was shouting and his fists were clenched.
Too Gum got the message and put down the cleaver but not before shouting yet again in Chinese to the cat who it seemed perfectly understood every word. It got up slowly turned itself around and curled up into a tight ball and went to sleep as if totally oblivious to all the fuss he had caused. At this point Katherine could contain herself no more and for the first time in weeks she laughed until her sides actually felt sore.
It was observed over the years to come that whatever Too Gum was doing the ugly ginger cat would be right beside him. It was jokingly said that the cat was bilingual as it appeared to understand every word that Too Gum spoke to it, in either Chinese or English. Whatever the case they settled their differences and became the best of friends a fact which neither would admit to.
Meanwhile, harmony being restored in the kitchen, each went their different way; Katherine went upstairs to check out which room she would like. Meantime Helmut was helping the men to unload the household things off the wagon including the piano which was duly positioned in the lounge by the windows. On returning outside to get the final case Helmut was asked by one of the men, ‘Why did you bring home that dog, I don’t know what breed it claims to be, but sheep dog it certainly isn’t.’
They all turned to look in the direction he was pointing and sure enough it was the stray dog. Always having a soft spot for animals, Helmut gave instructions for it to be housed and fed. If the men were more than a little amused at what they had observed this day, their boss bringing home a wife a Chinese cook and now a stray dog they all knew better than to say anything.
Helmut carried the cases upstairs and found Katherine in the large bedroom at the north end of the house which was above the lounge. It had the same fantastic tableau out the floor length windows.
‘I am pleased you chose this room. I always felt it was the nicest bedroom.’
‘Are you sure you don’t mind, I thought maybe this room had been yours and Helga’s. I will choose another if you wish.’
‘Yes, it was, but it is time that it was used again. Now where would you like me to put your cases?’
‘Just on the floor in the corner will be fine.’
Putting them down Helmut left her to unpack. For the rest of the day each was busy attending to their own tasks, until tea time when Too Gum set before them a delicious meal.
For the next few weeks Katherine and Too Gum set about cleaning and polishing the house. Though it had not been dirty everything was dusty and a little musty. So windows were thrown open and then cleaned, drapes taken down and washed, cupboards tuned out cleaned, and rugs beaten to within an inch of their lives. Finally Katherine stood at the top of the staircase and looked about her in satisfaction, weary, but pleased to have it all done. She wondered how she would have managed without Too Gum. This little man seem to be everywhere at the same time, always industrious. She looked at the polished wood floor in the entrance hall and made a mental note to ask Helmut if he wouldn’t mind using the back door as she took real pride in the shine and didn’t want anything to spoil it, not that I am expecting visitors she mused. However she had no need to ask as that evening while eating their meal Helmut said, ‘I think from now on I will come in through the back door the hall floor looks so clean I don’t want to put marks on it.’
‘Thank you, I had intended to ask you, it is very thoughtful of you.’ Not for the first time was she to experience a twinge of bad conscience. This man was so benevolent to her giving her whatever she asked yet never asking anything at all in return apart from her company in the evenings. Then she would play the piano for him or just sit quietly and talk about the events of the day. She was aware that his feelings for her were subtly changing. She thought that he was falling in love with her but she couldn’t deal with that, not yet, anyway. Many times as they sat together in the evenings he would relate to her the history of the farm and their early life here. He made everything sound interesting and exciting and she would close her eyes and try imagining life as it must have been for the early pioneers. Life had been hard for those early travelers and especially so for the woman. They not only had to help in building their home which would be a very rough type of shelter to begin with but also had to take an active part in breaking up the ground for the first crops. Those traveling for any distance inland piled their household goods and their young children on a bullock cart and set off over the trackless hills. On arriving at a creek they would call a halt while they cut down the growth from the banks to enable the cart to be dragged across. First unloading the goods and carrying them over on their backs. At night the woman would sleep in the cart while the men would bivouac underneath. In 1872 it took three days to journey from Dunedin to Queenstown by coach. Those who had the unenviable task of driving flocks of sheep to the back country had a long and difficult trek in those days before bridges. Nor was this the only problem they had to contend with for the poisonous tutu plants often worked havoc in the flocks on the move also the wild dogs did great damage. One of the greatest inconveniences that the shepherds had to put up with was the native rats which infested the country in their millions. They gnawed holes in food boxes, attacked the stores, boots were damaged even tobacco was carried off. They would even swarm over the men at night while they were sleeping and gnaw at their hair. Katherine shivered as he related this to her and was thankful that this was no longer the case.
Helmut