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diff --git a/old/60446-h/60446-h.htm b/old/60446-h/60446-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4fc6b7f..0000000 --- a/old/60446-h/60446-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10939 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Norah of Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg"/> - <meta name="cover" content="images/cover.jpg" /> - <meta name="DC.Title" content="Norah of Billabong"/> - <meta name="DC.Creator" content="Mary Grant Bruce"/> - <meta name="DC.Illustrator" content="John Macfarlane"/> - <meta name="DC.Language" content="en"/> - <meta name="DC.Created" content="1913"/> - <meta name="DC.Subject" content="General Fiction"/> - <meta name="DC.date.issued" content="1913"/> - <meta name="Tags" content="fiction, juvenile, Australia"/> - <meta name="DC.Publisher" content="Project Gutenberg"/> - <meta name="generator" content="fpgen 4.59"/> - <meta name="Series" content="Billabong [3]"/> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left:8%;margin-right:10%; } - .it { font-style:italic; } - .bold { font-weight:bold; } - .sc { font-variant:small-caps; } - .gesp { letter-spacing:0.2em; } - p { text-indent:0; margin-top:0.5em; margin-bottom:0.5em; - text-align: justify; } - div.lgc { } - div.lgl { } - div.lgc p { text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - div.lgl p { text-indent: -17px; margin-left:17px; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - div.lgp { - display:inline-block; - text-align: left; - } - - div.lgp p { - text-align:left; - margin-top:0; - margin-bottom:0; - } - - .poetry-container { - text-align:center; - } - - h1 { - text-align:center; - font-weight:normal; - page-break-before: always; - font-size:1.2em; margin:2em auto 1em auto - } - - h3 { - text-align:center; - font-weight:normal; - font-size:1.0em; - margin:1em auto 0.5em auto; - page-break-after:avoid; - } - - - .dropcap { - float:left; - clear: left; - margin:0 0.1em 0 0; - padding:0; - line-height: 1.0em; - font-size: 200%; - } - - hr.pbk { border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; width:100%; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:2em } - .figcenter { - text-align:center; - margin:1em auto; - page-break-inside: avoid; - } - - div.blockquote100percent { margin:1em auto; width:100%; } - div.blockquote100percent p { text-align:left; } - p.caption { text-align:center; margin:0 auto; width:100%; } - .nobreak { page-break-before: avoid; } - p.line { text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - div.lgp p.line0 { text-indent:-3em; margin:0 auto 0 3em; } - table { page-break-inside: avoid; } - table.center { margin:0.5em auto; border-collapse: collapse; padding:3px; } - table.flushleft { margin:0.5em 0em; border-collapse: collapse; padding:3px; } - table.left { margin:0.5em 1.2em; border-collapse: collapse; padding:3px; } - .tab1c1 { } - .tab1c2 { } - .tdStyle0 { - padding: 2px 5px; text-align:right; vertical-align:top; - } - .tdStyle1 { - padding: 2px 5px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top;padding-left:29px; text-indent:-24px; - } - .pindent { margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-indent:1.5em; } - .noindent { margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-indent:0; } - .hang { padding-left:1.5em; text-indent:-1.5em; } - </style> - <style type="text/css"> - h1 { font-size:1.2em; text-align:center; } - h3 { font-size:.9em; text-align:center; line-height:150%; } - .poetry-container { font-size:.9em; - margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; - margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; } - .literal-container { margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em } - .dropcap {font-size: 225%; margin:-0.1em 0.0em 0 0;} - .caption {font-size: smaller; max-width:90%; } - div.lgc { margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em } - p { margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em; } - div.blockquote { margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Norah of Billabong, by Mary Grant Bruce - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Norah of Billabong - -Author: Mary Grant Bruce - -Release Date: October 7, 2019 [EBook #60446] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NORAH OF BILLABONG *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines, Cindy Beyer & the online Distributed -Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0000' style='width:350px;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;font-size:1.2em;'>Stories by</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.8em;'>MARY GRANT BRUCE</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;font-style:italic;'>Large Crown 8vo. Fully Illustrated. Cloth Gilt.</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>POSSUM</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Mrs. Bruce</span> writes with a freedom and grace which must win hosts -of readers, and there is a lovableness about her Australian youths and -maidens which makes one never tired of their healthy and sociable -views of life.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>JIM AND WALLY</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“There can be no doubt about the success of Miss Bruce . . . -real pathos which gets hold of the reader, and her effects are obtained -in a real natural way that makes them all the more telling. She -evidently knows the up-country life . . . she grips the attention -from start to finish.”—<span class='it'>Melbourne Argus.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>A LITTLE BUSH MAID</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“It is a real pleasure to recommend this story to Australian -readers.”—<span class='it'>Perth Western Mail.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>MATES AT BILLABONG</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“The incidents of station life, its humours, festivities, and mishaps, -are admirably sketched in this vivid narrative.”—<span class='it'>Adelaide -Register.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>TIMOTHY IN BUSHLAND</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“The writer understands all about the wonders of the Australian -bush, its wild horses, kangaroos, wombats, and infinitely various -natural life.”—<span class='it'>Daily Telegraph.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>GLEN EYRE</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“An admirable story, exquisitely told, full of gentle pathos, and -ringing true all through.”—<span class='it'>The Sportsman.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>NORAH OF BILLABONG</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“The story is written in a refreshing and lovable manner, which -makes instant appeal.”—<span class='it'>Manchester Courier.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>GRAY’S HOLLOW</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“A story always healthy and enjoyable in its sympathetic -delineation of unsophisticated nature.”—<span class='it'>The Scotsman.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;'>FROM BILLABONG TO LONDON</p> - -<div class='blockquote100percent'> - -<p class='pindent'><span style='font-size:smaller'>“The story has many more incidents than Mrs. Bruce’s earlier -books, and though her style is quiet and matter-of-fact, she does -succeed in infusing reality into her exciting episodes.”—<span class='it'>The Melbourne -Argus.</span></span></p> - -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line0' style='margin-top:1em;font-size:2em;'>NORAH</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:2em;'>OF BILLABONG</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='margin-bottom:.2em;font-size:.8em;'>By</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>MARY GRANT BRUCE</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:.8em;'>Author of “A Little Bush Maid,” “Mates at Billabong,”</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:.8em;'>“Glen Eyre,” “Timothy in Bushland,” etc.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:4em;font-size:.8em;'>ILLUSTRATED BY J. MACFARLANE</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'><span class='gesp'>WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED</span></p> -<p class='line0' style='margin-top:.2em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:.8em;'>LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO</p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style='margin-top:2em;'> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>   To All the Kind People</p> -<p class='line0'>     —Little and Big—</p> -<p class='line0'>Who asked me for “More Norah.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                      M. G. B.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:1em;font-size:1.2em;'>CONTENTS</p> - -<table id='tab1' summary='' class='center'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 2.5em;'/> -<col span='1' style='width: 17.5em;'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>I</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch1'><span class='sc'>Breaking Up</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>II</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch2'><span class='sc'>Night in the City</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>III</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch3'><span class='sc'>The Cry of the Children</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>IV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch4'><span class='sc'>Going Home</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>V</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch5'><span class='sc'>Wally</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>VI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch6'><span class='sc'>The Cunjee Concert</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>VII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch7'><span class='sc'>Morning</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>VIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch8'><span class='sc'>Noon</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>IX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch9'><span class='sc'>A Little Yellow Flame</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>X</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch10'><span class='sc'>Midnight</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch11'><span class='sc'>The Battle under the Stars</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch12'><span class='sc'>Burnt Out</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch13'><span class='sc'>Ben Athol</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XIV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch14'><span class='sc'>On the Track</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch15'><span class='sc'>The House by Atholton</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XVI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch16'><span class='sc'>Beyond the Plains</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XVII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch17'><span class='sc'>The Peak of Ben Athol</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XVIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch18'><span class='sc'>The Wurley in the Rocks</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XIX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch19'><span class='sc'>The Last Night</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch20'><span class='sc'>Down the Mountain</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch21'><span class='sc'>Back to Billabong</span></a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:2em;font-size:1.3em;'>NORAH OF BILLABONG</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak' id='ch1'>CHAPTER I</h1></div> - -<h3>BREAKING UP</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When Sheelah in the morning</p> -<p class='line0'>  Comes down the way,</p> -<p class='line0'>It needs no more adorning</p> -<p class='line0'>  To make it gay.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                 —<span class='it'>Victor J. Daley.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span> VERY tall boy came up the gravel path of -Beresford House. It was “breaking up” -day, and an unwonted air of festivity and smartness -was evident, even to the eye of a stranger. The -garden looked as though no leaf had ever been out of -place, no sacrilegious footmark ever imprinted on the -soft mould of its beds, where masses of flowers still -bade defiance to the heat of an Australian December. -The paths were newly raked; the freshly mown lawns -were carpets of emerald, soft underfoot and smooth -as bowling greens. Aloft, on the square grey tower, -fluttered the school flag—a blue banner, with a device -laboriously woven by the fingers of the sewing -class, and indirectly responsible for many impositions, -since it was beyond the power of the sewing -class to work with its several heads so close together -as the task demanded, and yet refrain from talking. -It was a banner of great magnificence, and the school -was justly proud of it. Only the sewing class regarded -it with what might be termed a mingled eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was early afternoon—too early for guests to be -seriously thinking of arriving. A couple of motors -were drawn up in the shade of a big Moreton Bay -fig; but they belonged to parents who lived at a -distance, and had come earlier in the day, to talk -solemnly to the head mistress, and then to whisk -emancipated daughters away to an hotel for lunch—which -necessitated a speedy whisking back, so that -the daughters might be apparelled in white, in -readiness for the afternoon’s ceremonials. In the -garden, little groups of girls might be seen already -clad in festive raiment and walking with a seemliness -that in itself showed that this day was different -from all other days. They turned interested glances -upon the newcomer, who, resenting the gaze deeply, -stalked on up the path, his straw hat tilted over his -brown face. Girls in general had not come much in -his way. It was distinctly embarrassing to run the -gauntlet of so many frankly curious eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s some, one’s brother,” said a red-haired -damsel, surveying the stranger across a bush of New -Zealand flax. “Yours, Laura?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine?” said Laura, regretfully. “Not much—mine -is fat. He’s a dear, of course, but his figure’s -something awful! I’d be frightfully proud if he -looked like that!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder who he belongs to,” said the red-haired -girl, with a cheerful lack of grammar. “Doesn’t -he look miserable—he knows we’re talking about -him!” She giggled with wicked enjoyment. The -giggle turned to a whistle. “Gracious! Just look -at young Norah Linton!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two younger girls, with arms linked and heads -close together, had come into view in a distant corner -of the garden, walking decorously, as befitted their -white dresses. It was the taller of the two, a brown-faced -girl of fifteen, with dark curls and extremely -long slim legs, who had caught sight of the boy -walking towards the house, and had promptly acted -as though electrified. She relinquished her companion’s -arms, uttered an incoherent exclamation, -and dashed wildly across the lawn, taking the flower -bed that bordered it with a flying leap. The sound -of the racing feet made the boy swing round quickly. -Then a smile broadened on his face, and his eyes -twinkled. They pumped each other’s hands enthusiastically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Wally!” said Norah, breathlessly. “Oh, -you old brick!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally Meadows laughed outright.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t know what a blue funk I’ve been in,” -he said. “This is a horribly scary place to come to -alone—and I’ve been picturing you made as prim -and proper as all these girls seem to be. But you’re -not!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Indeed, I’m not,” Norah answered. “And no -more are they!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t they, really?” asked Wally, much interested. -“Well, they look it; there’s a girl over there -with red hair who looks nearly too good to be true”—wherein -Mr. Meadows showed as much penetration -as is usually given to man. “You don’t mean to say -that they’re all accustomed to getting across a flower -bed in your fashion, Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’ll get into a dreadful row if Miss Winter -happened to see me, I expect!” Norah said. “It’s -against the rules, of course—but I had to run or to -yell, or I’d have missed you—and it’s riskier to yell. -Oh, Wally, I am glad to see you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So am I,” said Wally, heartily—“to see you, -I mean. You’ve grown immense, too, Norah.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, haven’t I? All my frocks are too short, and -I know Dad will say I’ve put my feet too far through -them. Oh, Wally, have you seen Dad—and Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Saw them yesterday. They ought to be here -pretty soon—but my brother motored me down, so -I didn’t come with them. Norah—there’s a girl -looking at me, and if you don’t take her away I shall -scream!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, that’s Jean Yorke,” said Norah, wheeling. -“She’s my chum, and you’ve got to be extra nice -to her, ’cause she is coming home with me for the -holidays.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then she deserves any one’s kind sympathy,” -said Wally, solemnly. He advanced upon Jean -with outstretched hand and a smile that went far to -put that somewhat shy individual at her ease, while -Norah murmured a haphazard introduction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean was a short and rather thickset person, with -blue eyes and a freckled nose, and a square, honest -face. Neither chum could have been regarded as -pretty. They were wholesome-looking girls—alike -in the trim neatness that is characteristic of the -Australian schoolgirl; and alike also in the quality -of sturdy honesty that looked straight at the world -from blue eyes and grey. Jean was fair, her thick -masses of hair gathered in more tightly than Norah’s -curly brown mop ever permitted—whereat Norah -was frankly envious. She was also wont to be apologetic, -because, although a year the younger, she -towered over Jean by half a head. The unfulfilled -ambition of Jean’s dreams was to be tall and slender, -and Norah bore a lasting grudge against Fate for -denying so moderate a longing on her friend’s part. -She watched her anxiously for signs of growth, and at -frequent intervals measured her height, while tactfully -ignoring what she herself would have called her -girth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Across the introduction came a cold voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your brother, I presume, Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Both girls jumped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—only it’s all the same, Miss Winter,” Norah -explained, lucidly. “It’s Wally Meadows—my -brother’s chum.” At which Wally removed his hat -and said: “How do you do?” with such fervour -that it seemed that his peace of mind hung upon Miss -Winter’s answer. That severe person’s coldness was -a trifle modified as she answered, but it was Arctic -again when she turned back to Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw you crossing the grass—and the flower -bed!” she remarked. “Such conduct is inexcusable, -Norah—I am amazed at you. The garden is not the -hockey field, nor is the arrival of any friend to be the -signal for such conduct!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah was scarlet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m awfully—I mean I am very—sorry, truly, -Miss Winter!” she said. “I forgot all about everything -when I saw Wally. You see, he’s nearly the -same as Jim, and I hadn’t seen him for ten months! -I won’t do it again. And Jean never did it at all!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I could see that for myself,” said Miss Winter, -drily—whereat Jean became even more scarlet than -Norah. “However, it is too late in the term for -impositions—which is fortunate for you!” There -came into the culprit’s eye an irrepressible twinkle, -and the teacher relaxed a little. “Ah, well—it’s -nearly holiday time,” she said, smiling. “But, -Norah, dear—do remember that you are over -fifteen!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will, Miss Winter—I truly will,” said the -criminal. “I’ll behave beautifully—see if I -don’t!——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The iron gate clanged, and she glanced round with -the quick instinctiveness that never leaves the bush-bred. -A tall man and a lad almost as tall came into -view, and at sight of them Norah’s “behaviour” -suddenly fell away from her, and with a little cry -that was half a sob, she fled to meet them. The -gravel scattered under her trim-shod feet; her long -legs twinkled with amazing swiftness. Then the -big man put out his arms to her, and she flung herself -into them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Daddy—Daddy!” said Norah. “Oh, Jim! -Oh-h!” Words failed her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My girl!” said David Linton. Over her head -he looked at the teacher, and found that she was -human. He smiled at her in friendly fashion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We try to teach Norah deportment,” she said, -greeting him, and laughing, while big Jim hugged -his sister frankly, totally unabashed by the amused -glances from various parts of the garden. “But I -am afraid the effect isn’t very evident on breaking up -day!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m quite certain we’re demoralizing influences,” -he told her. “But what can you expect, from the -Back of Beyond? We’ll try to make her remember -the deportment when we get her back to the station, -Miss Winter. At present, you must make allowances.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Winter thawed amazingly under the influence -of the quiet voice, deep and courteous, and the -Linton smile, which was a wonderfully pleasant one. -It was very frequent upon the face of her pupil, and -had at all times a tendency to upset discipline; and -now the same smile appeared, if more rarely, on the -bronzed giants, father and son, who confronted her -upon the path. They were very alike—over six -feet—Mr. Linton had yet a couple of inches to the -good, but Jim was overhauling him fast—lean and -broad-shouldered, with the same well-cut features -and keen eyes. Norah said that they had absorbed -the good looks of the family, leaving her none; -which was partly true, although the remark would -have moved her father and brother to wrath. In -their grey suits and Panama hats, they were excellent -specimens of long-limbed Australia, and Norah -gazed at them as though she could not take away -the eyes that had been hungry for so many long -months.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was evident that neither Jim nor his father -found it easy to talk polite nothings to Miss Winter. -Their eyes kept straying to the slim figure that was -the main thing in their world—Norah, who jigged -irrepressibly on one foot and broke into sudden -smiles, and forgot altogether the discipline and deportment -that had been instilled into her during -three terms at Beresford House. To put her there -at all had been a proceeding much like caging a bush -bird, for, until she was fourteen, Norah had known -only home and its teachings. And home was Billabong -Station, where, apart from lessons that had been -a little patchy, she had lived her father’s life—a life -of open-air, of horses and cattle, and all the station -interests. Jim had been sent to the Grammar -School in Melbourne comparatively early, and Norah’s -city relatives, particularly a number of assorted -aunts, were wont to deplore that the little girl had -not had the same opportunity of polish. But the -bond between David Linton and his motherless child -had been too strong to break, and the silent man had -snatched at every pretext for delaying the pang of -parting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After all, as he told himself, half in excuse, Norah -was no discredit to home teaching. In books she -might be below the average; but of the unvoiced -learning that lies beyond the world of books she -had, perhaps, rather more than falls to the ordinary -schoolgirl. A big station is a little world in itself, -and the Bush teaching makes for self-control and self-reliance, -and a simple, straight outlook on the world -that is not a bad foundation of character. Lessons -in deportment and manners are not part of its curriculum: -but there are a good many ideas in thought -and practice that it cultivates half unconsciously. -Norah had an almost superstitious regard for doing -what Jim termed “the decent thing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Moreover, her father had given her an ideal to -follow. The mother who had gone away from them -so soon had never been far from his thoughts or his -slow speech: and “Brownie,” the old woman who -had taken the little dark-haired baby from her weak -arms, had helped to make the picture of “Mother” -that was so real that Norah had always known and -loved it. Vaguely she knew that there was a lack -in her father’s life which she must try to fill. It had -tended to make her gentle—to bring out something -that was almost protective in her nature. There is a -trace of motherliness in every girl-heart; Norah -always felt that, while Dad and Jim were very large -and strong and dependable, yet it rested with her to -“look after them.” Had she put her thoughts into -words it is quite likely that the objects of her care -might have felt a shade of amusement; but as she -did not, they appreciated her attentions mightily. -To them, the heart of Billabong had dropped out -when Norah went away to school.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And school had been something of a trial. Norah’s -bringing-up had been along lines where rules of -conduct are understood rather than expressed; -although she was a well-behaved damsel, in her own -setting, it had not been easy to find herself suddenly -hedged in to such an extent that she lived and -breathed and ate and slept by regulation and timetable. -She realized that it was necessary to conform; -but practice was a harder matter, and the time -at school had seen many “scrapes” and many impositions. -Common sense and good temper helped her -through, and the appearance of Jean Yorke upon a -somewhat lonely horizon had helped in a different -way. But only Norah herself knew just how bad -had been the homesickness and the silent longing -for her own old life. She knew that Dad and Jim -would be hurt by knowing, therefore she kept these -matters to herself, and diligently cultivated Jim’s -prescription of “a stiff upper lip.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now it was over. There would be other years; but -no year could ever be quite like the first, especially -since there was now Jean to help—Jean being a -comprehending person, whose heart had gone out to -Norah since the day of her arrival at Beresford House, -three months ago. Jean came from New Zealand, -and she, too, was lonely, with the desperate loneliness -born of the fact that she would not see home or the -home people for two years. When Norah contemplated -Jean’s woeful plight she was ashamed to admit -that she had been homesick on her own account. So -they “twin-souled” immediately, and made life very -much easier for each other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>How this last week had crawled! Each night -Norah had crossed out the finished day upon her -calendar with thick, red strokes that were some relief -to her pent-up feelings; always doing it just at the -last moment before turning out the light and jumping -into bed, so that she might have the friendly -darkness to cover her as she buried her face in the -pillow, wriggling, with sheer physical inability to -keep still as she realized how near were home and Dad -and Jim. Near—but how slow the days! Examinations -and matches were over, and the work of the -school slackening. She flung herself headlong into -games and “break up” preparations to make the -slow hours pass, dividing each day into hours and -half hours—she even reduced them to minutes, -but the sum total looked too enormous! Her school -work was characteristic of her turmoil of mind. -Once she rattled over the provisions of Magna Charta -for the Latin master with a fluency that paralyzed -the unfortunate man, who had merely asked her to -decline an inoffensive noun; while Miss Winter gave -her up as hopeless on being informed that Thomas -a’Becket Archbishop of Canterbury, lost his life by -drowning in a butt of malmsey! Norah saw nothing -incongruous in the prelate’s alleged death, and spent -much of the hour’s detention that followed in drawing -a spirited picture of it—representing a large -barrel, from the yawning mouth of which protruded -two corpulent legs, clad in gaiters, and immaculately -shod. The charm of the picture was in the portion -of it that was not visible. It was unfortunate that it -fell into the hands of Miss Winter, who was handicapped -by a literal mind. Altogether, the last week -had been more or less exciting and painful, and it -was quite as well that it was over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The great bell of the school rang out sharply, and -a kind of white flicker came over the garden as the -girls moved quickly in answer. It was the signal to -assemble in hall. Norah exchanged looks of longing -with Jim and Wally. Then she and Jean moved off -towards the house, endeavouring to calm spasmodic -footsteps.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A little later saw the three visitors making a -gallant attempt to dispose their long legs among the -crowded rows of chairs reserved for parents and -“belongings,” while the boys sent rapid telegraphic -signals to Norah, by this time a mere speck amid the -white-clad girls massed upon the platform. The big -hall was packed with visitors—proud parents, each -supremely confident that “our girl” was something -quite beyond the average; big sisters, anxious to -create the impression of being far removed from -matters so juvenile as school; brothers, wearing the -colours of different schools, and assuming great boredom. -Then came Miss Winter, followed by church -dignitaries and other notable people, including two -members of Parliament, who behaved as though -engrossed with affairs of State; whereat the infant -classes arose and sang a roundelay with much gusto, -and the business of the day began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Billabong contingent was not happy. It was -uncomfortably crowded; its view was obstructed -by immense erections of millinery on the heads of -ladies immediately in front; frequently it was -tickled on the back of the neck by similar erections -belonging to ladies who leaned forward, from the -rear, manœuvring for a better vision of the proceedings. -It was much embarrassed by the French play, -acted by the senior class—the embarrassment being -chiefly due to fear of laughing in the wrong place. -Nor did lengthy recitations from Shakespeare appeal -to it greatly, or a song by the red-haired girl, the said -song being of the type known as an “aria,” and -ungallantly condemned by Jim as “screamy enough -to scare cockatoos with!” It brightened at a physical -culture display, and applauded vigorously when a -curly-haired mite essayed a recitation, broke down -in the middle, and finished, not knowing whether or -not to cry, until much cheered by the friendly clapping. -The moment of the programme—for Billabong—came -when Norah, very pale and unhappy, -played a Chopin nocturne. Wally joined wildly -in the succeeding applause, but Jim and his father -sat up straight, endeavouring to appear unconcerned, -but radiating pride. Norah did not dare to look at -them until she was safely back in her place. Then -she shot a glance at the two tall heads; and what -she saw in their faces suddenly sent the blood -leaping to her own.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Afterwards came the distribution of prizes—a -matter which did not greatly concern Norah, whose -scholastic achievements could scarcely be classed -as other than ordinary. However, she had carried -off the music prize in her class—music being born -within her, and, even in lessons, only a joy. She -was still flushed with excitement when the long -ceremony was at an end, and she was able to slip from -the platform and find her way to the waiting trio—standing -tall and stiff against the wall, while the -crowd seethed in the body of the hall, and other book-laden -daughters were reunited to parents as proud as -David Linton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll look after that,” Jim said, with a masterful -little gesture, possessing himself of Norah’s prize. -“Well done, old chap!” He patted her head with -brotherly emphasis.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Proud to know you, ma’am,” said Wally, humbly. -“Norah, I was nearly asleep until you came on to -play!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And quite asleep afterwards,” grinned Jim. -“Snored, Norah—I give you my word!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s one I owe you!” said the maligned Mr. -Meadows, vengefully. “I clapped until my horny -hands were sore, Norah. Made a hideous noise!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then there were two of us,” said Norah, laughing. -“I never knew old Chopin sound so funny—catch -me playing before a lot of people again! I was scared -to look at old Herr Wendt. Probably he pulled out -most of his remaining locks—I know I made at least -three mistakes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It sounded all right,” said her father, and smiled -at her. “Now, young woman, this is very nice, but -one can have enough of it.” A wheat-trimmed hat -brushed across his face, and he emerged in some -confusion. “How soon will you two girls be -ready?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Must we change?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I sincerely trust not,” said Mr. Linton, appalled -at the thought of awaiting two feminine toilettes of a -greater magnificence than was familiar to him with -his daughter. “Not if you have big coats—I’ve a -motor outside. Your heavy luggage has gone, I -believe.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it went by carrier,” said Norah, happily. -“All right, Daddy, we’ll be back in five minutes. -Come on, Jean!” They disappeared, to re-emerge -presently, muffled in heavy blue coats and wearing -sailor hats. Farewells hurtled through the air.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, Miss Winter. Merry Christmas!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, Carrots, dear!” This to the red-haired -singer, who accepted the greeting and the -appellation cheerfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, young Norah. Behave yourself, if -you can. But you can’t!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, Jean!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, every one. Mind you all come back!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Merry Christmas!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, school!” The note of utter thankfulness -in Norah’s voice brought a twinkle to Jim’s -eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The motor chug-chugged on the path. Norah did -not like motors—horses were infinitely better, in her -opinion. But this one seemed a chariot of joy. -They bundled in, pell-mell.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you all right?” queried Mr. Linton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never was so all right in my life!” said Norah, -fervently. The car slid away into the dusty haze of -the white road.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch2'>CHAPTER II</h1></div> - -<h3>NIGHT IN THE CITY</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Oh, the world is wondrous fair</p> -<p class='line0'>  When the tide of life’s at flood!</p> -<p class='line0'>There is music in the air,</p> -<p class='line0'>  There is music in the blood.</p> -<p class='line0'>And a glamour draws us on,</p> -<p class='line0'>  To the distance, rainbow-spanned.</p> -<p class='line0'>And the road we tread upon</p> -<p class='line0'>  Is the track to Fairyland.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                         —<span class='it'>V. J. Daley.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>J</span>EAN, can you button me up?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Half a minute till I get this ribbon tied,” -said the lady addressed, wrestling urgently with an -obstinate bow. “There—that’s got to do! Turn -round, old girl—I can’t see. There you are.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thanks,” said Norah, shaking out her skirt. -“Is my hair decent?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it’s all right. Curly-haired people like you -always look right.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wish I thought so,” said the owner of the curls. -“Dreadful mop, I think. Will I do, Jean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do?” said Jean, in some bewilderment. “Why, -of course—you look all right. Why are you worrying?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah reddened slightly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well—I never had dinner in a big hotel like this -before,” she said. “Melbourne hotels are a bit -different to the Cunjee one, I guess. And I don’t -want Dad and Jim to be ashamed of me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think you need bother your head,” said -the more travelled Jean. “You look nice, truly. -And I shouldn’t think your father and Jim were very -hard to please.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they never would say anything. But they -might think—and be disappointed if I weren’t all -right. You see, it never seemed to matter when I -was only at Billabong. But after all this time at -school they’ll naturally expect me to be different.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And do you think you are?” queried Jean, -anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think I am, a bit!” Norah answered. -“That’s what’s worrying me. It won’t bother me -when I get home, I expect, but this big place seems -different.” She glanced round the hotel bedroom -with a quaint air of anxiety. “I feel just exactly -the same as if I’d never been at school at -all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I believe that’s how your father’ll like -you,” said Jean, sapiently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And——” Norah flushed more redly, and paused.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will dinner be—difficult? You know I haven’t -been anywhere like this,” said poor Norah. “Will -there be lots of knives and forks and glasses I don’t -know anything about? I don’t want to make an -ass of myself, you know!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean nodded comprehendingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t you worry,” she said. “It’s all quite -easy. I stayed here with father when he brought -me over from Christchurch, you know. He helped -me a bit over ordering when the waiter came round—the -menu is rather mixed until you get used to it. -You tell your father to do the same. And I really -won’t know a bit more than you, so if we make mistakes -we’ll make them together, and it won’t matter!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a dear,” said Norah, gratefully. “I say, -would you mind if I go and find Dad now, and have -a little talk to him? His room is quite near.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course I won’t,” said her friend. “Hurry -up—it’s nearly dinner time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll come back for you,” Norah called, disappearing -into the corridor. She hesitated a moment -in the unfamiliar place—all the doors looked so -exactly alike. Then from behind one came a line -of a song, in Jim’s deep voice, and Wally joined -in:—</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“So we went strolling, down by the rolling—</p> -<p class='line0'>    Down by the rolling sea!”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>It made the corridor seem suddenly homelike, and -Norah broke into smiles. Beyond, her father’s -number caught her eye, and she tapped at the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“May I come in, Daddy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly you may!” said David Linton, with -somewhat startling emphasis, mingled with relief. -“And tie this blessed evening tie!” He submitted -meekly to his daughter’s ministrations. “Ridiculous!—I’m -far too old to get into these clothes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You look beautiful,” said his daughter, fervently. -“Daddy, will I do?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do? I should say so. That white thing looks -very fine as far as I’m a judge.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then that’s all right. And, Dad——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, my girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m awfully scared of dinner!” Norah confessed. -“Will you keep fierce waiters off me, Daddy? And -tell me what to say I’ll have?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton looked at her and smiled with something -like relief. He sat down and drew her towards -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know,” he said, “you’ve looked so fine -a young lady to-day that I almost feared I’d lost my -little Bush mate. I suppose it’s the clothes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Daddy!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But I fancy I haven’t,” said her father twinkling. -“Don’t bother your little head about dinner—we’ll -see you through. I don’t quite know how -I’d have liked it if you had been self-possessed -about it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Self-possessed!” uttered Norah. “Why, I’m -scared to my bones! And as for the clothes—if -you’ll wait until to-morrow and let me get into a -linen collar again——!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll know you thoroughly when I have you back -at Billabong in your riding habit,” said her father. -“But these clothes are nice, too. I’m not quarrelling -with them. You’re not sorry to come back to -your old Dad?” He paused, watching her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sorry!” said Norah. “Sorry!” And then -her tongue suddenly refused to do its duty. She put -her head down on his shoulder, and drew a deep -breath. His arms tightened round her. They were -silent for a minute.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jim is a good mate,” said David Linton, “none -better. But my little mate’s place has always been -empty. It’s been a long time, my girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Long—to you, Daddy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One of the longest I remember. You see, I -never bargained for your spending midwinter having -measles.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Neither did I,” said Norah, ruefully. The -memory of that inconsiderate ailment was still a -sore thing; at the time it had been almost too sore -to be borne. “It seems just ages since I saw home. -Is it just the same, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think there’s any difference. Everyone -has been busy putting on a bit of extra polish for the -last week; and Brownie says she’s half a stone lighter—but -she doesn’t look it; and there’s a new inmate -in the little paddock near the house calling for your -immediate inspection!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A new inmate?” Norah echoed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim had come in, unnoticed. He grinned down -at her from the hearthrug.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A rather swagger inmate,” he said, nodding. -“Seeing how out of form you must be, I don’t think -it will be wise to let you try him—we’ll put you up -on an old stock horse for a week or so!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you, indeed?” said Norah, with some heat, -yet laughing. “You’re going to lend me Garryowen—you -said so!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Garryowen!” said the owner of that proud steed -mournfully. “Poor old Garryowen’s tail will be -hopelessly out of joint. One thing, I’ll be able to -ride him myself—being of a meek disposition!” -His eyes twinkled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two red spots suddenly flamed into Norah’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dad! You don’t mean——” She stopped, -looking at him uncertainly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s something of a pony there,” said Mr. -Linton, his keen eyes watching her through his smile. -“An ownerless one—wi’ a long pedigree! I looked -eight months before I found him. His name’s Bosun, -Norah, and he wants an owner.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a mist before Norah’s eyes. She tried -to speak, but her head went down again upon the -broad shoulder near her. A muffled word escaped -her, which sounded like, “Bricks!” Norah was -least eloquent when most moved.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim patted her shoulder hard, and said, “Buck -up, old chap!” being also a person of few words. -For there had been another pony of Norah’s—a most -dear pony, who now slept very quietly under a cairn -of stones on a rough hillside. Not one of those three, -who were mates, could forget.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the corridor Wally’s voice came, gently -consolatory.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think they’ve all been kidnapped,” he was -explaining. “Many a little hungry kidnapper would -think Jim quite a treat! You and I seem left alone -in this pathless forest, and probably the birds will -find us, and cover us with leaves. Don’t let it worry -you—I believe the leaves are quite comfortable!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in, Wally, you ass!” said Jim, laughing. -“He may come in, Dad——?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Apparently he’s in,” said Mr. Linton, resignedly, -getting up. “Come on, Wally—and Jean, too.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ve been lost—at least, we were until we -found each other,” said Wally. “We came to the -conclusion that none of you Billabong people were -left in this little inn. Jean would probably have -cried if I hadn’t been crying—as it was, she felt she -couldn’t, which was very rough on her. Mr. Linton, -do I know you well enough——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For most things,” said the squatter, laughing!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“——To mention that I am hungry?” finished -Wally, unmoved. “My last nourishment was at -twelve o’clock, and it’s nearly seven now; and -theatres in this benighted district begin before eight -when they’re pantomimes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton uttered an exclamation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I declare, I’d forgotten all about either dinner -or pantomime!” he said. “Thank you, Wally—I’m -obliged to you. Where’s my coat? I hope -all the rest of you are ready.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are we going to the pantomime, Dad?” Norah’s -eyes were dancing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jim says so,” said her father, laughing. “I’m -in his hands.” He caught up his coat, while Jean -and Norah hugged each other in silent ecstasy. -“Now, hurry up, all of you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Downstairs, the big dining-room brought back -Norah’s shyness anew. She felt suddenly very young—infinitely -younger than Jim and Wally, tall and -immaculate in their evening clothes, although, as a -rule, they seemed no older than herself. She kept -close to her father’s wing, greatly envying Jean’s -apparent calm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The huge room was crowded. It was full of tables -of varying sizes, not one of which seemed unoccupied—until -a waiter, catching Mr. Linton’s eye, hurried -up and led them to a corner, where a round table -was reserved for them. It commanded an excellent -view of the room, and the sight was a little bewildering -to the two schoolgirls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Every one seemed in evening dress—and even -Norah knew she had seen no dresses like those the -women wore—rich, clinging things, in soft and -delicate colours like the inner side of flower petals. -The masses of electric light took up the leaping light -of jewels on their necks and in their hair; all up and -down the room the eye caught the many-coloured -gleam, twinkling and sparkling like rainbow stars. -Everywhere was laughter and chatter and the chink -of plates and glasses; and somewhere, unseen, a -string band was playing softly a waltz tune with a -lilt in it like a bird’s note. Norah forgot all about -being nervous. Indeed, she remembered nothing, -being deeply occupied with gazing, until she found a -deft waiter putting soup before her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s my order,” said her father, and smiled. -“You and Jean have had an exciting day, and you’re -to eat just what I tell you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By these wily means any difficulties the menu -might have suggested disappeared. Moreover, the -waiter was a man of tact, and seemed to regard it as -only ordinary if his clients kept him waiting while they -put their heads together over the merits of various -items with very fine French names.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Experience in these things is everything,” said -Jim, surveying a peculiar substance on his plate. -“I ordered something that read like a poem, and it -turns out a sort of half-bred hash! Thanks, I’ll -have beef!” So they all had beef, and finished up -rather hurriedly with jelly, which, as Wally said, -could be demolished quickly; for the hands of the -clock were slipping round, and a pantomime was not -a thing to be kept waiting—especially as there was no -likelihood that it would wait!—a reflection that made -the situation far more serious. Jim raced up for -coats for the girls, and they all hastened out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the street the lights of Melbourne lit the sky. -Far as the eye could reach the yellow glow shone -against the star-gemmed blackness. Here and -there a point of special brilliance twinkled—it was -hard to tell whether it was a tall arc light reaching -up into the very heavens, or a lonely star that had -leaned down towards the friendly earth. Up and -down the Bourke Street hills the lamps formed a -linked chain of diamonds on either side, while in -their midst the low gliding tram-lights were rubies -and sapphires. The big head-lights of motors made -gleaming flashes as they turned, or shot straight -up the wide street, twin eyes of a dazzling radiance—so -bright that when they flashed past darkness seemed -to fall doubly dark behind them. And there were -creeping bicycle lights, and streaks of white fire, -that were the lamps of motor cycles; and red and -white lights that went by in silent rubber-tyred -hansoms, noiseless save for the jingling bit and the -“klop-klop” of the horse’s hoofs upon the wooden -blocks. Advertisement signs in huge electric -letters flickered into sight and disappeared again—one -moment dazzling, the next velvet black; and -over picture theatres and other places of amusement -were gleaming signs of fire. And up from the city -below came the deep hum of the people that only -ceases for a little when the lights go out—that wakes -again even before the pencils of Dawn come to -streak the eastern sky.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then a tram came by, took them on board, and in -a moment they were slipping down the hill towards -a busy intersection where the post office stood, a -mighty block of buildings, with its tall clock just -chiming the quarter-hour above them. On again, -through the wide, busy street, full of hurrying -theatre crowds. Barefooted newsboys ran beside -the car whenever it stopped, calling out harrowing -details from the evening papers. They passed cabs, -climbing the further hill; and swift motors slipped -by them—in each Norah and Jean caught glimpses -of women in evening dress, with scarfs like trails -of coloured mist. Everywhere the shop windows -were brilliantly lighted, although it was long after -closing time; and scores of people were staring through -the glass at the gorgeous displays within.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah gasped at it all. It was her first experience -of the City by night, and she found it rather bewildering.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does Melbourne ever stop being busy?” she -uttered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not often,” he said—“and not for long. Personally, -I prefer old Billabong. But this is all very -well for a little while.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The car stopped at a point where an electric -theatre sign blazed right across the footpath; and -they hurried down a side-street. A string of motors -and cabs had drawn up by the kerb and passengers -were hastily disembarking before a glittering theatre, -with uniformed commissionaires holding the doors -open. Norah and Jean had no time to look about -them; they were hurried up a wide flight of marble -stairs, and in a moment were following Mr. Linton -into darkness, for already the lights had been turned -off in the theatre, and only a dun green ray filtered -from the stage, where an old man of the sea was -engaged in making unpleasant remarks to a fairy. -The orchestra was playing softly—weird music -which, Wally whispered, gave you chills up the -backbone. They stumbled down some steps to -seats in the front row, and as they thankfully subsided -into them, the green sea-caves and the fierce -old man suddenly vanished in a whirl of light and a -blare of joyful music; and Norah was whisked -straight into fairyland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In these advanced days of ours, pantomimes come -very early into the scheme of our existence. Most -of us have seen one by the time we are six; at nine -we have become critical, and at twelve, bored. After -that, the pantomime may consider itself lucky if we -do not term it a “pretty rotten show.” This painful -phase lasts until we are quite old—perhaps eight -and twenty. Then we begin to see fresh joys in it, -and if we are lucky, to work up quite a comforting -degree of enthusiasm. At this stage the companion -we like to select must not number more years than -six. Then we feel sure of a comprehending fellow-spectator—one -who will not wither us with a bland -stare when we are consumed with helpless laughter -at Harlequin, or rent with anxiety by the perils of the -“principal boy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But it happened that none of our party had ever -been spoilt by over-much pantomime. It was, -indeed, Norah’s first experience of a theatre. Jean -had seen but little more, and Jim and Wally, big -fellows as they were, had worked and played far too -hard at school to be much concerned with going out. -None of them was at all brilliant; theirs were the -cheerful, simple hearts that take work and pleasure -as they come, and do not trouble to develop either -the critical or the grumbling faculty—which are, in -truth, closely related. If the boys had not the -ecstatic anticipation that seethed in Jean and Norah, -at least they were prepared to enjoy themselves very -solidly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To Norah, it was all absolutely real, and therefore -wonderful past belief. The evening to her was, as -she remarked afterwards, “one gasp.” The hero -puzzled her, since it was evident that he was not a -“truly” boy; but the heroine claimed her heart -from the first, and the funny men were droll beyond -compare. Indeed, from Mr. Linton downwards, the -Billabong party succumbed to the funny men, and -laughed until they ached at their antics. The -fairies were certainly a trifle buxom, compared to -the sprites of Norah’s dreams; but the Old Man -of the Sea was fascinatingly life-like and evil, and -caused delightful thrills of horror to run up and -down one’s spine. And then, the gorgeousness of -the whole—the flower and bird ballets, the mysterious -dances, the marches, splendid and stately, the glitter -and colour and light! And through all, over all, the -music!—swaying, rippling; low and soft one -moment, with the violins wailing and the harp -strings plucked in a chord of poignant sweetness—the -next, swelling out triumphantly, wind instruments -in a blare of vivid sound, and drums and -cymbals clashing wild and stately measures. Afterwards -the wonder of the night merged in Norah’s -brain to a kind of kaleidoscopic picture, swiftly -changing in colour and magnificence; but always -clear was the memory of the orchestra, weaving -magic spells of music that caught her heart in their -meshes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was a little breathless when the curtain fell -on the first act, and the lights flashed out over the -body of the theatre. Instinctively her hand sought -her father’s.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it all over, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not much!” said Mr. Linton. “This is half-time. -What do you think of it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh—it’s lovely!” breathed his daughter. -“Isn’t it, Jean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should just think so!” Jean said. “Will there -be more like it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very much the same, I expect,” said the -squatter, laughing. “And what do you think of -this part of the house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not the least interesting part. The closing -of the city schools had set free hosts of pilgrims on -the ways of knowledge, debarred, as a rule, by stern -necessity from such relaxations as pantomimes. -Now it seemed that parents in general had risen to a -sense of their duty, for it was clearly a “young” -night. There were girls and boys in every part of -the theatre—in big parties, in twos and threes, or -even singly, accompanied by a cheery father and -mother, in many cases keener to enjoy than their -charges. Everywhere were fresh young faces—girls -with bright hair and glowing cheeks, and sunburnt -boys with shining collars: and everywhere was a -babel and buzz of talk and laughter as the young -voices broke loose. A procession—chiefly men—left -their seats and filed out; a proceeding which -puzzled and pained Norah, who was heard to regret -audibly that they were making the mistake of thinking -the theatre was over. Wally laid a big box of -chocolates on her knee, remarking that she looked -hungry—an insult received by the maligned one with -fitting scorn. At the moment Norah could scarcely -have noticed the difference between chocolates and -corned beef!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Won’t do,” grinned Jim, watching her dancing -eyes. “She’s getting too excited, Dad—we’d better -take her home to bed!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to see you!” said Norah, belligerently. -“Oh, my goodness, Jean, it’s going up again!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It”—which was the curtain—flashed up -suddenly, as the lights went out, and straightway -Norah forgot everything but the wonderland on the -stage. She leaned forward breathlessly, half afraid -of losing even a glimpse of the marvels that were -unfolded with such apparent calm. “As if,” said -Norah later, “it was as ordinary as washing-day!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ever since she could remember, she had danced. -But the dancing on the stage was a new thing -altogether. It was music put into motion; it was -as though the fairies had caught the spirits of joy -and poetry and youth, and turned them all into -a rhythmic harmony. There was gladness in every -swaying movement; gladness and grace and beauty. -“They all look so awfully happy!” breathed Norah. -But then—who would not be happy, dancing in -Fairyland?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Only, near the end, come one thing that Norah -did not like. A children’s ballet, dressed as flowers, -had just danced its way off the stage, leaving at one -side a tall tiger lily; and from the other corner a tiny -thing toddled out to meet it. A wee baby form, -almost ridiculous in the quaint tights of green that -made it an orchid—a little face, peeping out of the -green peaked cap. Very daintily, a little hesitatingly, -it began to dance; the orchestra’s music softened -and slackened, as if to help the little half-afraid feet. -The theatre rang with applause and laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They shouldn’t let it—it’s a shame!” she uttered -very low. “It’s just a baby—and it ought to be in -bed! Jim do they make it do this every night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I expect so,” Jim answered. “Bless you, old -girl, I suppose they pay the kid!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then they haven’t any business to—I don’t -know what its mother’s thinking about!” whispered -Norah. “I’m perfectly certain it’s as scared as ever -it can be! It’s only a frightened little baby—I -think it’s mean to dress it up in those silly clothes -and make it come out here in front of all these -people!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For all you know, old chap, it likes the game,” -Jim said, practically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure it doesn’t—look at its eyes! I never -saw anything so—so anxious. Makes you want to -pick it up and nurse it,” said his sister, a straight -young monument of indignation. “Thank goodness, -it’s gone!” as the little orchid danced off with the -tiger lily. She subsided, somewhat to Jim’s relief. -He was not sure that he had liked the baby orchid -himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then came the final scene, a vision of Aladdin’s -Cave, massed with every gem known of man, and a -great number more known only of the stage; and all -gorgeous and glittering beyond any mortal dreams. -Rubies as big as turkeys’ eggs, and emeralds the size -of barrels; and walls and ceiling a flashing, scintillating -mass of diamonds. “Worth while having a -vacuum cleaner there,” Wally commented—“you’d -only get diamond dust!” And in this wondrous -setting, a shifting panorama of moving figures, -almost as vivid as the gems themselves; fairies -and sprites and marvellous flowers, and tall, slender -soldiers in gleaming coats of silver mail. And always -the music that made the magic by which everything -grew real.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, suddenly the curtain; and Norah came out -of her trance, blinking a little.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that the end?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Quite the end,” said her father. “Come on, -my girl; it’s high time you were in bed.” He put -a protecting hand on her shoulder, and piloted her -through the crowd, while Jim and Wally performed a -like kind office for the similarly dazed Jean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Out in Bourke Street, the cooler air blew -gratefully upon Norah’s hot face. But she was very -silent as the tram took them back to the hotel; and -when she said good-night, her father scanned her face -keenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure you’re not over-tired, Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not me!” said Norah, absent-mindedly and -inelegantly. “I’m all right, Daddy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you’re half in the theatre yet,” said he, -laughing. “Go to bed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah went, obediently. Just as Jean was falling -asleep, a voice came from the bed across the room—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wonder if any one’s tucked up that poor little -orchid!” said Norah. From Jean’s corner came a -sound that might have been termed either a grunt -or a snore, according as the hearer might be more -or less kindly disposed. Norah was pondering the -problem when she followed her through the gate of -sleep.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/illo-24.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0001' style='width:350px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>“I almost feared I’d lost my little Bush mate.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 id='ch3'>CHAPTER III</h1></div> - -<h3>THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Yet long ago it was promised by Someone,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Who lovingly help for the children implored,</p> -<p class='line0'>That if only you gave one a cup of cold water,</p> -<p class='line0'>  You surely in no wise should lose your reward!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                                 —<span class='it'>John Sandes.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>I</span>’VE an idea,” Mr. Linton said, putting down -his morning paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Four faces gave him instant attention. It was -breakfast time, and plans for the day were being -discussed, a trifle lazily, as befitted people unused to -over-night dissipation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We—ell,” said the squatter, and hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have lovely ideas, always, Dad,” Norah -told him, kindly. “Tell us.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know that you’ll regard this one as -lovely,” said her father. “Still, I’d like to do it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, then, it’ll be done,” said Jim, with finality. -“What is it, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you keep up this mystery any longer, I won’t -be able to bear it, Mr. Linton,” said Wally, much -moved. “Prithee, sir——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The mystery’s a tame one, you’ll think,” he -said. “I thought of my plan before I left home—old -Brownie has been knitting a big bundle for the -Children’s Hospital, and she gave me the things to -bring down. Then there’s a letter in this paper -about the hospital. It’s getting near Christmas, -you see; and I don’t suppose those little sick -youngsters have much of a good time. Would you -all think it a very slow sort of entertainment if we -went to see them?” He looked round the four -young faces—a little afraid of seeing their eagerness -die out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Wally smiled broadly, leaning forward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it’s a ripping idea, sir,” he said. “I guess -we all like kids, don’t we, chaps?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The “chaps,” who evidently included the ladies -of the party, assented with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell us more, Dad,” Norah said, “I know you’ve -more plan.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well—I’m open to suggestions,” her father -answered. “We won’t go empty-handed; we can -take up toys and books and things. It isn’t visiting -day at the hospital. In any case, I think it would -be better not to go at a crowded time. If I telephone -to the Matron, I fancy she will let us come; and she -can tell me something about the number of children. -I—I’m a shocking bad hand at preaching, you -know”—he hesitated, gaining encouragement from -their friendly faces—“but—well, we’re looking out -for a pretty good time ourselves, and it wouldn’t -hurt us to share some of it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But I think it will be tremendous fun, won’t -it, Jean?” Norah said. To which Jean nodded -vigorous acquiescence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then we’ll get it done at once,” said Mr. Linton. -“You can put your four wise heads together, and -consult as to what we’re to take up—I don’t know -what sick youngsters like.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s half the fun,” said Norah, happily. -“Isn’t it, Jean?” And Jean nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then I’ll go and telephone,” said the squatter; -“by which time you hungry people may have -finished breakfast—unless you mean to make this -meal run into lunch, as doesn’t seem unlikely!” He -made his escape, Norah regretting deeply that hotel -etiquette prevented her from reprisals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He joined them, a little later, in the lounge, where -big leather-covered chairs and tall palms made a cool -retreat in the hottest days.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If there’s a more exasperating institution than -the Melbourne telephone, I have yet to find it out,” -said he. “I’ve been standing in that small Black -Hole of Calcutta that they call a telephone box until -I nearly died of asphyxiation, and all the response I -could elicit was from a frenzied person who sounded -like a dressmaker, and wanted to know desperately -if I would have tucks on the bodice! However, I -got the hospital at last, and we can go up when we -like. So that means a busy morning. How soon -can you girls be ready?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Three minutes, Dad!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Amazing women!” said Mr. Linton, regarding -them with much respect. “I suppose, in a year or -two, Norah, you’ll keep me waiting while you put on -your hat; but at present you’re certainly an ornament -to your sex in that respect. The car will be -here in a few moments, so hurry up!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The motor hummed up to the gate of the hospital -a little later—a heavy gate, set in a high stone wall, -behind which towered grim buildings. A neat maid -admitted them to a wide corridor, with white walls -and shining floor, where the Matron, white-gowned -and gentle, welcomed them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No sweets, of course?” she queried, glancing -at their parcels.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; we were afraid to bring them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Matron nodded approval.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some children can have them,” she said. “But -very many cannot, and there is no use in causing -disappointments by making any difference. If you -only knew how hard it is to make the mothers understand!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor souls!” said Mr. Linton. “I suppose they -are keen to bring them something of a treat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—and one is sorry for them. But the risk -to the children is very great—only they won’t -believe it, and many of them think we are hard-hearted -monsters. We always question the mothers -as to what they are bringing the children, and watch -them carefully; but even so, they manage to smuggle -things past us. We had a dear little boy here in the -winter—a typhoid patient, just pulling round after -a very bad time. Of course he was on strict liquid -diet, and equally, of course, he was very hungry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor kid!” said Jim, sympathetically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s what his mother thought. So she -smuggled him in two large jam tarts in her muff, and -bent over him so as to hide him while he ate them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And did they hurt him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They would have killed him. Luckily Nurse -became suspicious, and caught him, as she said, ‘on -the first bite.’ She rescued every crumb from his -mouth, and nearly choked him in the process. But -if she had not we couldn’t have saved him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And what did the mother say?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The mother? Oh, she said that Nurse was -’an in’uman brute,’ and nearly fell on her, tooth and -nail. You can’t teach them. Many of them are -terribly poor—but they will spend a few pence on -some cheap and dreadful sweetmeat, or a cake that -looks—and often is—absolutely poisonous, and -expect to be allowed to watch a sick baby eat it. -Visiting day has many anxieties!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something called the busy Matron away as they -reached the first ward, and they hesitated in the -doorway. It was a long, bright room, cheery with -sunlight and gay with flowers and plants, while the -red bed jackets made bright notes of colour against -the white quilts. Many of the boys were sitting up, -working or playing at boards that fitted across their -cots to serve as tables. Others were lying quietly, -and very often could be seen the structure beneath -the bedclothes that speaks mutely of hip disease. -There were framed placards over many cots, stating -whose gift they had been; perhaps raised by the -efforts of children, or given by some sad mother -in memory of a little child. Looking down the long -rows of bright faces it was hard to realize that they -were all sick boys—that Pain lived in the ward night -and day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In one cot a little lad was crying softly—a tired -cry, as if afraid of disturbing others. The nurse -bending over him straightened up, patted his -shoulder, said, “Be a good boy, now, Tommy!” -and came to greet the visitors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mustn’t mind the little chap who cries,” she -told them. “His leg is hurting, poor man. He -won’t speak to any one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The eyes that were buried deep in the pillow were -the only pair that were not turned upon the group -in the doorway. The hospital children knew nothing -about the Billabong invasion; only the nurses had -been told of the unusual offer that had come over the -telephone that morning. It seemed to the Matron -a little uncertain, peculiar; better, perhaps, not to -excite the children by anticipation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the first glimpse of the newcomers was -sufficient—the children of the very poor are not -slow brained. Something like a thrill of delight ran -through the ward. There was no mistaking these -people—happy-faced and well-dressed, and laden -with fascinating parcels that could only mean one -kind of thing. The eyes were very bright, watching -from the cots.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a surgical ward, and most of the inmates -looked happy. Life is not at all unbearable when -you are a surgical case. To be a “medical” means -headaches, and fevers, and soaring temperatures, -and other unpleasant things. You are not allowed -to eat anything interesting, and you frequently -desire only to keep extremely quiet. But the -“surgicals” know fairly well what to expect. Pain -comes, of course—plenty of it; and the daily visits -of the doctors are apt to leave you a bit short of self-control, -even if you bite the pillow extremely hard -in your efforts to show that there is decent pluck in -you. But after a time you forget that. The ache -in your leg, or your back, or your hip, or perhaps -all over you, becomes part of the programme, and -you learn to put up with it; and there is much of -interest with other “cases” to talk to, songs to sing, -and games that the sick can play—and nurses who -are often very jolly and delightful. The nurse in -this ward was little and dark and merry, and the boys -called her “Brown Eyes.” She had a knack of -helping you through almost any pain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She welcomed the newcomers cheerily now, -though her eyes were a little tired. Behind her the -faces were alight with silent eagerness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can we talk to them?” Norah asked, shyly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, of course!” said the nurse. “You’ll find -most of them great chatterboxes—except little -Tommy there. His pain is bad to-day.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boys were quite ready to talk. They told all -about themselves glibly, with a full appreciating of -their value as “cases.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had a daisy of a temp’rature, I had!” said a -cheerful soul of nine. “Doctor he came three times -a day. Better now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine’s a leg,” volunteered another. “Broke—a -cart runned over me. They brought me up from -South Gippsland—sledge first, and then in the guard’s -van.” He shivered—a reminiscent shudder. “Sledge -was a fair cow!—bumped till I went an’ fainted -with the pain.” He gave other details that set Jean -and Norah shuddering, too. “But the guard’s van -wasn’t half bad fun—y’see, I hadn’t never been in a -train before. My word, that guard was a kind man! -Went an’ bought me oranges with his own money!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m near right again,” a merry-faced little -Jewish lad told them. “Had me stitches taken out -this morning—an’ I never howled!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I did then,” said his neighbour, sturdily, -“I don’t think getting unpicked is any fun. But it -don’t take long, that’s one thing.” The other boy -grinned at him in an understanding fashion. “Y’see, -he’s two years younger’n me,” he told Norah. “He’s -only a bit of a nipper!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy alone declined to make friends. He -burrowed into his pillow when they came to him, and -refused to show so much as the tip of his nose. The -sound of his sorry little wail followed them over the -ward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t mind him,” the nurse told the girls, as -they turned away from the cot, with downcast faces. -“He’ll be better after a while, and then he’ll be -delighted with his presents. He’s homesick, poor -mite.” They went on down the ward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim turned back presently. He sat down near -Tommy’s cot and took out a toy watch that had -beautiful qualities in the way of winding. But he -did not offer it to Tommy. Instead he sat still, -dangling it from his fingers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Had a sick leg myself, once,” he remarked -casually, apparently to the watch. As might have -been expected, the watch made no response; -neither did the black head burrowed in the pillow -turn at all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hurt it falling off a horse,” Jim went on. “At -least, the horse fell too. Tried to jump a log on him—and -he shied at a snake lying on the top of the log.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boy in the next cot was listening with all his -ears. Tommy’s low crying had stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Big black snake,” said Jim. “Must have scared -him a bit when he saw the horse rising. At any -rate he slid off like fun—and my old horse shied -badly, and went over the log in a somersault. -Landed on his head, and pitched me about fifteen -yards away!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was you much hurt?” The boy in the next -cot shot out an irrepressible question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim was not in a hurry to answer. The black head -was turning ever so little towards him, but he did -not seem to see. He played with the watch in an -absent-minded fashion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hurt my leg,” he said at length. “I managed -to catch the old horse, because he put his foot through -the bridle, and hobbled himself; and I got on by a -log and rode home. Didn’t jump any more fences -though. And when I got home I couldn’t stand on -that leg. Had to be lifted off. Makes you feel an -ass, doesn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The question was for the now visible Tommy, but -Jim did not wait for an answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then I had to lie still for days,” he said. “My -word, I did hate it! I feel sorry for any chap with a -sick leg. It’s so jolly hard to keep still when you -don’t feel like it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something in the low, deep voice helped the little -lad in the cot, with sore mind and body. This very -large brown person understood exceedingly well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But legs get better,” said Jim. “After a while -you forget all about them, and play cricket again, -and go in for no end of larks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shifted his position, still fingering the watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The man that sold me this said it would go,” -he said. “It’s got works all right, and I know it can -tick, because he made it. But I’m blessed if I can -get the hang of it!” For the first time he looked -squarely at Tommy. “I suppose you couldn’t give -me a hand with it?” he asked, casually. He held -out the watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A small finger advanced about an inch, and the -watch came nearer until it was within touching -distance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thanks, awfully,” Jim said. “I ought to be -able to get it going now.” He fumbled with the -stem Tommy had indicated. “No—I can’t! I -don’t know what’s the matter with the silly thing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me!” said Tommy, with a great effort. It -was hard to speak; but harder to lie silent, knowing -quite well that you could extricate this other fellow -from his difficulties. And so well Tommy knew -where that watch ought to be wound.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, perhaps you’d better,” said Jim, with -relief. He handed over the offending watch. “I -suppose it’s because mine’s a different make,” he -said, drawing out his own. “See—mine winds so-fashion. -I wouldn’t mind betting you can’t get a -tick out of that one of yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine?” said an infinitesimal voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—it’s yours, of course. A pity you can’t -make it go. Oh, by Jove, you have!” He bent -over the cot, his brown face alight with interest. -“However did you do it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Five minutes later, when the Billabong party -were ready to leave the ward, Jim and his patient -were deep in a discussion of watches. Once a weak -little laugh rang out from the cot, and the nurse -looked round quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s the first time that poor little chap has -laughed,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim stood up, at last, and held out his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re waiting for me,” he said. “Well, so -long, old chap. Buck up!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy shook the big hand solemnly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So long,” he said. He made a great effort to -speak. “Is—is you’ leg quite well?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Quite well, old man. So will yours be if you -keep your pecker up. Promise!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy nodded. His eyes followed the tall lad -out of the room. Then he slipped his hand under his -pillow for his watch, and lo, there was a pocket knife -as well. And the boy in the next cot had one, too—so -that presently they were friends. And something -had taken the worst of the ache away from his leg.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Wally’s voice that guided Jim to the next -ward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally had been entrusted with a number of toy -balloons, and in detaching one for an enthusiastic -person of three with a broken ankle, he had let it slip -through his fingers. A draught of wind took it down -the ward—and Wally, hastily thrusting the others -upon Mr. Linton, had pursued it frantically, his feet -sliding on the smooth boards. The ward broke into -a sudden shout of laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Luckily, the string was long. It kept the balloon -from rising quite to the ceiling; and just at the end of -the room, Wally gave a wild leap into the air and -caught the dangling end, uttering a school war cry -as he did so. He brought it back in triumph, laughing; -and the patients, evidently considering him a -kind of circus let loose for their especial entertainment, -shrieked with joy. The nurses were laughing as -well, with an eye on the door lest an inquiring matron -should appear. Hospital decorum was at a low ebb.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I really don’t think you’re the kind of visitor to -bring to a place like this,” laughed Mr. Linton. -“Will you ever have sense, Wally?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t know,” said the culprit, sadly. “It -doesn’t look very like it, does it? But aren’t they -a jolly set of kids!” He broke into smiles again. -“Takes such a little to make ’em happy, doesn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It did not seem to take much. All the watching -faces were smiling and eager; if some were white -and lined with suffering they hid it bravely with -smiles. These were girls, short cropped, occasionally, -and looking just like the boys; or with long hair -carefully braided to be out of the way. There were -little touches of adornment here and there—a bright -ribbon in the hair, a flower pinned to the red bed -jacket; and dolls were visible on many beds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But when she talked to them, Norah found that -these small people were not as care-free as the boys. -They brought their worries with them to the hospital.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I simply got to get home soon,” one little girl told -her. She was ten, with an old, worn face. “Daddy -was here yes’day, an’ he says me mother’s sick—an’ -there’s only me to look after the kids!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How many?” asked Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Four. The youngest’s not a year old yet, an’ -he’s a reg’lar handful.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But you can’t look after them!” Jean protested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The child stared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I done it nearly all me life,” she said. -“Mother, she goes out washin’, an’ I run the house—y’see, -I got a doctor’s c’tificate that I needn’t go to -school, ’cause of me hip, so that leaves me plenty of -time. An’ then me jolly old hip must go an’ get -worse on me! An’ now Mum’s sick.” Her lip -quivered. “I don’t see how on earth they’re goin’ -to get on if I don’t go home!” she said anxiously. -“Do you think you could say somethin’ to Matron? -An’ then, perhaps, she could put in a word for me -with Doctor!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah promised; it was hard to deny the pleading -of the great brown eyes. But when, later on, she -found her opportunity, the Matron shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor little soul!” she said, sadly. “She does -not know that she will never go out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not go out?” Norah stared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; she has been here five months, and it is quite -hopeless. And it is better so—she could never be -strong.” The Matron patted Norah’s shoulder, -looking gently at her aghast face. “You don’t -know how many there are for whose sake we are glad -when the end comes,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Out on the broad balconies many children were -lying—there seemed no corner in all the great building -that was not full of patients. One verandah had -babies’ cradles only—such weary, old-looking babies -that Norah could scarcely bear to look at them; it -was so altogether extraordinary and terrible to her, -that a baby could possibly look as did these mites -from the slums. That was the saddest part of all the -hospital.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then there were medical wards, into some of -which they could not go; they left their parcels with -the nurses, since David Linton had planned that -every child in the hospital should have a gift from his -children. Some of these small patients were too ill -to be disturbed. There were one or two beds round -which a screen was drawn significantly, and the children -near the screens were very quiet. But even -where sickness or pain was hardest, there was but -little complaining, and very seldom did a child cry. -The children of the poor soon learn to suffer in silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But they don’t all suffer,” said the nurse the -boys called “Brown Eyes.” “Most of them are -happy—and it hurts, sometimes, to see how many -hate to go home. You see, many of the homes are -so poor and comfortless—not even a decent bed. -They dread going back, after having been cared for -here—they know their mothers haven’t time or -money to look after them properly. But there are -always more waiting to come in—we have to send -them out as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Billabong children were very silent as the -motor whirred through the busy streets, and back to -the hotel. Even Wally was quiet; he stared before -him, whistling under his breath, in an absent-minded -fashion. And Norah looked at Jim’s long legs, -thinking of the crippled limbs that were so ordinary -in the hospital day’s work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But back in the hospital the tongues wagged -freely. It would be very long before the Billabong -visit was forgotten.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Weren’t they jolly—just!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Didn’t they speak nice!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That long feller with the thin face—wasn’t he a -hard case?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Them little girls wasn’t dressed a bit swell—they -was only in print frocks. My best dress ain’t print—it’s -Jap. silk!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They lef’ us lovely things. An’ the man said -they was our very own. I’m goin’ to take my doll -home to Myrtle when I go out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They left brightness wherever they went,” said -little “Brown Eyes”—who was not usually poetical. -“I’m not even tired to-night!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the boys’ surgical ward, after the lights were out, -there was still talking—it had been a great day, and -excitement yet seethed. Little Tommy was silent. -He had fallen asleep, one hand thrust beneath his -pillow, where the watch had gone to sleep, too. The -other hand held his new knife in a tight, hot clasp. -There was the shadow of a smile on his thin little -face. One might fancy that he had found his way -to a Dream Country, where there were no crippled -boys any more.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch4'>CHAPTER IV</h1></div> - -<h3>GOING HOME</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A land of open spaces,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Gaunt forest, treeless plain;</p> -<p class='line0'>And if we once have loved it.</p> -<p class='line0'>  We must go back again.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>              —<span class='it'>Dorothea Mackellar.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>W</span>E haven’t too much time,” said Mr. Linton, -looking at his watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The motor was standing before the door of the -hotel. Norah and Jean were tucked into the back -seat, knitting their brows over a lengthy shopping list. -It was their last day in the city. Already, visions of -Billabong and its welcome were making Norah seethe -with an excitement that promised ill for the success -of her purchases.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A clatter of feet upon the steps of the hotel, announced -the arrival of Jim and Wally. They swung -themselves on board; the chauffeur did mysterious -things to the car, and in a moment they were gliding -down Bourke Street. They crossed the Yarra over -Princes Bridge, where, looking westward, the river -seemed full of ships, and the wharves hummed like a -hive of bees. A big inter-State liner was nosing her -way gently up the centre of the stream, as if looking -for an anchorage; they could see the passengers -clustering on her decks, glad of the end of the -journey. Something of the romance that never fails -to cling about ships made the dingy old river -beautiful.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I remember,” said Wally, dreamily, “many a -time——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In your long-dead youth?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the early Forties, he means,” put in Mr. -Linton. “Don’t disturb his eloquence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My inborn respect for your father prevents my -saying what I would like to both of you,” said the -victim. “Anyhow, I remember——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Full well,” said Norah, with emotion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, get out, you Linton tribe!” ejaculated the -harassed one. “I’m talking to Jean.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why?” queried Jean, unexpectedly. Mirth -ensued at the expense of Wally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never mind, Wally, old man,” said his host. -“Mention what you remember.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve nearly forgotten it now,” Wally answered, -much aggrieved. “I believe I was pretty close to -being poetical—that blessed old river always sets -me thinking. Ever so many times I’ve landed there -on a Monday morning, coming down from Brisbane; -and I used to be such a homesick little shrimp. It -was always a struggle to get off the old <span class='it'>Bombala</span>. -I was great chums with the captain, and he made -the old boat seem like a bit of home. Also, I never -was sea-sick in her!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No wonder you loved her,” said Jean, fervently. -She shuddered, with painful recollections of the -voyage from New Zealand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, she’s an old beauty—she can’t roll, I believe,” -Wally answered. “Or if she can, she isn’t -let—so it’s all the same. Anyway, I never liked -leaving her and wending my lonely way down to -school. There’s the old shop now!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had swung round across St. Kilda Road, and -were running up Alexandra Avenue—on one side the -river, and on the other trim gardens leading towards -the trees of the Domain and the massed green of the -Botanical Gardens. Beyond—Wally had spoken -more by faith than by sight—the grey stone of the -Grammar School, mantled in ivy, stood lonely, bereft -of its usual cheerful hordes. Nearer, Government -House loomed up, its square tower crowned with a -fluttering flag, silhouetted against the summer sky; -and the Queen’s Statue looked calmly towards the -city. All the rocky slopes towards the gardens were -clothed with creeping plants, now a sheet of vivid -colour. A boy in a skiff was lazily pulling up-stream, -his pale blue sweater a bright spot on the brown -river; and motor boats were chugging gently down -towards Melbourne, to lie off Princes Bridge. Across -the stream a woman had come down to the water’s -edge and raised an imperious hail of “Ferry!” and -in answer, a battered old boat was putting off from a -little landing, sculled by a very ancient mariner. It -was all very peaceful and leisurely—a sharp contrast -to the other side of the bridge, where the crowded -wharves and shipping made the river a busy place -either by day or night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They turned south presently, and were soon slowing -down amid the traffic of Chapel Street—that lesser -Melbourne where the shops are always crowded, and -where there are inhabitants who have never found it -necessary to take the four miles’ journey into the city -itself. Apparently it was the happy hunting ground -of the baby. There were perambulators everywhere, -propelled by busy suburban mothers, intent on bargain -finding. Very often each perambulator held -two babies, and perhaps a bigger child perched precariously -upon a wooden step, and occasionally fell -off. They all seemed well accustomed to shopping—the -mothers had no fears about leaving them near -the doorways while they sought the counters within. -This frequently led to a glut of perambulators and a -block in the traffic, and caused great wrath on the -part of childless pedestrians—unavailing wrath, -since the mothers were out of reach and the babies -blissfully unconcerned. They ate biscuits contentedly, -and favoured the world with a bland stare, -except when their presence caused a disturbance -of traffic, when they appeared to regard life as a -stupendous joke, and laughed greatly. Norah found -them very fascinating, and was with difficulty withdrawn -from inspecting a cheerful pair of twins when -the sterner necessities of shopping demanded her -consideration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To make Christmas purchases in a Christmas -crowd is an exercise demanding patience and tact, -coupled with more business acumen than is ordinarily -the lot of the country-bred shopper. The Billabong -tribe found their stock of all these admirable qualities -running low long before their own vague desires were -satisfied, together with Brownie’s long list of commissions -for the station. The shop was packed with -busy people, each intent on errands like their own, -and, apparently, in as great a hurry. Norah wondered -if up-country express trains were waiting for -them all, so wild and eager did they seem, and if she -also looked as distraught; arriving at the conclusion -that if she appeared as harassed as she felt she would -certainly attract attention, even in that hurrying -throng!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They parted company, since it was easier to work -through the crowd singly than “to hunt in packs,” -as Wally put it; and after a time Norah emerged -upon the pavement outside, a little breathless, her -arms full of parcels. Behind her could be caught -glimpses of the interior—a huge place, with tables -and counters in every direction, behind which stood -hot and tired assistants endeavouring to obtain the -wants of twelve people at once. The shop seemed -full of children. Upstairs was a big display of -mechanical toys and other Christmas delights, and it -seemed that half of younger Melbourne had been -brought to see the fun by devoted mothers and aunts. -In one corner a gentleman who might have been -four was evidently mislaid by his guardians. He -stood, a figure of bitter woe in a white sailor suit, -rending the air with his howls; and a very tall and -gorgeous shop walker, who bent double in an attempt -to soothe him, was routed with great slaughter. -Then, from afar, came the mother, thrusting her way -ruthlessly through the crowd in answer to her son’s -voice. She had, presumably, heard those yells before. -She gathered him up hurriedly, and withered -the shop walker with a glance, clearly suspecting him -of a wish to kidnap the lost one. The shop walker -retreated, pondering on the ways of the world.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Near a counter devoted to what is vaguely known -as haberdashery, Jean fought vainly for the right to -purchase. Norah could catch an occasional glimpse -of her square, blue-clad shoulders and the fair hair -under her sailor hat. It was all too evident that she -was not happy. People jostled her hither and thither, -elbowing her away from the counter when it seemed -that success was within her grasp. The assistants -had no time for short people, when so many ladies, -dressed like the Queen of Sheba, demanded their -attention. Jean was not a pushing person, and only -a person of push had any hope of catching the eye of -the presiding goddesses. So she fought unavailingly, -and Norah watched her, half in laughter and half in -doubt as to whether she should go to her assistance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From another part of the shop appeared Wally, -shot out of the crowd in the manner of a stone from -a catapult. He was propelled past Norah, tucked -into a corner of the doorway, where she was out of -the way of the throng that met in the entrance, -fighting with equal vigour for exit and admittance. -Seeing him thus fleeting from her vision, Norah -gave a low and wholly involuntary whistle—and was -forthwith overcome with confusion at her unmaidenly -behaviour. Wally, however, was not given to -criticism. He accepted the signal gratefully, and -turned back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank goodness you whistled!” he uttered, -pushing his straw hat off his forehead. “I’d never -have found you if you hadn’t. Great Scot, Nor., -did you ever see anything like it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never,” said Norah, fervently. “Is it always -like this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pretty well—when it’s near Christmas. There -ought to be a law to make people who can shop early -finish by the middle of December—then they’d leave -a little space for poor wretches like us, who don’t -get away from school. Thank goodness, I’m about -done—though I don’t in the least know what I’ve -bought. How about you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Finished,” said Norah, with brief thankfulness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, you ought to be,” said Wally, surveying -her load. “Women were given eight fingers and -two thumbs, so that they could hang parcels on each! -I think you’ve done pretty well, young Norah. -Where’s Jean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Jean’s having a horrible time!” Norah -answered, much concerned for the fate of her chum. -“I wish you’d go and see if you could help her, -Wally—you see, she’s so short, and she can’t get -fixed up. I’ll hold your parcels.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I feel like a knight errant,” said Wally, handing -over many bundles. “It takes no common order -of courage to tackle that maëlstrom after having -escaped from it once. However, with a damsel in -distress it’s got to be, I suppose. Sure you can -hold ’em all, Nor.? Where is the hapless wight -I’ve to rescue?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s over there—you can get glimpses of her -hat,” Norah said. “At the haberdashery place.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve always wondered what that meant,” Wally -said. “It’s got a sporting sort of sound about it, -hasn’t it? Now, I’ll find out, I suppose, and probably -my young illusions will be dashed to the -ground—it really sounds the kind of place to buy -polo sticks, but I don’t fancy that’s Jean’s business. -Well, here goes! Oh, by Jove! She’s coming, -Norah!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean came, very red and indignant, with a knitted -brow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve had a perfectly awful time!” she gasped. -“There isn’t an unbruised bit of me! And I can’t -get what I want—I’ve been trying for ages to buy a -belt buckle, and all the horrid woman has sold me is -curling pins!” She held out a small parcel tragically. -“And I don’t even use them!” she finished—whereat -her hearers shrieked unsympathetically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Wally, go and make them take them back,” -Norah begged, recovering calmness. “Go with -him, Jean, and show him the buckle you want—he’ll -manage it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not for me, thank you,” said her chum decisively. -“I wouldn’t plunge in there for forty-eight -buckles! I’ll go to another shop and try. What -am I going to do with those horrible pins? They -were sixpence!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They mustn’t be wasted,” said Wally, with -solemn joy. “I’ll buy ’em from you, Jean, and put -’em in Jim’s sock for Christmas. He’ll be so -pleased!” He pocketed the pins and repossessed -himself of his own parcels. “I’d never have had -the pluck to go and buy those things,” he said, “but -the beautiful instinct of friendship tells me that -they’re the articles for which my soul has longed -for Jimmy!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take care—he’s coming!” Norah laughed. -They greeted Jim with an air of innocence that -would certainly have failed to deceive any one less -heated and annoyed than that worthy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What a place to be out of!” he ejaculated. -“And some people go shopping for fun! Where’s -Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Coming,” Norah said, watching her father’s tall -head in the crowd. “He likes it about as much as -you do, Jimmy, judging by his expression.” She -smiled at Mr. Linton as he fought his way up to them. -“Ready, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, thank goodness!” said her father. “Come -along—here’s the car. Now, there’s a poor soul!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stopped, looking at a little crippled hunchback -in a wheeled chair; a boy who might have been -any age, from child to man, so small was he, and yet -so old and weary his face. He was gazing wistfully -at the gay little group round the big motor. A tray -of matches lay across his knees; tied to the arm of -his chair was a cluster of many-coloured balloons—a -pitiful contrast to the dull hopelessness of his face. -Jim whistled softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor little wretch,” he said. “Can’t we buy him -out, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll do our best—even if the populace thinks -we’re the advance agents of a circus!” replied Mr. -Linton. “Go and buy his balloons, Norah.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What—all of them, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—all of them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He followed her across the footpath. The hunchback -looked up at the grave little face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Balloons?” he said, half sullenly. “How -many—two?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want them all,” Norah told him, smiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not—the whole lot!” A dull red came into the -boy’s white face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, we do. My father says so.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stared at her, bewildered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There—there ain’t many days I sell more’n five -or six all told,” he said. His voice shook a little. -“You ain’t havin’ a loan of me, I s’pose?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, indeed I’m not—truly,” Norah said, pitifully. -“We’re going to buy you out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boy began to unfasten the string with uncertain -fingers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothin’ like this ain’t happened to me before,” -he said. “It’s—it’s a bit of a slow game sittin’ here -all day, hot or cold—an’ people starin’ at you. I -wouldn’t mind ’em so much not buyin’—but—but -they look at a cove. You’re sure you want the -lot?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I want them,” Norah answered—“if you’re -sure you can spare them all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Spare ’em!” he laughed. “Why, I’ll be -nex’ door to a millionaire, bringin’ off a sale like -this!” He gave the string into her hand and looked -at the money Mr. Linton dropped into his match -tray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—I say!” he said. “That’s too much, sir. -Can’t you get change?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, thanks,” Mr. Linton said, with a smile. -“Good-bye, my lad. Come on, Norah.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye,” Norah said. Near the car she suddenly -turned back, fishing hurriedly in her little -purse. The boy looked up at her with a dazed face -of joy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Happy Christmas!” she said. She put a shilling -into his hand—and fled. The car glided off into -the jumble of traffic.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The hunchback sat in his corner throughout the -day, selling a box of matches now and then. The -busy crowds went back and forth past him, casting -curious or pitying glances at his deformity. For -once, the glances did not hurt him. Norah’s smile -yet lay warm at his heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Said ‘Happy Chris’mas!’ she did,” he muttered. -“I don’t believe she never even saw me -back!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The balloons proved rather exciting to the crowd -until the next block in the traffic gave Mr. Linton an -opportunity to present them gravely to a gaping -urchin with the immediate result that his gape intensified -alarmingly, and threatened to become a permanent -fixture. Then they sped back to the city, -with hasty visits here and there, to pick up parcels, -and a hurried attempt at afternoon tea in the crowded -lounge of the hotel. Their luggage was awaiting -them, a big pile in the corridor, and presently it was -loaded into a cab, and the motor was following it up -the street towards the train.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the big station they found themselves in -another crowd—a hurrying, impatient crowd, armed -with suit cases and dress baskets, and pursuing -harassed luggage porters with incoherent instructions -regarding trunks that appeared non-existent. -Nobody had the slightest regard for anybody else—to -get through the throng was to court death-dealing -blows from the sharp corners of luggage, delivered -with vehemence and without apology. Bells rang -continually, with distressing effect upon would-be -passengers, who ran very fast in divers directions -at each ring, imagining it to be the final summons to -trains which were very likely not even backed into -the platform! Porters shouted instructions, very -much in earnest, but wholly unintelligible. The -shrieks of newsboys added to the clamour, together -with the wails of many babies, protesting against -travelling so early in life. Wild-eyed mothers -clutched at wandering children, endeavouring frantically -to keep them under the maternal wing. Beyond, -in the station yard, engines whistled shrilly -and shunting trains banged and rattled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a nice Christmassy place!” said Wally, -surveying the scene. “Makes you feel no end festive, -doesn’t it? If you two girls hold each other’s -hands tightly, cling to my coat tails, and utter frequent -bleats, it is possible that we shan’t lose you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Just take care that you don’t get lost yourself,” -Jim uttered. “A trifle like you straying about in -a crowd ought to have a bell on its neck. Take -Dad’s arm, won’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’d better not,” said Mr. Linton, hurriedly. -“I could employ more arms than I’ve got, as it -is.” His eye, roving over the throng, caught sight -of a familiar face. “Ah, there’s my porter!” he -said, with relief, as that functionary hastened up. -“That’s right, Saunders—bring another man with -you. Now we needn’t worry—our compartment’s -reserved.” He sat down on an empty luggage truck -and mopped his brow. “Give me Billabong!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, somehow, they were all on board, the carriage -overflowing with miscellaneous bundles; and -presently the train was slipping out of the station, -and leaving the suburban roofs behind as the wide -spaces and green paddocks came in view. Further -and further, until the sun went down in a red sky -and the short Australian twilight faded to dusk and -a star-lit night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah grew a little silent. She leaned back, her -shoulder against her father’s, glad of his nearness: -all the dear voices of the country calling to her, -above the roar and rush of the train. The memory -of her long homesickness came over her with a rush. -She could scarcely realize that it was over, and Billabong -drawing near. Until a year ago Billabong had -meant all her world—all that counted. Now she -had a wider horizon. But still home and home’s -dear ones dwarfed all the rest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then it was time to collect parcels hurriedly. The -train stopped with a great grinding of brakes, and -they all tumbled out upon the Cunjee platform. It -was only a little place; the train seemed to pause -just to shake itself free of them, and then it puffed -away into the darkness; and Norah was pumping -the hand of a big sunburnt man with a wide smile -of welcome.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Murty, I’m so glad to be back!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is Billabong that’s glad to have ye,” said Murty -O’Toole, head stockman, and Norah’s friend from -her cradle. “Blessed hour! Ye’ve grown into a -young lady, so ye have.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Indeed I haven’t,” said Norah indignantly. -“I’m just the same. Isn’t it true, Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s worse, Murty,” said her brother, laughing. -“No signs of improvement. She’s lost all respect -for me. It’s very trying.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, g’wan wid y’!” said the Irishman. “I’ll -tell y’ about him to-morrow, Miss Norah—wanderin’ -about for the last week like a lost foal, makin’ believe -he was puttin’ on extry polish for ye! There’s the -dog-cart, sir”—to Mr. Linton—“an’ another trap for -the luggage.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll need it!” said Mr. Linton dryly. “Miss -Norah doesn’t travel as light as she used to, Murty.” -He pulled his daughter’s hair. Murty, however, -remained unmoved.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An’ how could she?” he inquired. “Ye can’t -have her growin’ up on y’ an’ expect her to go about -wid a collar an’ a toothbrush!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton sighed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know how much discipline they gave -Norah at school, Jean,” he said—“but she’s sure to -want an extra allowance next year, after the spoiling -I foresee she’s to get at home. I appear to be the -only person likely to keep her in order—and what am -I among so many? Neither do I see why the statement -should move either of you to such ribald mirth! -Here’s Billy, and I hope he’ll be stern.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the black boy who held the horses was a grinning -image of delight. He did not attempt to make -any remarks; not, Jim said, that they were in any -way necessary. You could not get beyond Billy’s -grin. Even the stationmaster came up with a word -of welcome.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s very exciting—getting home,” Norah said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then they were in the high dog-cart; Jean and -herself tucked into the front seat beside her father, -while the boys made merry at the back. The brown -cobs were making light of the fourteen-mile spin -along the country roads that were all so dear and so -familiar. It was beautiful to be behind them once -more—to see their splendid heads tossing the jingling -bits, and their glossy quarters gleaming in the -light of the lamps. Yet it seemed long until they -turned into the homestead paddock—and then the -mile drive, fringed with pine trees, was the longest -of all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lights flashed out ahead as they turned a corner; -Billabong, every window shining with welcome. -And at the gate was a smiling group, and every one -seemed to want to shake hands with her at the same -moment. But behind them was Mrs. Brown, her old -face half laughter and half tears, and speech wholly -beyond her. She held out shaking arms to the tall -girl who had been her baby for so long, and Norah -went to them, hugging her tightly—not very sure of -speech herself. It was not every day that one came -home to Billabong.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/illo-58.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0002' style='width:350px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>“ ‘You ain’t havin’ a loan of me, I s’pose?’ ”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 id='ch5'>CHAPTER V</h1></div> - -<h3>WALLY</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>But when the world went wild with Spring</p> -<p class='line0'>What days we had! Do you forget?</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                          —<span class='it'>V. J. Daley.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>B</span>EFORE the homestead the lawn stretched -smoothly away, its green expanse broken here -and there by a gay flower bed or a mass of shrubbery. -Tall palms tossed their feathery heads aloft, above -lower growing roses and tumbling masses of creepers. -The mellow brick of the house itself was half concealed -beneath a mantle of ivy and Virginia creeper, -while, on the verandah posts, masses of tecoma and -bougainvillæa made a blaze of colour. Beyond the -garden fence the water of the lagoon could be seen—a -blue gleam, studded with lazily swimming waterfowl. -Further off, the yellow grass seemed to -tremble under a mist of shimmering heat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim came in from the paddocks, welcoming the -silent coolness of the house after the blazing sun of -the parched outer world. No one was visible in any -of the rooms into which he poked an inquiring head. -Finally the sound of Wally’s laugh guided him to -the side verandah, and he made his way thither -through the French windows of the breakfast-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was always cool on the side verandah after the -morning sun had considerately mounted so high -that a great pine tree flung its shade across that part -of the house. The verandah was very wide, with a -low trellis fencing it in from the lawn. Just now its -lattice work was covered with nasturtiums and -sweet peas, which even sent intrusive tendrils -creeping across the red tiles of the floor. On the -posts hung clusters of climbing roses, so thick that -all the verandah seemed a bower, the green of the -garden blending with the ferns that were planted -in tubs here and there. Rugs lay on the tiles, and -here were tables, littered with books and magazines, -and big rush easy chairs and lounges, made more -inviting by red cushions. Altogether, the side -verandah was a pleasant place, and the Billabong -folk were accustomed to spend a great deal of time -there in the summer days and the long, hot evenings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah and Jean were at present occupying a wide -lounge, the former curled up in a corner, sewing violently -at a rent in one of Jim’s white coats, while -Jean spread herself over the remaining portion, with -a book in her hand, to which she was paying very -little attention. Wally, at full length on another -couch, was discoursing on many topics, in his own -cheerful way, to the huge delight of Mrs. Brown, -whose affection for him was unbounded. A huge -bowl of peas was in her lap, and Wally was resting -after the fatigue of assisting her to shell them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here’s old Jimmy!” he said, as Jim’s long form -came through the French window. “You look -warm, old man. Have this couch, won’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Couldn’t think of turning you out, old chap,” -Jim answered grinning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was always a beggar to struggle,” said Wally, -thankfully settling himself anew. “Fearful visions -were in my mind of how I should bear it if you -should accept my heroic offer. Is it warm outside, -Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Warm!” said Jim, briefly expressive. He -dropped into an easy chair, carefully casting the -cushions far from him—cushions not being part of his -creed. “It’s a fierce day. I don’t envy Dad and -the men, tailing into Cunjee behind those cattle.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you go far with them, Jim?” Norah asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—only to the second gate. They didn’t need -me at all; only Dad wanted to give me directions -about some bullocks he wants moved. We’ll have -to do that presently, Wal.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly,” said Wally, affably. “Judging by -my feelings just now, I don’t think I’ll be alive -presently, so I can promise without any trouble. -Are there many, James, and is it far?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Only two, worse luck,” Jim answered. “Two -can generally be relied upon to give more trouble -than two hundred. It isn’t far, but you can be -pretty certain that they’ll make it far.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cheerful brute you are!” Wally ejaculated. -“Well, I’m ready any time you are, old man, though -I think it would be kind to the cattle not to disturb -them until the cool of the evening!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I like your kind forethought for the bullocks,” -Jim told him, laughing. “They’d appreciate it, I -know. You’ll end up as a philanthropist, if you’re -not careful, Wally. Unfortunately we’ve a job with -the sheep for the time you mention, so the cattle must -come first—it’s very certain that we wouldn’t get a -move out of the sheep just now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally sighed heavily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a laborious life I lead,” he said, stretching -his long limbs on the couch. “I come up here with -beautiful hopes of getting fat, and I always go back -about two stone lighter. Norah, I wish you wouldn’t -sew so hard; it makes a fellow ache to see you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jim will ache if this coat isn’t ready,” said -Norah, stitching vigorously. “His coats are in a -dreadful state—there isn’t one cool one that doesn’t -need mending. As far as Brownie and I can tell he -seems to have locked them away carefully whenever -he tore them. Why did you do it, Jimmy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An’ me ready an’ willin’ as ever was to mend -’em,” Brownie said; “an’ now Miss Norah’s doin’ of -it, poor lamb! Why did you, Master Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blessed if I know,” said Jim, somewhat embarrassed. -“I didn’t know the jolly things weren’t all -right. Sorry—but it’s ripping practice for you, -Nor., all the same. You can tell old Miss Winter -I kept you up to the mark with your needle!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“M-f!” said Norah, with much scorn in the terse -remark. “In the circumstances, Brownie, does he -deserve a cool drink?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He don’t, but I expect he’ll have to get it,” said -Brownie, laughing. She rose with the deliberate -majesty that pertains to seventeen stone. “There’s -a new brew of lemonade coolin’ in the cellar, and I’ll -bring a jug along.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bless you, Brownie, you’re my best friend,” said -Jim. “You needn’t bring any for the others—they -haven’t earned it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Haven’t I!” said Wally, indignantly. “Why, -I’ve shelled peas until my brain reeled! And I -believe it’s hotter to be inside on a day like this than -out in the paddocks, so you needn’t be superior, -James.” He stretched himself, letting one brown -hand fall on the railing of the verandah. “I don’t -think——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He broke off suddenly, twisted himself off the -lounge, and was on his feet with one quick movement. -Jim’s stock whip dangled from the arm of -his chair; Wally snatched it and struck furiously -at a lithe form that slid off the railing with a sinuous -wriggle, and fell to the ground beneath. The boy -vaulted over the trellis as it fell, and thrashed violently -among the nasturtiums below. It was all -done so quickly that the others were scarcely on their -feet before he hooked the still writhing body of a -black snake out of the creepers, and tossed it out on -to the lawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You didn’t lose much time, young Wally!” said -Jim, approvingly. “Fancy that brute getting up -here! Lucky you spotted him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ’M,” said Wally. Something in his tone made -Norah swing round sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wally! He didn’t bite you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He did then,” said Wally. Something of the -colour had died out of his tanned face, but his voice -was steady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Old man!” said Jim. Then he shut his lips -tightly, and dived into his pocket for his knife.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally took the verandah steps in one stride, and -was beside him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll do the chopping,” he said. “Lend me that, -old chap. Is it sharp?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Slip round to Brownie,” he said, sharply, to -Norah. “She knows where the permanganate is—there’s -some in the store, and some in the office.” -Norah’s racing feet sounded in the hall almost before -he had spoken, and he turned back to his chum.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you rather do it, old man?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally nodded, without speaking. There were two -punctures plainly visible on the lean hand he steadied -on the verandah rail.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Parallel cuts,” said Jim. “Quick, Wal.” He -flung a hasty command over his shoulder to Jean. -“The men are at the stables—tell them I want the -dog-cart with the cobs, as hard as they can tear!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The knife was razor-edged, and Wally did not -flinch. He cut deep and quickly, the blood spurting -in the track of the blade. Jim was already busy -with a ligature on his arm, tightening it with a stick -twisted almost to breaking point. As the last cut -went home, and Wally put down the knife, Jim -caught his hand and bent down to it. Wally uttered -a sharp exclamation, struggling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get out, you old idiot! I’ll suck my own -blessed hand!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He tried to wrench his hand away, but the grasp -on his wrist was iron. Jim’s lips were on the wound, -sucking it furiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Lord, I wish you wouldn’t!” said Wally, -miserably. “I can do it perfectly well myself; and -you may have a scratch about your mouth. For -goodness sake, stop it, old man! What’s the good -of two of us getting the dose?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim, being otherwise engaged, did not answer. -He continued his operations strenuously, deaf to -Wally’s entreaties, until Norah came flying back -with Brownie in the rear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here are the crystals, Jim!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boy caught at the little bottle. Then he saw -Brownie’s distressed face, and gave them to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You get ’em ready,” he said, briefly. “I’ll go -on sucking for a moment. Hurry the men, Norah!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Almost by the time the permanganate crystals -were worked into a paste and rubbed into the cut -about the punctures, the horses were in the stable -yard. Every man on Billabong liked the merry -Queensland boy—there were willing hands at every -buckle of the harness that was flung upon the brown -cobs in breathless haste. The dog-cart, with Murty -O’Toole on the box, clattered to the front of the -house—to the little group that had been so merry -when the shadow of death had suddenly fell upon it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally’s face was a little strained. The tightness -of the ligature was telling upon him, more than the -snake bite itself. But he grinned up at Murty in his -old way.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m giving you plenty of trouble, Murty,” he -said. “Silly ass, to go patting a snake at my time -of life!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Begob, it might happen to the owldest of us,” -said Murty, consolingly. “Ye have that bandage -tied tight, Mr. Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has that!” said Wally, ruefully. “Don’t you -worry about Jim when it comes to tying a ligature. -My hand will drop off soon, I should say!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Y’can have it loosened just f’r a minute, -presently,” said Murty. “Whin it’s been on half -an hour it’s due f’r a spell. Begob, I’ll bet it hurts -y’, me boy!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh—some,” said Wally, briefly. He glanced at -his hand, swollen and purple under the bandage -Brownie had wrapped about the part that had -been bitten. “Pretty looking object, isn’t it? Well, -I do think I was a chump! That beggar must -have been lying along the rail for ever so long!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Y’ had no business to go killin’ it before ye -attinded to y’r hand,” said Murty. “Much better -have let him get away on us than wait. Never mind, -there ain’t much time lost, an’ y’r as healthy as a -rabbit. We’ll have y’ right as rain in no time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I guess so,” said Wally. Then Jim came -plunging out, Norah and Jean at his heels.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here’s your hat, old man,” Jim said, clapping it -on its owner’s head. “The girls are coming in with -us. Hurry along—we don’t want to lose any time.” -He made as though to help his chum into the dog-cart, -and Wally grinned at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you after?” he asked, swinging himself -up with one hand. “I’m not a dead man yet. -Come on, you old nursemaid!” He waved his hat -cheerily to Brownie, whose kind old face was working -with anxiety. “Don’t go worrying, Brownie—I’ll -be back for tea! May I have pikelets if I’m a good -boy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll have everything I can make for you,” said -poor Brownie, tears in her eyes as she looked at the -merry, defiant face. “Only come back all right, my -dear!” Murty gave the cobs their heads, and they -shot down the drive. It was but fifteen minutes -from the moment Wally had put his hand on the -black intruder lying along the railing of the trellis.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A man was waiting at each gate; there was no -delay of opening and shutting. Murty swung the -horses through the narrow openings, shaving gateposts -by a hair’s breadth, but never slackening -speed. Out on the road, the brown cobs felt the -unaccustomed indignity of the whip on their backs, -and resented it by trying to bolt; but the hand on -their mouths was rigid, and they came back from a -gallop to a flying trot, that spun over the long miles -to Cunjee. The shining tyres flashed in the sunlight. -Now and then sparks flew from flints hard smitten by -the racing, iron-shod hoofs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally kept up a plucky attempt at chatter for -awhile. Then he grew silent, nursing his swollen -arm in a fruitless effort to relieve the agony caused -by the checked circulation. Jim loosened the ligature -momentarily, after a time, and the relief was -great; but it had to be tightened again, and gradually -the boy’s set lips grew white. Once he spoke, in a -low voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I say, old chap,” he said. “If things go wrong, -you’ll let them know all about it up at home, won’t -you? Tell ’em it was all my own stupidity.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You shut up,” returned Jim, gruffly. “Things -aren’t going wrong—we’ve got you in loads of time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I know. I’m not expecting them to,” Wally -answered. “Still, there’s the chance. Don’t forget, -old Stick-in-the-mud.” He pulled Norah’s -hair gently, and demanded to know why she was so -quiet. “Something unusual to have you civil for -so long at a stretch!” he told her, laughing—to -which Norah tried to make a cheerful retort, but -choked instead, and averred that she had swallowed -a fly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hard lines on the fly!” said Wally. “See—there’s -your father!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pointed ahead to a blur of dust on the track, -which resolved itself into Mr. Linton and two men, -riding slowly behind some cattle. Murty glanced -over his shoulder at the same instant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will I pull up, Mr. Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Just for a moment,” Jim said, hesitating. “Dad -won’t want much of an explanation.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not much was needed. The racing hoofs and the -grave faces told their own story, as Mr. Linton -checked his horse beside the road. Jim was brief, -in answer to his father’s hasty question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s wrong?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Snake,” he said. “He got Wally on the hand. -We’re off to Dr. Anderson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve done all you can, of course?” Mr. Linton -asked quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—everything. Haven’t lost any time, -either.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Anderson’s not there,” Mr. Linton said. -“I saw his motor going out along the Mulgoa road -half an hour ago. But go in; Mrs. Anderson may -know what to do, or where to send for him. Murty -can go for him. Meanwhile, I’ll see if I can catch -him now; there’s no knowing where he may have -pulled up. You’ve got stimulants?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Two Thermos flasks of strong black coffee,” -Norah said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. Don’t wait. Keep up your -pecker, Wally, my boy.” The big man smiled at -Wally affectionately. “We’ll have you all right -soon, my dear lad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess it’ll take a tough snake to kill me,” -Wally answered. “I’m all serene, sir.” The buggy -whirled away again as Mr. Linton wheeled his horse -and went off at a hard gallop.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jove, old Monarch can travel!” said Wally, -approvingly. A jolt shook his swollen hand, and -his lips tightened again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Anderson could give but a vague idea of her -husband’s movements, nor was there any one in the -township able to do more to help the patient. Murty -dashed off on a fresh horse in search of the doctor; -and the four from Billabong sat in the shade of a -big oak tree and tried to talk—three watching -covertly all the time for any new symptoms on -Wally’s part. After a while his eyes grew heavy, -and Norah brought a flask of coffee, strong and black, -and dosed him at short intervals. The boy made a -brave fight to help them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This won’t do,” he said, after a while. “I’ll be -asleep in five minutes if I stay here. Get a pack of -cards and we’ll play cribbage.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They played on a rug in the shade—Jim and Jean -against Norah and Wally, the latter playing with one -hand and occasionally cracking a laborious joke, -almost in the midst of which his head would nod to -one side. He always recovered himself with a jerk, -and, despite his drowsiness, he played with a keen -quickness that shamed the others, who made the -most egregious mistakes with a total lack of concern -as to their score. It was long before Norah could -ever again bear the sight of a cribbage board.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim flung down his cards at last, his voice shaking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I can’t stand this,” he said. “Hang that -man! Will he ever come? Let’s walk up and -down, Wal., old man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They went up and down, up and down, along the -garden path, in the hot air, heavy with the scent of -the doctor’s flowers—all the time fighting the fatal -drowsiness that threatened to overcome the boy -they loved. Mrs. Anderson kept the supply of -coffee ready, and Wally took it obediently whenever -it was brought to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If this blessed hand would only let me do anything, -I’d be all right,” he said sleepily. “I’d give -something to be able to use an axe! Norah, asthore, -will you stick hatpins into me if I get any more -stupid? I’m not going to sleep, if I have to stick -them into myself!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, just as they were becoming sick with -anxiety and the long watching, came the far-off hum -of a hurrying car, and presently little Dr. Anderson -swung round the corner, pulled up with a sudden jar -that would ordinarily have caused him extreme -wrath, and came through his garden at a run. He -cast a swift professional eye over Wally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good children!” he said, approvingly. “Come -along to the surgery, my boy; you, too, Jim. You -girls go and let the wife take care of you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Norah could not talk to any one just then. -The long strain had been too heavy a burden. She -watched the three figures vanish within the surgery -door, the doctor’s hand on Wally’s shoulder, and -then turned and went blindly down a winding path. -It ended in a fence. She put her head down upon -it, swallowing hard, dry sobs. Jean put an arm -round her, silent. There was not anything to say.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Within the surgery Wally had faced the little -doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I say, sir,” he said, moistening dry lips, “you -won’t let me make a fool of myself if things get a -bit beyond me, will you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will not,” said the doctor, sturdily. “But -they won’t—don’t talk nonsense!” He was unwrapping -the hand swiftly. “Catch this bottle, -Jim.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Very long after—so it seemed to Norah and Jean—a -quick step came down the path behind them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your nice brown lad is all right,” said Mrs. -Anderson, happily. “Jack says there’s no risk now. -Everything was done in time. We’ll keep him here -to-night, just to watch him, and Jim will stay with -him. Mr. Linton is waiting for you two lassies; -and you can come back to-morrow, and take Wally -home for Christmas. Unless you like to leave him -with me for a month or so? I like that boy!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So does Billabong,” said David Linton’s voice, -not quite steady. “We can’t spare him to any one, -can we, Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah shook her head. She clung to her father’s -hand as they went back to the house, where Jim -waited on the verandah, his face still grave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The patient sends his love, and you’re none -of you to worry,” he said. “And you’re to tell -Brownie to keep the pikelets for to-morrow!”</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/illo-68.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0003' style='width:90%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>“Wally snatched it and struck furiously at a lithe form that slid off the railing with a sinuous wriggle, and fell to the ground beneath.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 id='ch6'>CHAPTER VI</h1></div> - -<h3>THE CUNJEE CONCERT</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And stirrup to stirrup we’ll sing as we ride,</p> -<p class='line0'>To the lights of the township that glimmer and guide.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                                  —<span class='it'>W. H. Ogilvie.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HEY should be home, Murty,” said David -Linton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They shud,” said Mr. O’Toole, with conviction. -He removed an exceedingly black pipe from his -mouth and stared at it, pressing the tobacco down -in the bowl with a broad thumb. “Will I be -saddlin’ up a horse, do ye think, an’ takin’ afther -them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a bit of good,” said the squatter. “They -may come home by any of three or four roads. I’d -go myself if I were sure.” He knitted his brow, -staring down the twilit track. “I don’t understand -it—Mr. Jim is never late.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure, they’re young,” said Murty, and propped -his long form comfortably against a tree. “Ye -can’t never be tellin’ what the young’ll be afther -whin they gets out wid a loose leg, like. An’ Mr. -Jim’s level-headed enough. I wud not be worryin’.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Jim should know better than to be away so -late,” said Jim’s father, sharply. “It’s nearly nine -o’clock—and they should have been in for dinner at -half-past six. Wonder do they think a woman has -nothing to do but keep dinner hot for them! At -any rate, I’ve told Mrs. Brown she’s not to keep -anything. They can manage with bread and cheese -if they can’t be in in decent time!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Niver did I see the ould man in such a tear!” -confided Murty, a little later, to Mrs. Brown—who, -in flagrant defiance of instructions, was brooding -over preparations for a large and satisfactory supper -for the absentees. “Him that aisy-goin’ as a rule, -an’ niver lettin’ a cross word out of him—an’ he’s -walkin’ up an’ down like a caged elephint, fairly -rampin’. ’Tis anxious he is—that’s the throuble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well may he be,” said Mrs. Brown, tearfully. -“That new pony of Miss Norah’s is that flighty and -excitable—an’ he’s big an’ strong, too, an’ I know -for two pins he’d buck! See him when they went -off this mornin’—fit to jump out of his skin, an’ -dancin’ little jigs all the way down the track. It’s -enough to make anybody anxious.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“P——f!” said Murty, with great scorn. “Miss -Norah can manage Bosun as aisy as shellin’ peas. -There’s no vice in him, nayther; he’s as kind a pony -as iver I throwed a leg over. Ye’d not have the -little misthress ridin’ an old crock?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure I don’t know,” said poor Brownie. -“I never could make meself feel ’eroic where Miss -Norah’s concerned. All very well to be proud of -her ridin’ an’ all that—an’ you men are fair foolish -over that sort of thing—but give me the contented -mind as is a continual feast! An’ I would feel -contenteder if she rode something a little less like a -jumpin’-jack than Bosun.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That pony do be suitin’ Miss Norah down to the -ground,” averted Murty. “Sure, ’twas something -to see her face whin she caught sight of him first; -an’ she’s that proud of him already. I did not think -anny pony would ever do as well for her as poor ould -Bobs, but——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Norah’ll never love a pony like she loved -Bobs,” Brownie said, belligerently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—maybe not. But Bosun’ll run him close, -an’ he’ll carry her real well until she’s growed up,” -Murty answered. “Sure, he’s not far off fifteen -hands, for all they call him a pony. An’ as for -worryin’ about her ridin’ him, Mrs. Brown, ma’am—well, -ye may as well save y’r own feelin’s.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I wish they were all home, that’s all,” said -Brownie. “It mightn’t be Miss Norah—there’s -Miss Jean, too.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure, that one can take care of herself,” Murty -said, laughing. “She ain’t one of them as talks; -but I guess she won’t go fallin’ off on us, for all that. -An’ Nan is as safe a mare as there is on Billabong.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, I heard you say Nan could shy!” retorted -Brownie, whose soul refused to be led in ways -of comfort.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d not give y’ a ha’penny for the horse that -couldn’t,” said Murty, unblushingly. “Wud ye -have them all rockin’ horses? But Miss Jean can -ride her all right. Now, wud ye be afther suggestin’ -that it’s Garryowen as’ll sling Mr. Jim, or ould -Warder that’s goin’ to market wid Mr. Wally? -Ye pays y’r money an’ takes y’r choice!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You get out!” said Brownie gloomily. “All -very well for you to stand there grinnin’ at me like -a Cheshire cheese—but the master’s as anxious as I -am, an’ it’s no wonder! An’ I would bet sixpence, -Murty, me fine lad, that down inside you you’re -pretty anxious too!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bosh!” said Murty, looking slightly confused. -The sounds of hoofs saved him from further defence. -He turned to the kitchen doorway with sufficient -quickness to justify Brownie’s accusation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ’Tis the Boss,” he said, in tones of disappointment. -“I’d thought ’twas thim young ones comin’ -up the thrack. Tare an’ ages! he’s lettin’ ould -Monarch out! Why wudn’t he be lettin’ me go, -whin I asked him, I wonder? Well——” He -pondered a moment, and strolled away. Five minutes -later Brownie, looking out hurriedly at hearing -again the sound of hoofs on the gravel of the track, -saw him cantering off in the wake of his master.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why on earth am I seventeen stone?” queried -Brownie, desperately, of the ambient air. Receiving -no adequate response, she retreated to the kitchen -and wept a little into her apron; then, realizing the -futility of grief, roused herself to action and made -scones of a lightness almost ephemeral. It was -some relief to her surcharged feelings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Christmas had come and gone, and it was New -Year’s eve. Summer was ruling in earnest; day -after day saw the sun rise like a golden disc, to be -molten brass during the long, breathless day, and -finally sink into a lurid sky, a ball of liquid fire. -The grass dried rapidly; paddocks that had been -green when Norah and Jean came from Melbourne -were now waving expanses of yellow. Rumours of -bush fires all over the country districts filled the -newspapers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Despite the heat, Billabong was doing its best -for its visitors. Wally’s adventure was almost forgotten -by the victim himself, since he had suffered -no further effects from the snake bite than a rather -sore hand—due, Jim said, to poor carving. No one -seemed to mind the temperature much. When -the thermometer was trying to eclipse all previous -records, the house was always a cool refuge; or -there was the lagoon, where the boat rocked sleepily -in the shade of the willows; or the tree-fringed banks -of the creek, where no intrusive sun rays ever -penetrated. Besides, there was so much to do that -there really seemed little time to think of the weather; -long days out in the paddocks with the cattle, -mustering, or drafting, or cutting out; boundary -riding, to make sure that fences were in good order -and gates secure; fishing expeditions, rides to neighbouring -stations, and long, delicious bathes in the -lagoon, which in themselves made the heat seem -worth while. Jim had established a jumping -ground during his year at home—a paddock near -the homestead, where a couple of log fences and some -brush hurdles made an excellent training ground -for the horses. Brownie used to stand on the -balcony, torn betwixt pride and anxiety, watching the -four riders sailing over the jumps—with sometimes -a fifth, when Mr. Linton could persuaded to add -Monarch, his black thoroughbred, to the starters. -The boys entertained visions of a general hurdle -race, for which the entries should include Lee Wing, -the Chinese gardener, on an ancient piebald mare -entitled Bung Eye, and Hogg, his sworn foe, on a lean -mule that was popularly supposed to be capable of -kicking the eye out of a mosquito. They even -planned to enter Mrs. Brown, and declared their -intention of training her on Blossom, a Clydesdale -mare of great antiquity. In this ambition it is -perhaps unnecessary to state that they had not the -support of Mrs. Brown.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To-day the quartette had ridden into Cunjee, -somewhat against their inclination. As a rule the -township made small appeal to them; they greatly -preferred the freedom of the paddocks and the wide -galloping-places of the plains. On the station, where -play included work and responsibility, there was -never any dullness; the interests of each day claimed -them, giving even the girls a definite share in the -daily business. It was the life to which Norah had -always been accustomed, and which she loved with -every fibre of her energetic being. That Jim and -Wally should care for it was a matter of course; to -them also it was a part of life. It had been added -joy to find that Jean took to it with a zest little, if -anything, inferior to her own. Nothing was wanting, -in Norah’s eyes, to complete the perfection of -holidays and Billabong.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The necessity of despatching a telegram had -caused the expedition to Cunjee; somewhat deplored -by the boys, since they were reluctantly -compelled to don coats, to which they strenuously -objected in the hot weather, and to find hats of a -more respectable appearance than the battered felt -head gear they habitually wore. They rode away -after an early lunch; four cheery figures, alike in -white linen coats and Panama hats, the brims turned -down to keep the sun glare from their eyes; turning -at the bend in the track to wave farewell to Mr. -Linton, who stood at the gate to watch them go.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cunjee was found gasping with heat, and only -mildly consoled by the fact that no such temperatures -had been recorded in the memory of man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, I always think that’s quite a help,” Jean -said. “Once it’s 100° in the shade you feel almost -as bad as you’re going to feel—and you might just -as well have the satisfaction of knowing you -had every excuse for being hot, because it was 114°. -That makes it so interesting that you forget to be -sorry for yourself!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I like to hear you, New Zealand!” quoth Wally, -with fine scorn. “Didn’t know you ever worked -up much of a temperature in those Antarctic islands -of yours!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, we aren’t exactly singed into chips, like -the Queenslanders!” said Jean, mildly, amidst -mirth on the part of Norah and Jim—while Wally, -who hailed from the vicinity of the Gulf of Carpentaria, -looked modestly unconscious. “But we -can be just as warm as we want to be.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Cunjee is warmer than I appreciate,” Jim -said. “Let’s leave the horses at the hotel to get a -feed, and we’ll go and beg afternoon tea from Mrs. -Anderson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Anderson greeted the invasion enthusiastically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So lovely of you to come,” she said. “I’ve -been feeling ever so dull. And now you’ve come, -you must stay. The doctor has had to go to Mulgoa, -and may not be back to-night; and I want an escort -for the concert.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is there a concert?” Norah asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Didn’t you know? Ah, well, I suppose you -irresponsible people don’t read the local paper,” -said their hostess, pouring out tea. “Cream, Wally? -No? How ridiculous of you, and you so thin! -Yes, we’re to have a tremendous concert. I forget -what it’s in aid of, but it’s mainly local talent, and -so it’s bound to be exciting. And I can’t go by -myself, and it’s quite too hot to go out and find -a companion. Personally, I think Providence has -delivered you into my hands!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Afraid we can’t, thanks very much, Mrs. Anderson,” -Jim told her. “We didn’t say we’d be away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pooh! They would know at home that you -would be all right,” said Mrs. Anderson. “You -station folk never seem to worry about times and -seasons, and I always think it’s so delightful! -Your father would know the others were quite -safe in your care, Jim.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope you children are taking note of that -speech,” said Jim, laughing. “I wish I could feel -as confident about it as you do, Mrs. Anderson—but, -unfortunately, my years don’t seem to convince Dad -of my common sense. I’m afraid he’d be worried if -we didn’t turn up for dinner.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rubbish!” said Mrs. Anderson. “He would -know you stayed for something or other; probably -he reads the local paper, if you don’t, and is acquainted -with the dissipated intentions of Cunjee. -I’m certainly not going to let you escape now that I -have you all!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you think, Nor.?” Jim asked his -sister.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, I don’t suppose he’d mind,” Norah answered. -“It always seems much the same to be -out with you as with him, though it’s very imprudent -of me to let you know it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wouldn’t mind if he knew,” Jim said, doubtfully. -“Still——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, risk it,” said Mrs. Anderson, laughing. -“Consider the claims of a woman in distress—you -can’t leave me to face a Cunjee audience alone. Your -clothes don’t matter a bit—in fact, Cunjee will probably -consider you clad as the lilies of the field.” So -Jim, against his better judgment, stayed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dinner at the Andersons’ was a cheerful occasion, -to which variety was lent by the Anderson baby, -who insisted on sitting on Norah’s knee, and drummed -happily on the cloth with her dessert-spoon, while -Norah ate on the catch-as-catch-can principle. -Then, the baby being with difficulty severed from -the object of his adoration, they hurried to the Mechanics’ -Institute, outside which the local brass -band was performing prodigies of harmony, somewhat -impeded by the fact that the euphonium was -three tones flat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim did not enjoy the concert. A shade of anxiety -hung over his mind, with the conviction that it -was quite possible that their absence was causing -anxiety at the station. Thus the antics of the Cunjee -comedian who, in private life, kept a somewhat -disreputable bicycle-repairing establishment, fell -flat; albeit the comedian aforesaid had bedecked -himself in spurious red whiskers and a kilt compounded -of a red table cloth, with a whitewash -brush as sporran, and sang Scotch ditties with a -violent Australian twang—a combination truly awe -inspiring. They suffered from the familiar soprano, -who trilled strange trills in a key very much too high, -and from the confident young baritone, who warbled -a ditty of the type more generally reserved for tenors, -and took an encore on the echo of the first faint clap. -The band master played a long solo upon the cornet, -than which there is no more lonely instrument -when unsupported; and on the heels of its wailing -came a young lady who recited harrowing particulars -of the death of “my chee-ild,” whom she indicated -as lying in its coffin immediately before her. She -knelt by it, and apostrophized the deceased in -moving terms. She wrung her hands over it; in -fact, she pointed it out so definitely that to Norah, -whose imagination was unfortunately vivid, it assumed -actual reality, and she with difficulty restrained -a cry when, in the last verse, the elocutionist -forgot her previous actions, and in the anguish of her -mood, stepped right into the coffin! At this point -Norah decided definitely that she did not like recitations. -It pained her greatly to see the young lady -smirk and stroll off the stage, oblivious of her heart-rending -actions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then the Shire President came forward and thanked -everybody in impartial terms, and the concert was -over. Jim hurried his party out of the hall, and as -soon as possible they had said good-night to Mrs. -Anderson, resisting her offers of supper; and were -in the saddle, cantering along the homeward track.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Five miles out of Cunjee a shadow loomed up out -of the gloom, and Garryowen gave a sudden whinney. -Mr. Linton’s voice followed it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that you, Jim?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Under his breath Jim uttered a low whistle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Great Scott! It’s Dad!” he said. He raised -his voice. “Right-oh, Dad! Is anything wrong?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s nothing wrong at home,” said David -Linton, wheeling Monarch beside Garryowen. “What -has kept you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Went to a concert,” said Jim, briefly, feeling -suddenly very small and young.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We never thought you’d be anxious, Dad!” -Norah said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not anxious!” said her father, explosively. -Then he shot a glance at Jean and Wally, uncomfortably -silent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve given us a pleasant evening,” was all he -said. But Jim winced as if he had been struck, and -the blood surged into his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sorry,” he said curtly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was my fault, just as much, Dad,” Norah -began. But her father stopped her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jim was in charge,” he said. “There isn’t any -more to be said about it. We’d better hurry. Mrs. -Brown is picturing all sorts of things.” He put -Monarch into a canter, and they rode on in silence. -Two miles further on a dim figure at the roadside -turned his horse beside Wally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it all right, ye are, all of ye?” asked Murty -in a hoarse whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some one else out hunting the lost sheep?” -Wally asked. “Yes, we’re all right.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thin I’ll not let on to himself that I kem out,” -said the Irishman. “Wisha! he was wild!” He -dropped behind the riders, vanishing into the gloom.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Billabong was slow in appearing; to the silent -riders the miles had never seemed longer. At last -the lights came into view with Brownie’s massive -figure silhouetted against the light of the doorway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Run in, you and Jean, and tell Brownie you’re -all right,” Mr. Linton said to Norah, as they pulled -up. “We’ll see to the horses.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the harness room, while Wally took off bridles -outside, Jim’s eyes met his father’s. Both had been -thinking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sorry we made you anxious,” said the boy, -stiffly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You made me very anxious,” said David Linton. -“Still——” He hesitated, memories of his own -early manhood coming back to him as the big fellow -faced him. “Perhaps I forget that you’re not a -child any longer,” he said, with an effort. “If I -hurt you, Jim, I’m——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t!” Jim’s hand went out quickly. “I -deserved a jolly sight more than I got. But I’m -sorry, Dad.” They shook hands on it, gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring in those bridles, young Wally, and be -quick!” sang out Mr. Linton—and Wally appeared, -his face comically relieved at the tone. They walked -over to the house—a laugh from Jim at some futile -remark of his chum’s coming to Norah’s ears as they -neared the verandah, and greatly relieving that distressed -damsel, to whom it had appeared that the -skies had fallen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Later, when supper had been discussed cheerfully, -and the household had scattered, David Linton -smoked a last pipe on the balcony, thinking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A slender figure in blue pyjamas came softly to -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dad—I’m sorry!” said Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Right, mate!” said her father. He saw the -quick lift of her head, but she hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton laughed, kissing her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And Jim’s all right,” he said. “Off to bed with -you!”</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch7'>CHAPTER VII</h1></div> - -<h3>MORNING</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>That loving Laughing Land, where life is fresh and clean,</p> -<p class='line0'>Where the rivers flow all summer, and the grass is always green.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                                          —<span class='it'>Henry Lawson.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>N</span>ORAH!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“James?” said Norah, with polite inquiry. -She paused with Jean, and turned a questioning -eye towards the window whence Jim’s voice had -reached her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim, in his shirt sleeves, his face obscured by -lather, looked out, razor in hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t go over to the stable just now, if that’s -where you two are going,” said he.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Right-oh, Jimmy. For how long?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t quite know,” Jim said, grinning through -the suds. “Dad’s having words with one of the -men, and you’d better wait until he comes over. -You mustn’t risk interrupting the flow of his eloquence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is anything wrong?” Norah asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s that blithering ass, Harvey,” Jim answered. -“He’s a useless loafer at the best of times; and he’s -let us in for a nice game now! Dad has been sending -him out to look round those new Queensland -bullocks in the Bush Paddock, and he’s left the slip-rails -down, and they’ve all boxed with the cattle -next door, in the Far Plain.” At this point Jim’s -wrath, or an unconscious movement, led him to take -a mouthful of lather, and his head withdrew abruptly, -spluttering. Incoherent sounds came from the -interior of the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girls laughed unfeelingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s so funny when he shaves, isn’t he?” said his -sister. “Jean, it’s an ill wind that blows nowhere!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why?” asked Jean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, if those cattle are boxed it means a big -muster,” said Norah; “and mustering the Bush -Paddock is better fun than anything else. I don’t -feel nearly as sorry as I might.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“More shame for you!” said a voice above their -heads, at which both girls jumped. Wally’s face -emerged from the concealment of the dark green -leaves of a cherry tree. A big black cherry bobbed -temptingly near his nose, and he ate it, still keeping -a severe eye upon his audience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never knew any one with your ability for appearing -in unexpected places,” said Norah, laughing. -“Come down, Wally; I know quite well your -mother doesn’t let you climb!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I come,” said Wally; “but more because the -cherries are scarce than because of you, young -woman. Funny how few ripe ones there are this -morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a bit. Jean and I have been up there,” -said Norah, with calmness. “That’s what comes -of being early birds. If you’d only get up in the -morning instead of snoring in a loud voice——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never did,” said Wally, swinging his long form -to earth. “ ’Twas Jim you heard.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jim never snores!” said Jim’s sister.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then ’twas the Boss. Or probably you weren’t -up at all, and heard yourself snoring in your sleep, -which is far more likely. Certainly, the cherries -have disappeared in a manner only possible to you -and Jean; but that might have been while I swam -peacefully in the lagoon. In any case, you’re a -shocking hostess!” Wally paused for breath, while -Norah grinned amiably and remarked that, at any -rate, she had suited Jean!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Given up to greed, both of you,” said Mr. -Meadows, “while I, alas, am given up to hunger. -Here comes your father, and he looks pretty wild. -Wonder if he’s sacked Harvey?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll want all hands to-day,” said Mr. Linton, -pausing to greet them as he came up with quick -strides. “Harvey’s boxed half the cattle on the -place, and we’ll have our work cut out to get them -all in, short-handed. You see, I gave the other men -permission to go to the races, and they left about -sunrise. And now Harvey’s leaving too, in haste!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you sack him, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I did,” said his father. “I don’t know that I -would have done so, though he’s a most useless man -on the place, but he chose to be insolent about it. -In fact he told me just what he thought about me -for oppressing the labouring man. I wished Murty -and Boone and the rest had been there to have -learned how down-trodden they are. They would -have enjoyed it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I believe Murty would have fought him,” -Norah said, indignantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s not unlikely,” her father answered. “Murty’s -a loyal old soul. According to Harvey, they are all -worms, and I am a callous tyrant, and Jim’s a -whelp!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, am I?” said that gentleman, with interest, -looking out. “What have I done to the noble -Harvey?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, you’ve existed. I can’t quite gather that -you’ve done anything else, and I fancy Harvey -would have mentioned it if you had. At times he -seemed hard up for things to mention. Still, on the -whole, he was very eloquent. I’ve known politicians -tarred with the same brush; the less they -have to say, the more fluent they become! Judging -by present indications,” said Mr. Linton, “Harvey -will develop into a Prime Minister, and probably -afflict me with a special land tax. And all because -I asked him why he’d left the slip-rails down.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m glad you’ve sent him away, Dad,” -Norah said. “I always thought he had a horrid face.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, he’s a miserable type,” her father answered—“the -kind of man that never ought to come to the -country. He’s absolutely useless, and I don’t think -he ever did a day’s work in his life—if he did, it -wasn’t on Billabong. We’ve put him at various -kinds of work, and found him worthless at each; his -one idea was to ‘knock off,’ and he shone at that. -And, as you say, he’s a low-looking brute, and I shall -be glad to have him off the place. But I don’t like -sacking a man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t know why we ever put him on,” said Jim, -through the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, he said he hadn’t a penny, and wanted -work. One doesn’t like to send a man away without -giving him a chance. But I’m sorry I kept Harvey. -However, he’s off, or he will be shortly, so we needn’t -bother our heads about him. The bullocks are -likely to need all our energies. Jean, can I rely on -your assistance?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean nodded vigorously. It was clear that the -prospect afforded her undiluted joy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. And Wally?” Wally grinned, -disdaining further answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then,” said Mr. Linton, “as I presume I can -count on Jim and Norah——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not that they’re much use,” said Wally, despondently. -A large boot hurtled from Jim’s window, -took him in the rear, and he uttered a startled -yell. Recovering his composure, he possessed himself -of the missile and proceeded to swarm up the -bare trunk of a tall palm, going up hand over hand, -much like a monkey on a stick. Arrived at the -crown of leaves, he clung with his legs while he -tied the boot firmly in with the laces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring that down, Wally, you reptile,” sang out -Jim. He made a dash for the garden, one foot -encased in a sock, and, seizing a hoe, prodded vainly -upwards in the climber’s direction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not if I know it,” said Wally, happily. “Looks -lovely up here—like some strange tropic blossom. -Orchid Kangaroohides Jamesobium Wallistylis. -Exquisite new species, flowering once a century. -Look out, Jimmy, I’m going to slide.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you?” said Jim with vigour. His eye, -roving round in search of a weapon, had caught -sight of a fragment of barbed wire—the remains of -a device of Hogg, the gardener, to keep greedy -’possums from devouring his rosebuds. It was but -a moment’s work to seize it and coil it round the -palm trunk in a long spiral. He stood back, grinning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Better not slide too suddenly, old man!” he -said, pleasantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally had already begun to move, but he checked -himself quickly. There were not many intonations -in his chum’s voice that he did not understand. He -leaned sideways and surveyed the trunk, his face -lengthening involuntarily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” he said, and paused, apparently seeking -for inspiration. “Beast!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim sat down in a leisurely fashion on the grass -and nursed his unshod foot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a nice morning,” he remarked, conversationally. -“Garden looks jolly well before the sun -gets hot, doesn’t it? Tropic blossoms well out, and -all that—including the climbing novelties! And -there’s breakfast,” as the gong sounded. “What a -pity to leave it all!” He gathered himself up, -slowly. “So long!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Brute!” said Wally, with fervour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you happy?” asked Jim, surprise in his -tone. “You ought to be—I’ve never seen you look -so nice! Will you bring me my boot, young Wally?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will not,” said the victim, firmly. “Not if I -stay here for a week!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The barbed wire will last longer than that,” said -Jim, grinning. “Does it strike you, Dad, that the -climbing novelty looks dry?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s more evident that it’s annoyed with you,” -said David Linton, laughing. “Better bring him his -boot, Wally—it’s his game, I think.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never!” said the captive.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Told you he was dry,” said Jim. “Look at -that purple flush—doesn’t that indicate a need of -cooling down?” He disappeared behind a clump -of laurustinus, and returned armed with a coil of hose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah gave a fresh burst of laughter. “Oh, -Jimmy, you won’t!” she cried.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will I not?” grinned her brother, turning on -the tap. A light shower of drops spattered the -trunk near the victim’s head—with due regard for -the safety of the dangling boot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My hat, Jimmy, when I get within reach of -you——,” said Wally, laughing. “Put that down, -you fiend, and fight fair!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bless you, I’m not fighting,” said Jim blandly. -“I’m watering the garden!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, you’re Daddy’s useful little son, I know,” -returned Mr. Meadows. “I’ll deal with you when I -get down!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Told you water was necessary,” said Jim to his -audience, two-thirds of which had collapsed on the -grass, helpless. “Parched, that’s what he is. Turn -on that tap a little harder, Dad, and I’ll give him a -really nice tropic downpour!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Meadows capitulated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take off your beastly barbed wire,” he said, his -tone expressing anything but pious resignation. -“And put on your beastly great boot!” The boot -descended with some force, and caught Jim on the -shoulder as he stooped over his spiked entanglement. -“Nice shot—there’s some balm in Gilead!” said -Wally. He slid down, arriving at the ground with -some force, and immediately gave chase to Jim, who -had gathered up his property and fled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No one would think there was any work waiting -on this place!” said Mr. Linton, laughing. -“Come to breakfast, all of you—hurry up, Norah!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally joined them in the breakfast-room, somewhat -dishevelled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’ll be in in a moment—he’s putting on the -boot!” he said. “Isn’t he an uncivilized ostrich? -I don’t know how you brought him up in his youth, -sir, but he’s no credit to you. I’d sooner have old -Lee Wing, pigtail and all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You look a little damp, Wally,” Norah said, -kindly. “I hope you won’t take cold!” To -which the injured one returned merely a baleful -glance, before devoting himself to his porridge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim slipped in unobtrusively, wearing an air of -bland composure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll take lunch out, I suppose, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I sent Brownie a message some time ago,” -said his father. “You’ll have to run up the horses -after breakfast, Jim, and when you’ve caught ours -turn the others out into the big paddock.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim glanced up inquiringly. It was an unusual -command.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wouldn’t trust that beggar, Harvey,” his father -said, answering the glance. “If the horses were -close at hand the temptation to borrow one to get as -far as Cunjee might be too strong; but he couldn’t -catch one in the big paddock. It won’t take long -to put them back when we come in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not going to send him in to the township -then?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not,” said Mr. Linton, firmly. “He came -carrying his swag, and he can carry it away—after -the flood of bad language and insolence I had from -him this morning, I really don’t feel any obligation -to have him driven in. The walk may give him time -to get a little sense—not that you could put sense -into a man of the Harvey type by any known means.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, it won’t hurt him—and I don’t see who -would have driven him, anyhow,” Jim said. “Are -you letting him have any tucker?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes; I said he could get some from the -kitchen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then he’s got nothing to grumble at,” Jim declared. -“Not that that is in the least likely to keep -him from grumbling. I expect it wouldn’t be a bad -precaution to lock up pretty carefully at the stables, -Dad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly, lock up everything,” his father answered. -“I’d have been glad to see him fairly off -the place, as Murty and Boone are away—still Hogg -and Lee Wing are about, so there’s really no need—and -we can’t afford the time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lee Wing would be sufficient guardian for any -place,” said Wally, who cherished an undying affection -for the stolid Chinaman, who did not return -the feeling at all. It was not certain that Lee Wing -loved any one, though Norah was wont to declare -that he wrote sonnets to a girl in China. So far as -Australia was concerned, his heart seemed to be -given to his onions, and he regarded Wally with a -dubious eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Brown came in, favouring the company -impartially with her wide and beaming smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you be boilin’ the billy, sir?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, decidedly,” said Mr. Linton. “It is going -to be hot enough to make tea a necessity, I fancy. -And Wally is aching to carry the billy—aren’t you, -my boy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Personally,” said Jim, “I should have thought -it was the breakfast he’s eaten, on top of about a -hundredweight of cherries. Give him some more -coffee, Norah—he looks pensive!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s because he has had two cups already—and -I don’t allow him three, as a rule,” said Norah, -callously. “However, he’s had a hard morning, so -I’ll be weak—and so will be the coffee. Pass his -cup, Jean.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why I come to stay with the Linton -tribe,” said Wally, surrendering his cup and sighing -heavily. “I’m not appreciated, and it’s blighting -my young life. Mrs. Brown, may I stay with you -to-day and hold your hand?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t. I got a fair amount to do with it,” -rejoined Brownie. “Not but I will say, Master -Wally, you’re the good-temperedest ever I see! -And gimme a boy as laughs!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’ve thrown myself at your feet often -enough, but you won’t pick me up!” said Wally, -much aggrieved. “Some day I will wed another, -and then you’ll know what you’ve lost!” At -which Mrs. Brown bridled, and said, “Ah, go along -now, do!” and aimed a destructive blow at him -with her apron. Murmuring something about lunch, -she retreated to the kitchen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll go and run up the horses,” said Jim, pushing -back his chair. “Young Wally, see that you have -the saddles out by the time I get them in, and bring -the bridles down to the yards.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Be it thine to command,” said Wally, with -meekness. “Mine to obey—when I’m ready.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Better make it convenient to be ready quickly,” -warned Jim. “Otherwise——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He left the sentence dramatically unfinished, and, -finding a halfpenny lying on the mantelshelf, deftly -inserted it into his friend’s collar as he passed him. -Wally choked over his coffee, and fled in hot pursuit, -clutching at his backbone as he went.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t they cheerful babies!” said Norah, -laughing. “I guess I’ll be grey-haired long before -they grow up. Come on, Jeanie—I’ll race you -getting ready!” The sound of their flying feet -echoed down the corridor.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/illo-96.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0004' style='width:350px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>“ ‘Bless you, I’m not fighting—I’m watering the garden!’ ”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 id='ch8'>CHAPTER VIII</h1></div> - -<h3>NOON</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Ah, . . . I remember</p> -<p class='line0'>The muster of cattle away outback,</p> -<p class='line0'>The thunder of hoofs and the stock-whip’s crack,</p> -<p class='line0'>The panting breaths on the warm sweet breeze,</p> -<p class='line0'>The tossing horns by Rosella trees,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the whirl of dust, and the hot hide’s reek!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                            —<span class='it'>M. Forrest.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span>LL aboard!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you girls ready? Hurry up.” -From the direction of the garden came a faint hail, -which might have been taken to mean anything.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Curious things, girls,” said Jim sapiently. Wally -and he were leaning over a fence, five horses ready -behind them. “When young Norah’s alone, she -gets dressed as quickly as you or me; but now she -has Jean, they spend ages in getting togged up. -And they don’t look any different, no matter how -long they take.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” agreed the other masculine observer. -“They always look jolly nice, anyhow. I never -can make out what they do, to keep ’em so long.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, tie each other’s hair ribbons, and swap neckties, -and things like that,” said Jim, vaguely. “Nobody -ever knows what girls are up to. Of course, -Norah never seemed quite like a girl until she went -to school. But you can see there’s a difference now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well—a little,” Wally answered. “But she’s -up to all sorts of larks yet, thank goodness.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I should say so,” said Jim, staring. “They’d -have to boil Norah before they made her prim; and -that’s a comfort. I rather fancy she must have had -a pretty woeful time when she went to school first.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pretty rough on her,” Wally agreed. “She’ll -be growing up next, I suppose—worse luck.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Norah—oh, rot,” said Jim, firmly. “She’s only -a kid yet—and will be for ages. Don’t you go and -put ideas like that into her head, Wal.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me?” rejoined his chum. “What do you take -me for? But she’ll get ’em put in at school, you’ll -see, quick enough.” And Jim glowered, muttering -something unkindly about school and its by-paths -of learning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I wish they’d hurry up, anyhow,” he said. -“Wonder what’s keeping them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From behind them came a faint snore, and he -swung round. Jean and Norah were already -mounted, their heads drooping on their horses’ necks, -in attitudes of extreme boredom. They gave the -impression of having sat there for many hours, and -finally succumbed to fatigue and slumber. The -boys burst into laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, of all the idiots,” said Jim, ungallantly. -“How did you get there?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Came round the back of the stables,” laughed -Norah, waking up. “You two old gossips were -muttering away with your heads over the rail—I -believe we could have stolen all the horses without -your knowing anything about it. It’s just -extraordinary how boys will gossip—Jean and I -never get lost in our own eloquence, like you and -Wally. What were you being eloquent about?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never you mind,” said her brother, shooting an -amused look at his chum. “Matters of State too -high for your little minds. But you’re not going to -ride Warder, are you, Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Norah, slipping off Wally’s mount. -“I knew it was no good trying to be quiet if I got -on Bosun, bless him!” She patted the brown pony’s -neck, and fished a lump of sugar out of her pocket -for him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton came hurriedly over from the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” he said, taking -Monarch’s bridle. “I had to give Brownie some -directions; and Hogg is in tears because something’s -wrong with the longest hose—I left him trying -to mend it with bicycle solution and strips of -rubber cut from one of Brownie’s old goloshes, which -she nobly sacrificed on the altar of the garden.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are always excitements in being out of -reach of shops,” Jim said. “I hope it’s not the -hose I used this morning?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, no; your skin’s safe this time!” said his -father, laughing. “That was a shorter one. I -don’t like the big one being out of order, in case of -fire; not that a fire at the house is likely—but it’s -as well to be prepared. Stirrups all right, Jean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, thank you,” Jean answered. Nan, staid -stock horse though she was supposed to be, was impatient -to get away, and Jean was walking her round -in a circle, pursued by Wally with anxious inquiries -as to whether she were qualifying for the circus ring. -Bosun’s eagerness to start had been manifested so -strongly that Norah had at length given up trying -to restrain him, and was some distance across the -paddock, the pony fretting and sidling, and trying to -break into a canter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton and Jim mounted, and they all cantered -after Norah. She gave Bosun his head as -they came up to her—a liberty he acknowledged by -executing two or three tremendous bounds in mid-air.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mind him, my girl,” her father cautioned. -“Don’t let him get his head down; he’s quite happy -enough to buck this morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll watch him, Daddy,” Norah panted. The -big pony was reefing and pulling double. She patted -his arched neck. “Steady, you old image—steady!” -and Bosun came back to a jerky canter, still longing -for unchecked freedom to put his head down, kick -up his heels and race across the paddock without any -handicap of saddle and bridle and rider. For Jim’s -weight he had some respect—but this new featherweight, -to whom he was not yet accustomed, was a -different matter; it was difficult to realize that she -had wrists like steel and a curious comprehension -of his moods and high spirits. Yet already Bosun -understood that his new rider was not at all afraid of -him; and that is the best foundation of friendship -between rider and horse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The gate into the bush paddock was on flat country—the -end of the wide plain on which Billabong -homestead was built; but within a few chains after -entering the paddock the ground began to slope upwards -until the flat had given place to a range of low -hills, sparsely timbered, and interspersed with green -and quiet gullies, where thick bracken grew. A -week or so back cattle had been grazing all through -the hills; big, scraggy Queensland bullocks, new -arrivals from “up north,” and still wild and shy. -Now, thanks to the vagaries of Harvey, there were -none to be seen. They had scattered into the next -paddock, where the grass was shorter and sweeter, -and “boxed” thoroughly with the other cattle -already running there.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s maddening,” said David Linton, scanning -the hills with keen eyes. “I came out here ten days -ago, and the bullocks were settling down splendidly—not -half as wild as they were when we drafted -them into this paddock. Now they won’t want to -come back, off the clover they are on now. I’d like -Harvey to have the job of mustering them alone -on foot!” Jim whistled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jolly for the bullocks—to say nothing of Harvey,” -he said, laughing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jollity for Harvey isn’t part of my idea,” his -father responded. “But the bullocks would be dying -of senile decay before he completed the job, I’m afraid; -and I’d rather fatten them while they’re young.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I expect you would,” Jim agreed. “Well, I -don’t believe there’s a hoof left in this paddock, anyhow, -Dad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Doesn’t look like it,” Mr. Linton answered. -“We’ll scatter a bit and ride round. Jean had -better keep fairly close to me; the rest of you know -where the slip-rails are, and we can all meet there. -Be as quick as you can, all of you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So they scattered into the timber, Jim taking a -line to the extreme left, with Norah nearest to him, -then Wally, and, on the right, Mr. Linton and Jean. -Jean had not quite the appearance of having been -“born in the saddle,” as had the others, who had -certainly ridden almost as soon as they had walked; -nevertheless, she could be depended upon to give a -very good account of herself on Nan, who combined -a cheerful spirit with great common sense, after the -manner of stock horses, and was quite capable of -correcting any mistakes made by a rider unversed -in the ways of cattle. Jean’s experience had been -chiefly gained after sheep in far-off New Zealand, -and to muster cattle is very different work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But, like many other silent people, Jean was -observant, and even since coming to Billabong she -had picked up a good few points about cattle and -their ways—not a difficult matter where station -matters, and the stock generally, entered largely into -the life of every day. She was, moreover, greatly -afraid of making mistakes, and not at all above -asking questions where she needed guidance—two -excellent characteristics in a “new chum.” The -man of the Bush is nearly always tolerant to beginners, -and kind in “showing ’em how.” The one -individual for whom he has no time and no mercy -is the ignoramus who is cocksure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean was not exactly a beginner—she had ridden -by her father’s side in New Zealand much too often -for that. Her blue eyes were alight with keenness as -they trotted through the timber—now swinging into -a canter where the going was clearer, or pulling up -when a stretch of crab-holey ground threatened risk -to horses’ legs. It was very pleasant in the chequered -shadows of the trees, and in the deep gullies -where the night-dews still spangled fern and tussock, -and the wild convolvuli nodded blue and white bells -as if in greeting. Pleasant to give a good horse his -head—to let him swing in and out amid the timber, -dodging low-hanging limbs by instinct, and skirting -the rough barked trunks closely. Pleasant to smell -the sweet bush scents; to catch the strong beat of -wings overhead where black swans sailed southwards -towards the reed-fringed lagoon; or the shrill scream -of parrakeets, swooping into a wild cherry tree in a -green, flashing, chattering crowd. Pleasant, too, -to think of school—very far away, with shuttered -windows and great empty classrooms, with dust -lying thick on the desks that were symbols of hated -toil! Quite possibly the caretaker did not permit -dust to linger at all. But it was undeniably cheering -to picture it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A white blur in a deep gully caught Jean’s eye as -they rode, and she called to Mr. Linton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that a bullock lying down?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good girl!” said her host, approvingly. “Yes, -it’s a beast down, and I should say he can’t get up. -Perhaps you’d better not come down, lassie; just -keep straight along this ridge, and I’ll catch you up -presently.” He turned his big black’s head down -into the gully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was ten minutes before he rejoined her—by -which time Jean had come to a standstill, partly -because she was uncertain as to which way to go, -and partly because of a queer sound that might -have been a stock-whip crack, but sounded somehow -different. She looked inquiringly at Mr. Linton as -he rode up. His face was grave and angry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor brute! I had to put him out of his -misery,” he said. “He’d been caught in a little -landslip and fallen, and his leg was broken. Come -on, Jean, we’re not far from the slip-rails, and the -others will be waiting.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah and Jim and Wally were sitting on a log -near the rails, letting their horses have a mouthful -of grass. They mounted as the late-comers rode up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We didn’t find a hoof,” Jim said. A glance at -his father’s face had told him that something was -wrong, and he brought Garryowen beside Monarch -as they rode into the next paddock, over the rails -that Harvey had flung down the day before. “Did -I hear a shot?” he asked, dropping his voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” he said, curtly. “A beast down in a -gully—leg broken. I was very glad I’d brought -my revolver; it’s always best to bring it in country -like this, when you never know if it will be necessary -to put an injured beast out of pain. The sickening -part of it is, that the job should have been done a -week ago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A week!” Jim whistled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should say so. The poor brute must have -lain there in agony for a good many days—the -ground about him was ploughed up with his struggles, -and the leg was in a fearful state. He was nearly -dead; the bullet only hastened things a very little.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And Harvey’s been out here every day,” uttered -Jim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—with nothing to do but ride round and see -that those cattle were all right. Of course he -couldn’t have helped the accident, but he could -have saved that poor helpless brute days of agony. -It’s quite near one of the tracks, too; there can be -no excuse for missing it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think Mr. Harvey ever did much riding -round,” Jim said. “Going to sleep under a log is -more his form.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Or if he did see it he wouldn’t bother his head -about it,” his father answered. “Well, I’m not -likely to see Harvey again, thank goodness, and that -is fortunate for him!” In which, as it happened, -David Linton was very far from the truth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were plenty of cattle to be seen in the paddock -they had now entered. The ground was -gently undulating, with clumps of trees here and -there, and in two or three places a blue flash that -spoke of water. Bullocks were feeding in every -direction—some quiet and half fat, while others -were raking, long-horned fellows, gaunt and shy, who -threw up their heads and their heels and lumbered -off at a gallop at sight of the intruders. This had -generally the effect of making the quieter bullocks -gallop too, and Mr. Linton groaned at the spectacle -of so much good beef deteriorating by unseemly and -violent exercise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had cherished foolish hopes of cutting them out -here and coaxing them back to their own home,” -he said. “But there’s not a chance of that—it -will have to be a general muster.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where do we take them, Mr. Linton?” Jean -asked. It was evident that she did not share any of -her host’s troubles—her face was eager and merry, -her eyes dancing as they met Norah’s, who, needless -to say, was equally cheerful over the prospect -before them. Mr. Linton laughed as he looked from -one to the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pretty sympathizers you are for a worried man,” -he said. “I believe you’re in league with Harvey—are -you sure you didn’t bribe him to leave down the -rails? Does it matter at all to you that I drafted -out these bullocks very carefully not long ago—and -that now I’ve the job all over again?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It would matter to me horribly if I were at -school and heard about it in a letter,” said Norah, -laughing. “I would be awfully worried and cross -over it—to think of you having such a time! And I -would tell Jean all about it, and she’d be cross and -worried, too. But as it is—when we’re both here, -and can relieve you of quite half your anxiety by -helping——!” Whereat Jim and Wally became a -prey to great laughter, in which Jean and Norah -joined after a fruitless attempt to ignore them -haughtily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Since it’s no use to expect decent sympathy -from you, you can certainly do all the helping you -like,” said Mr. Linton, smiling broadly. “We’ll -muster all the cattle down towards the far end of the -paddock, and take them out through the gate there—we -might have a pretty hard job if we tried to take -them through the Bush Paddock. Wally, my lad, -just canter back and put up those slip-rails, will you? -Jean, you can’t get bushed in this paddock, because -there isn’t enough timber; we can’t get out -of sight of each other for any length of time. Now -we’ll each take a line and get hold of the bullocks -in front of us, and hope as hard as we can that they’ll -go quietly. I believe much is said to be done by -hoping, though I don’t know what happens if the -cattle are hoping to stay where they are!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was soon distressingly evident that such was -indeed the high ambition of the bullocks. They -were very contented on the short, sweet clover and -rye grass; they saw no reason whatever to justify -being driven towards some unknown region. For -a good many weeks they had been on the roads, -these long-horned Queenslanders, travelling through -regions that were all unknown. Most of them -had been very comfortless—bare roads where scarcely -a picking could be obtained, or through runs where -fierce stockmen and unpleasant dogs were jealously -indignant if they took so much as a bite of grass or -failed to cover each day the prescribed number of -miles for travelling stock. Now they had come at -last into a peaceful haven, where clover grew thickly, -and a creek flowed for their special benefit. Was it -to be expected that they should tamely leave it? -On the whole, the bullocks thought that it was not, -and that whoever was so weak as to expect it must be -taught by painful experience the futility of so -hoping.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The half-fat cattle went readily enough. The -tracks were familiar to them—the crack of a stock-whip -was sufficient to start them lazily along the -way towards the gate. They had grown philosophic -as they attained weight; it was known to them now -that when mounted people, with dogs, express an -inclination for bullocks to move in a particular -direction, it is as well to be acquiescent and move. -But the Queenslanders had learned no such lesson, -or, if they had learned it, it had been forgotten -since they had exchanged the roads for Billabong. -Tracks meant nothing to them; they galloped -madly hither and thither, made off for the farthest -corners of the paddock, with tails wildly streaming -in the air, and dodged back with a persistence calculated -to reduce the most patient drover to wrath -and evil words. Their spirits infected some of the -staider cattle, and they also fled to the four winds, -with a lumbering agility wonderful in such mountains -of beef. It was quite too hot a day for such -pranks, and their owner groaned as they fled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can see the condition simply evaporating -from them,” he declared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The heat did not seem to affect the Oueenslanders -at all. But the horses were soon sweating and the -riders almost as hot, while the dogs became almost -useless, and sneaked off to the creek to wallow -luxuriously in the fern-fringed pools. Wally looked -after them eagerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lucky brutes,” he uttered, “wish I could follow -their example.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was tailing behind a dozen bullocks—eight of -the quieter section and four of the “stores.” For -once they seemed inclined to go quietly, and Wally -began to breathe more freely, with visions of handing -them over to augment the little mob he could see -Jim bringing alone, away to the right. Then came -a sudden descent before him, where a little hill ran -down into a grassy hollow. The Oueenslanders -began to trot down it; then the slope proved too -much for them, and the trot broke into a canter and -merged to a stretching gallop, striking across the -plain. There was no chance of catching them—Wally -could only bring up the rear, sending the -spurs into old Warder in his fruitless hope of heading -them before they should reach Jim’s mob, and upset -their serenity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cattle had all the best of it. Here and there -one dropped out of the chase, panting, or broke -back to try to reach the open country they were -leaving; but the leaders made for Jim’s little mob, -even as the swallows homeward fly. They scattered -it hither and thither; heels flew up, and hoofs -pounded, as they tore in different directions, and not -one the right one. Jim’s eloquence failed him. He -could only give Garryowen his head in somewhat -vague pursuit, since it could not be definitely said -which beast to pursue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hard to know which has most call on a fellow’s -time,” Jim muttered grimly as he galloped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Further across the paddock, Jean was having -troubles of her own. The width from fence to fence -was all too great for five to guard; although Mr. -Linton had said she could not get lost—which she -knew very well—it was lonely enough in the wide -space, catching only an occasional glimpse of fellow-musterers -to right and left across the undulating -ground. The bullocks had no sense of chivalry; -they treated her with scorn and derision, and her -hopes of being of definite use in the muster faded -swiftly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It seemed easy enough to bring along the bullocks -directly in front, but when Jean came to put the -instruction into practice it was not nearly so simple. -Some went quite calmly, insomuch that swift -affection kindled for them in her breast; others -merely looked at her, walked a few steps, and began -feeding again. Pressed more closely and shouted -at very energetically, they departed in divers ways, -making it quite impossible to pursue them all. She -could only hope that they came in the path of the -other musterers and meet their due fate. Finally, -a big spotted brute, with a great raking pair of -horns, doubled when, in her ignorance, she failed -to “keep wide” near him, and slipping past her, -made for the open paddock behind her. Jean dug -her heels into Nan with all her energy, wishing to -her heart that they were spurred—a wish slightly -unfair to the brown mare, who was only too ready -to do her best. They fled in hot pursuit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The bullock had made all possible use of his start, -and he redoubled his speed as the hoofs pounded in -the rear. A rise ahead prevented his seeing any -fence. He pictured safety in the way he was going, -could he but outstrip pursuit—safety and peace, -and good grass, away from worrying humans and -the rattle of stock-whip cracks. So he topped the -rise and raced on; and behind him came the brown -mare, entirely beyond Jean’s control now. Nan -knew precisely what should be the duty of any -self-respecting stock horse, and she was very certain -that no featherweight upon her back should prevent -her from doing it. She swung outward just at the -right moment—a movement which very nearly -disposed of Jean, who felt the saddle fleeting from -under her, and only saved herself by grabbing at -the pommel. It taught her caution. She realized -that she could not at all tell what this determined -steed was going to do. Therefore she sat very -tightly and kept a hand close to the kindly pommel -as they raced past the bullock. And it was as well -she did.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nan swung in sharply, and headed the bullock -off. For a moment it seemed as if he would race -away diagonally across the paddock. Then he -propped uncertainly in his gallop for a moment, and -immediately the brown mare propped too, turning -“on a sixpence” in a way that would certainly have -disposed of Jean but for her timely grip. As it was, -she went forward upon Nan’s neck, losing both -stirrups as she went—and had barely wriggled back -into the saddle with a violent effort when the bullock -was ready for further action. He uttered a low -bellow, moving his head uncertainly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shoo! Shoo!” cried Jean, wildly. “Get along! -Oh, I wish I was a man, or a dog, or a stock-whip!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something in the shrill voice checked the bullock, -or else the sight of the brown mare, eager to do -battle again, made him realize the vanity of bovine -wishes. He turned sharply, and raced back along the -way he had come, with Jean in hot pursuit—atop -of Nan, clinging for dear life, with both feet out of -the stirrups—Jean, oblivious of all save the joy of -conquest, and uttering spasmodic and breathless -shouts of “Shoo!” The bullock raced as though -the end of the world were approaching for him. -Ahead was a group of other cattle; he shot into -the midst of them and pulled up, uttering an indignant -bellow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nan slackened, visibly uneasy at the dangling -stirrups, which had, indeed, acted as flails, beating -her with great ardour throughout the race. Jean -managed to pull her up, and to get her feet in again. -Pride rested on her crimson brow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I hope Norah saw!” she uttered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, from some unseen part of the paddock she -saw a riderless horse top a ridge and race towards -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” said Jean, “oh! it’s Bosun!” Her -voice was a little wail of distress. She dug her heel -into Nan, and cantered out to meet the runaway, her -heart in her mouth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not Bosun, however, but Warder, Wally’s -mount. He came to a standstill as the brown -mare and her rider appeared across his path, and -looked considerably ashamed of himself, since it is -no part of the duty of a stock horse to run from his -rider, should misfortune overtake that luckless -wight. Then from the same direction came Jim, -galloping, with a broad grin on his face. He changed -his course and came round when he saw the two -horses close together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good girl, Jean!” he sang out. “I’ll catch -him.” And Jean swelled with joy at the carelessly -given word of praise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Warder stood quietly enough while Jim came -gently on Garryowen, speaking soothing words -until he was near enough to grasp his rein.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thought I’d have a lovely chase after him,” -Jim said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is Wally hurt? Warder didn’t buck with him, -did he?” Jean asked anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not he—Warder’s no buckjumper,” returned -Jim. “No—the silly old mule—it was all his fault!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whose—Wally’s?” Jean asked, as he paused.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, Warder’s,” he said. “Put his foot into a -crab-hole and turned a somersault—neatest thing -you ever saw! Wal. shot about a hundred yards; -luckily he landed on a soft spot, for he’s not hurt. -There he is, lazy beggar; he ought to be coming to -meet us.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally held no such view. He was stretched at -full length on the grass, his felt hat pulled over his -face. As they rode up he came slowly into a sitting -position.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bless you, Jimmy! Much trouble?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t bless me,” Jim said. “Jean had him -nearly caught.” At which Jean flushed with -embarrassment and pride, and said something entirely -incoherent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come along, you lazy rubbish! I say!” said -Jim, in sudden alarm, “you’re not hurt, really, are -you, old man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a bit,” grinned his chum, jumping up. -“Merely lazy, as you truthfully remark, and besides, -you were so busy that there didn’t seem any need for -me to be more than ornamental.” He dodged a -flick from Jim’s stock-whip, and swung himself into -the saddle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Far across the paddock they could see Norah in -hot pursuit of a bullock. Bosun was hardly trained -after stock yet; so far he lacked the amazing instinct -that comes to horses, making them understand -precisely what a bullock will do next—often -some time before the bullock himself knows. The -brown pony was only too willing to gallop; that -was simple; but he was weak in the delicate science -of checking and heading a beast, of propping and -swinging so as to anticipate every froward impulse -in his bovine brain. It made Norah’s task no easy -one, for the bullock was a big, determined Queenslander, -with a set desire for peace and freedom. -There was no chance of using a stock-whip, since -Bosun was far too excited to permit such a liberty. -She could only gallop and try to head him, and -shout—her clear voice came ringing across the -grass. Finally determination in the pursuer proved -stronger than the same quality in the pursued, and -the bullock gave in. He turned and trotted sulkily -back, with Bosun dancing behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So they galloped and shouted and raced through the -long hot morning until they were all hoarse and tired, -with tempers just a little frayed at the edges. Even -Jean and Norah were of opinion that there may be -less fun in mustering than they had dreamed. -Bosun was a distinctly tiring proposition in such -work as this, his lack of training, coupled with his -excitability, making him anything but easy to ride. -Many times a bullock got away from Norah because -she had been unable to turn her pony—since Bosun -saw no reason why he should not sail on to the end -of the paddock when once he got going. On one -occasion he did actually get out of hand, and bolted a -long way, scattering the cattle in his mad career. -Altogether it was a strenuous morning, and they were -all very thankful when persistent effort succeeded -in getting all the bullocks together and through the -gate, and so across the next paddock to a set of -yards built for just such emergencies, to save driving -stock the long distance back to the homestead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Eh, but I’m thirsty,” said Wally, slipping -Warder’s bridle over a post and turning to take -Bosun. “Norah, you look jolly tired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m all right,” Norah answered. “I only want -tea, and buckets of it. But this fellow makes your -arms ache; he’s been trying to bolt all the time. I’d -have been more use riding an old cow, I believe.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t you talk rubbish,” said Jim, leading Nan -and Garryowen up to the fence. “But I tell you -what, old girl, you’re going to ride my neddy after -lunch. He’s quite a stock horse now, and won’t be -nearly so hard on your arms.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I don’t like shirking,” Norah said, looking -doubtfully at Bosun. “He’s such a beauty, too, -Jimmy—only he doesn’t understand yet.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course he doesn’t—you can’t expect it,” said -her brother. “You wouldn’t care for it if he went -like an old sheep, naturally. He’ll be all right after -a little regular work with the cattle. Anyhow, you -want a rest.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And you’re sure you’re not too heavy for Bosun?” -said Bosun’s owner, doubtfully, looking at Jim’s -long figure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought that had something to do with it,” -Jim grinned. “Don’t you worry, my child; I won’t -squash your pretty pet!” To which Norah responded -by turning up an already tilted nose, and -proceeding to unpack the lunch valise, which had -bumped somewhat cruelly on Warder’s saddle all -the morning, considerably to the detriment of the -hard-boiled eggs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lunch was simple; they boiled the billy at a little -fire in a green hollow where there was no grass dry -enough to risk burning, and drank great quantities of -tea in the shade of a big she-oak tree. At first Norah -and Jean declared that they were too hot to eat; but -they revived considerably after the first fragrant -cup, and found Brownie’s sandwiches very good. -Then Jim emptied the inconsiderable remains of the -tea over the fire and stamped it out carefully, separating -the embers; and the two boys took the horses for -the drink that could not be allowed them until they had -cooled down. After which the girls professed themselves -ready to start; but Mr. Linton ordered half an -hour’s “smoke-oh,” with a keen eye on two faces that -were quite too sun-kissed to look pale, but were -certainly a little weary. So they all lay flat in the -shade, and all but the squatter went to sleep almost -immediately, while he sat propped against the she-oak -trunk and smoked lazily. The half-hour had -stretched almost to an hour before he woke them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come on, you sleepy-heads!” he said, smiling at -them. “Time to get busy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ugh-h—I’m stiff!” uttered Wally, wriggling, -with an agonized countenance. “I think I’ve been -tied in a tight knot, judging by my feelings.” A small -twig caught him neatly on the back of the neck, and, -forgetting his stiffness, he sprang up and gave chase to -Jim, who was already at the horses.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m so hideously hot!” Norah grumbled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Or hotly hideous?” called out Jim, who looked -provokingly cool.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Both, I think. All the same, that was a nice -sleep. Don’t you feel better, Jean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Heaps,” said Jean, who was busy in removing -burrs and fragments of grass from her divided skirt. -“At least, I will feel heaps better after I’ve got over -feeling as horrible as I do just now.” She pushed -the hair away from her eyes. “If only one could -have a bathe!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll have one to-night, in the lagoon,” Norah -told her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You won’t have much chance of anything to-night -except supper and bed, if we’re not quick,” said Mr. -Linton. “Come along—you’ve rubbed that pony -long enough, Jim. Get in behind those bullocks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took his place at the drafting gate at the end of -the race—the narrow lane, high fenced, connecting -the big yard, where the cattle had been put, with two -smaller yards. The boys whistled to the dogs and -slipped in through the fence, urging the bullocks down -the race. There Mr. Linton, with a quick turn of the -gate, directed their further progress—the Queenslanders -into one yard, the older bullocks into the -other. Norah and Jean, debarred by the distinction -of sex from active participation in these joys, took up -a commanding position on the cap of the fence, -occasionally emitting a warning yell when a bullock -turned back at the very moment when he should have -been entering the race.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Drafting cattle is far more pleasant work after a -shower of rain. Even mud is better to work in than -dust, which rises, and chokes and blinds you, and -annoys the bullocks, and makes the entrance to the -race puzzlingly obscure. Luckily these yards were -not very often used, and had a thin carpet of grass, -otherwise the job would have been a more difficult -and lengthy one. As it was, when the cattle were -finally divided into their respective mobs, and the boys -came out of the yard, their features were somewhat -indefinite, thanks to the coating of dust that covered -each cheerful countenance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton rammed home into its socket the peg -that secured the drafting gate, and rejoined his -assistants. They mounted—Norah this time on -Garryowen—and Jim let out the Queensland cattle, -which immediately made off in the direction of water. -Withdrawn from the creek, not without difficulty, -they were hustled into the Far Plain and driven along -the way they had come that morning, with no chance -of nibbling the sweet green clover that was provokingly -soft under their feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Near the slip-rails Mr. Linton turned to Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We won’t have any more trouble,” he said, -“they’re tired, and will go through into the Bush -Paddock quietly. You and Jean can cut back if you -like, and let out the others.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right, Daddy,” said Norah, happily. “And -bring them along into this paddock?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it will save time. You’ll find they’ll be only -too ready to come.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So Jean and Norah cantered back over the springy -turf. The sun was setting, and the trees sent long -shadows far across the paddock. A little breeze had -sprung up from the west, swelling gradually to a cool -wind, that fanned their hot faces—it was quite easy -to forget the heat and burden of the day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The big yard gate swung open—it was one of Mr. -Linton’s “notions” that there should be no gate on -Billabong that should not open easily, without forcing -a rider to dismount. The cattle came out gladly, -stringing across towards the clover of their own home, -Jean and Norah behind them, happy in the certainty -of really being able to render service. Just as the last -slow beast had wandered through the open gateway, -the three masculine workers came cantering back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well done!” said Mr. Linton, with approval. -“Did they give you any bother?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a bit, Dad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s right. But I’m afraid it’s going to be too -dark for that bathe, Jean.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can’t be helped,” said that lady, philosophically. -“There are tubs!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And there’s tea!” said Wally, thankfully. “I -don’t know which I want more at this moment.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I do, then,” said Norah, surveying him with -critical eyes. “There isn’t a doubt!”</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Your face, my thane, is as a book, where men</p> -<p class='line0'>May read strange matters,”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'>quoted Mr. Linton, smiling. “Not fair to jibe at you, -Wally, old man, when you earned your stripes in a -good cause.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally put his hand up to his face, where little runners -of perspiration had made streaks in the grimy surface.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m used to ingratitude,” he declared. “I’ve a -good mind to make a non-washing vow, like those -Indian Johnnies and keep off soap and water for -seven years!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you’ll certainly have your meals out in the -back yard!” Norah assured him. They shook their -tired horses out of a walk and cantered home across -the paddocks through the gathering dusk.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch9'>CHAPTER IX</h1></div> - -<h3>A LITTLE YELLOW FLAME</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>There’s rest and peace and plenty here, and eggs and milk to spare;</p> -<p class='line0'>The scenery is calm and sane, and wholesome is the air;</p> -<p class='line0'>The folk are kind, the cows behave like cousins unto me—</p> -<p class='line0'>But, please the Lord, on Monday morn I’m leaving Arcady.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                                   —<span class='it'>Victor J. Daley.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span>S she had predicted, Mrs. Brown had not found -idleness during the morning hours. The -individual who is popularly supposed to supply -mischief for unoccupied hands could never be said to -number Brownie among his clients. Jim was wont -to say that she was a tiringly busy person—with a -twinkle in his eye. Her huge form moved with a quite -amazing lightness, and she was rarely to be seen -sitting still. On the infrequent occasions that she -subsided into a chair she produced wool and needles -from some unseen receptacle about her person, and -knitted as though her life depended on it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There had, however, been no time during this long, -hot morning for such gentle arts as knitting. Brownie -was short-handed, the races having taken away some -of her helpers; in addition, it was baking day, and -that in itself was sufficient for any ordinary woman. -The bread had gone into the great brick oven comparatively -early. By the time it came out there were -other things ready to go in—mammoth cakes and -pies, and kindred delicacies. No oven cooks with -the perfection of a brick one. Brownie never allowed -its heat to be wasted on the days that it was lit for -the bread baking. Then “her hand being in,” she -proceeded to compound lesser matters—little cakes, -cream puffs, rolls, whatever might be calculated to -appeal to the healthy appetites that would return to -her that evening. “They do take some cookin’ for, -they do—bless them,” she mused.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was outside the kitchen, rooting in the dark recesses -of the brick oven with an instrument resembling -a fish slice made into a Dutch hoe, when an unfamiliar -step sounded on the gravel behind her. At the -moment her occupation was quite too engrossing to -be relinquished for any step. She did not turn until -her explorations had been crowned with success, and -she had backed away from the oven door, bearing on -her weapon a delicately-browned pie. She deposited -it carefully on a little table placed handily, shut the -oven door, and faced round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “I thought you’d gone, -Harvey.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wasn’t any ’urry,” said Harvey, a short, weedy -individual with a crafty face. “Boss said I could ’ave -some tucker.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He thought you was goin’ to get it hours ago,” -said Brownie. “What have you been doin’, hangin’ -about like this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Haven’t been doin’ anything,” the man answered -sulkily. “Been campin’ on me bed; there’s no -points in tearin’ off in this sort of weather. It don’t -hurt you, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie stared at the insolent face much as she -might have regarded some weird curiosity among the -lower animals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” she said, after prolonged contemplation, -during which Harvey had shuffled uneasily. “It -don’t hurt me at all; only I happen to be in charge of -the place, and it’s my business to see Mr. Linton’s -orders carried out. So I think the best thing you can -do, an’ the most comferable for all concerned, is to -take yourself off as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’m goin’—don’t you fret,” Harvey said. -“Wouldn’t stay on the beastly place, not if I was -paid. A nice name I’ll give Linton in the township—an’ -the Melbourne registry offices, too! He’ll know -all about it when he wants to engage new men.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You poor little thing!” said Brownie, pityingly. -“Funny now, to see you that full of malice an’ bad -temper—and to know how little notice any one’ll take -of you! All the districk knows the sort of employer -Mr. Linton is—he don’t never need to send to Melbourne -for his hands. Why,” said Brownie, becoming -oratorical in her emotion, “there’s alwuz men just -fallin’ over themselves to get work on Billabong—an’ -better men than you’ll ever be! You go an’ talk just -as much as you like—it’ll never hurt my boss. But I -wouldn’t advise you to get into Master Jim’s way—him -bein’ handy with his hands!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That pup!” muttered Harvey, malevolently; -“why, ’e’s only a kid; I guess I could manage him -pretty easy if I wanted to.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you want any tucker off me, I’d advise you to -keep a civil tongue in your head,” warned Brownie. -“Master Jim ain’t to be discussed by you, not near my -kitchen anyhow. If you ask me, I’ll tell you straight -I don’t think you’re fit to menshin his name!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Harvey took a step nearer, almost threateningly. -But Brownie had handled too many insolent swagmen -in her day to be in the least afraid of this undersized -little man, with the rat face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, don’t you be foolish, Harvey,” she advised. -“I’m not likely to be scared of you, or any one like -you; and if I was, there’s old Hogg just over the fence -in the garden, an’ Lee Wing in the onions, an’ they’d -put you into the lagoon as soon as look at you if they -caught you givin’ me any cheek. That sort of thing -don’t go down on Billabong.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Harvey’s answering snarl might have signified -anything unpleasant. Brownie regarded him reflectively.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fact is,” she remarked confidentially, “I’m really -a bit sorry for you. I don’t know what kind of a -mother you had, but it’s me certain belief that she -never spanked you half enough as a boy. You don’t -strike me as having had much spanking, an’ I’m not -too sure as you wouldn’t be the better for it now. -What’s the good of goin’ on like this?—just a useless -waster! Whatever on earth do you think you’re -goin’ to make of your poor little life?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, get out!” said Harvey, not at all impressed -by this impassioned oration. “What’s it got to do -with you or any one else?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very little,” said Brownie, majestically. “You -ain’t likely to be in danger of any one here breakin’ -their hearts with worryin’ over you, anyhow. Deary -me! I hope Providence is with them turnovers in the -oven, or else they’ll be burnt black on me!” She -waddled hurriedly into the kitchen and rescued the -tarts—not too late. Rising with some difficulty from -shutting the stove door, she found Harvey behind -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll have to be off, Harvey, you know,” she said, -firmly. “I ain’t got time to talk to you, even if I -wanted to, which I don’t; an’ Mr. Linton’d be annoyed -if he came home an’ found you still encumberin’ the -place. Take my advice an’ try an’ get another good -job, an’ stick to it this time. You’re young yet, you -know, an’ there’s no reason why you shouldn’t turn -over a new leaf an’ do well.” (“Only, his face is -agin it!” she murmured to herself.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aw, don’t go preachin’,” Harvey muttered. -“There ain’t no chance for a poor beggar of a workin’ -bloke in this country——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t you talk that kind of silly nonsense to me,” -returned Brownie, warmly. “If ever a country was -God’s own country for a man not afraid to use his -hands, an’ with pluck to tackle the land, it’s Australia! -I got three sons on the land—an’ if I had thirty-three -I’d put ’em all there! But unless the Angel Gabriel -came along an’ took you by the back of the neck an’ -shoved you, you’d never work—an’ I think even -Gabriel ’ud have his hands full. There, I ain’t got -time for you. Your tucker’s here; I got it ready -early this morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can’t I stop an’ have dinner?” he whined.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, you can’t,” she said at length. “Dinner’s -not for an hour, and Mr. Linton left pertikler directions -that I was to have your tucker ready so’s not -to keep you from makin’ a start. He wanted you to -get off the place, an’ I won’t take the responsibility -of keepin’ you when you ought to have been gone -hours ago. There’s enough tucker there for three -meals—the meat’ll only go bad on you, in this weather, -if you don’t use it.” She thrust the parcel of food—a -generous bundle—into his hands. “I’ll give you a -bottle of milk, too, if you like,” she added.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Milk be darned!” said Harvey, savagely. “I’ll -let the districk know you turned me out without a -meal!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The districk’ll be interested,” responded Brownie, -with great composure. “Now, be off, or I’ll call the -men—an’ Hogg’s temper’s none too good these warm -days!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Harvey’s snarl was not a pleasant addition to an -unpleasant countenance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mark my words, I’ll——” he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mark my words, you’ll find the hose turned on you -if you don’t go out of here politely!” said Brownie, -her good-tempered old face flushing. “Get along -with you, an’ don’t be a silly young man!” She -turned her back upon him decisively, and opened the -oven door with a snap. Harvey stood still for a -moment, his evil features working furiously. Then -he shambled out of the kitchen and across the yard, -pursued hotly by Puck, the Irish terrier, who barked -at his heels in extreme wrath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wonderful how that blessed dog hates vermin!” -uttered Brownie. She watched Harvey until he was -out of sight—seeing him pick up his swag outside the -gate and shuffle away down the track. Even the -swag was typical of him—badly rolled and lumpy, -with ends sticking out of the straps in various places. -Puck came back presently, apparently disheartened -by this species of quarry, that was not even sporting -enough to show fight; and presently a bend in the -tree-fringed track hid the shambling figure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A good riddance!” uttered Brownie, turning -from the window. “Wonder if he favoured his pa -or his ma?” Ruminating on this important point, -she returned to cleaner matters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Harvey, however, did not go far.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was very hot, and his swag, although it contained -little enough, was heavy upon his weedy -shoulders. Even the bundle of food bothered him. -It took up his free hand, and made it hard to keep -away the flies that buzzed persistently about his -face and crawled into the corners of his eyes in -maddening fashion. He tried balancing it upon -his stick across his shoulders, but the pressure of the -stick hurt him, and the parcel kept slipping about, -and nearly fell more than once. He abused it with -peevish anger, including the heat, and Mr. Linton and -Billabong generally in his condemnation. Finally, -he stopped and kicked the dust reflectively.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blessed if I start in this darned heat!” he -uttered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked about him. To return to the house -was clearly unsafe. He scowled, remembering -Brownie’s determined face, and her evident resolve -to rid Billabong of his presence. Ahead, there was -very little cover for a few miles, and Harvey was -rapidly sure that he did not intend to walk so far -in the heat. Clumps of box trees were scattered -about, but a man sheltering in their shade was easily -visible from the house, and he had no mind to be -visible. Where could a lone wayfarer dispose of his -unobtrusive presence?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Looking back, a little to the west of the stables, a -thick clump of low-growing trees caught his eye—lemon -gums, planted by Mr. Linton as shade in a -little paddock where a few horses could be turned out -when it was necessary to keep them close at hand. -They grew in a corner, hedged in on two sides by a -close-growing barrier of hawthorn. It was a -tempting place, cool and shady. A man might lie -there unseen of any one, although it was but a few -chains’ distance from the stables.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Harvey glanced round. No one was in sight. -Behind him the homestead slumbered peacefully, its -red roofs peeping from the mass of orchard green. -That abominable dog had retreated, much to his -relief. Puck always caused him to feel uneasy -sensations in the calves of his legs when he rent the -air behind him with yelps. It occurred vividly to -Harvey that it would have been gratifying to have -been able to kill Puck before he went away. Then -he left the track, and hurried across the long grass to -the little clump of trees.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He reached it unseen, and flung himself on the -grass, dropping his swag and bundle thankfully, and -tucking himself as far back into the shade of the -hedge as the hawthorn spikes would allow. It was -the only green thing; the lemon gums looked dry -and parched, and the long grass of the little paddock -was quite hard and yellow. Still, it was a good nook -for a lazy man; the trees hid him from the stables -and the house, and the hedge from any other point -of view. He stretched out luxuriously—and then -jumped up with a nervous start, as an old kerosene -tin, nearly hidden under the hedge, rattled and -banged as his boot caught it. Harvey told the -kerosene tin just what he thought of it, flinging it -further away in childish anger. Then he lay down -again, and went to sleep, his mean little face half -hidden under his battered hat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he awoke it was long past the usual dinner -hour, and he was hungry. He unpacked Brownie’s -parcel, abusing her in a muttered snarl as he did so, -and fell to work eagerly on the provisions. Then he -dived into the recesses of his swag, and produced -a whisky bottle which he had already visited several -times during the morning, and washed the meal down -with the raw spirit. He tried to sleep again, but -sleep would not come, so he propped himself against -the trunk of a lemon gum and smoked cigarettes -during the hot afternoon, occasionally seeking solace -from the bottle. After a time the latter gave out, -which annoyed him greatly; he flung it into the -hedge, and continued to smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As long as the whisky lasted Harvey had no -complaint to make about his day, which was, indeed, -a picnic of the kind his soul most desired. He -considered that a man not compelled to work, and -supplied with food, whisky and cigarettes, has very -little more to ask in this troublesome world. It was -regrettable that, even to obtain these, it had been -necessary to perform something even faintly resembling -work. Still, work did not exist on his -present horizon; his cheque would last a little while, -and beyond that he did not trouble to think—at least, -while the whisky yet remained to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But when the bottle ran dry his contented mood -rapidly fell away from him. He had been dreaming -gentle, whisky-assisted day-dreams of suddenly -rising to fame and fortune—the means he most -favoured consisted in buying a horse out of a -costermonger’s barrow, for, say, 2<span class='it'>s.</span> 11<span class='it'>d.</span> and training -it in secret until he won the Melbourne Cup with it. -It made him very happy, but he could not dream it -unassisted; and the bottle was empty, leaving him -not quite sober, yet a very long way from drunk—an -unpleasant position. Instead of such joyous -visions, cheerless spectres came to him—work, and -policemen, and bosses; all three equally distasteful. -He went over and over the recital of his woes—of -Mr. Linton, bloated capitalist and slave-driver, rolling -in wealth and grinding the poor beneath his large -boot; of himself, Harvey, toiling heavily for a -pittance, his lot unredeemed by kindness or fair -treatment. Put in that way, it made quite a -pathetic case. Harvey grew sorrier for himself -with every minute and more and more convinced -of the injustice of his lot. That Mr. Linton worked -harder than any man he employed, and that he -himself had not made the smallest effort to earn his -wages, mattered to him not at all. The squatter -represented the hated class that owned money, -while he had none; and the fact was sufficient -condemnation in Harvey’s eyes. He passed from -the stage of whining to that of showing his teeth—somewhat -hampered by the fact that no one was -near to be impressed by the exhibition.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had worked himself into a sullen fury by the -time the sun suddenly dipped behind the western -pines, and he realized that it was late—that he -should have been on the track long ago. It made -another item in his list of grievances. Harvey -hated walking—the fourteen miles to Cunjee seemed -a hundred as he sat on the grass and thought about -it. Still, he did not dare to remain until the others -should come home—willing enough to hurt them, -could he find a secret chance, he was as little anxious -to face Mr. Linton and Jim as he was to meet Murty -and the stockmen, whose criticisms, he felt, would be -pointed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lit a cigarette, letting the match drop carelessly, -and a little trail of fire sprang up in the grass in quick -answer. Harvey put it out with a casual blow from -his hat; even he knew a man must not play tricks -with matches in summer. And then the whisky, -working on his own evil mind, put a thought into -him, and he bit off the end of his cigarette in sudden -excitement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a mad thought, but he toyed with it as he -sat there, smoking fiercely, until it did not seem so -mad after all. Other men had been punished for -oppressing the poor. Other squatters had known -what it meant to offend the working man—had -seen their sheep go unshorn, their lambs undocked, -their bullocks left untended. Other swagmen had -done what was in his brain to do—had left a fire -carefully smouldering near a station boundary so -that it should get away into the long grass. It had -always seemed to him a particularly smart thing to -do—the sort of thing to serve a squatter jolly well -right, and prove to him that he was not going to ride -rough-shod over every one. There would be exquisite -enjoyment in administering just such a -lesson to Billabong’s owner. Yet, how to do -it?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was not devoid of cunning. Risk to his own -skin was the only thing that really mattered to him. -He turned over in his mind various plans, and -rejected all of them because he could not quite -see his way out. Once started in the long, dry grass, -a fire would travel like a flash. There would be no -time for the man who lit it to make his escape, for the -alarm would have been given before he had gone half -a mile. He could not even plead an escaped spark -from a camp fire. He had no billy, and with the -thermometer at 110 degrees in the shade, there was -no possible excuse for a man to light a fire, unless he -wanted to brew tea. And short shrift would be -given to the “swaggie” careless with pipe and -matches in such weather, with the grass like a yellow -crop over the sun-baked district. It was really very -difficult to be an incendiary, with a due regard for -your skin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then the old kerosene tin he had kicked away -earlier in the afternoon caught his eye, and he gave -a low, triumphant whistle. There was an old trick; -he had heard of it in Gippsland, if a man wanted -to light his cut scrub before the law allowed him to -burn it. You put a candle, alight, under a tin, and -then rode away, leaving the little sheltered flame to -burn slowly down until it came to the tinder-like -grass. By that time you were probably inspecting -cattle at a farm ten miles off, so that no one could say -you had been near your own property to start the -fire. It was a very happy way of proving an alibi, -and, whatever the neighbours might think, particularly -if your burn had spread to their paddocks and -involved them in loss, the police could say nothing -to you.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Harvey asked himself the question quite cheerfully. -He had a candle. It had occurred to him that the -one in his room might be useful, so he had packed -it in his swag. The tin appeared to have been put -there by a thoughtful Fate. Everything was playing -into his hands. Already it was almost sunset. The -candle was nearly new, and it would burn long -enough to let him get a long distance away. Even -if the cracks of the old tin should show a faint glow, -no one would notice it behind the clump of gum trees. -And once burned to the grass—well, the grass would -do the rest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took out the candle, and made a little hole -in the ground to act as a socket, pressing it tightly -into position. Round it he cut the tall tops of the -grass, so that the blaze should not come too soon, -laying them round the base—a carefully-prepared -little mat of tinder. Then he rolled up his swag and -made quite ready to start.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lit the candle. The flame burned steadily in -the still, hot air. Then, gently, he inverted the -kerosene tin over it, peeping through a hole in the -side to make sure that the little yellow flame was still -alight. It seemed a little weak—perhaps there was -not enough air. So he slipped a stick under one -edge, tilting it very slightly, yet enough to admit a -breath. He nodded, pleased with his improvement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess that’ll about fix you, Mr. David Linton!” -he muttered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a hole in the hawthorn hedge near him. -He pushed his swag through and crawled after it. -No one was in sight. He cast a hurried look round. -Then he rose and almost ran from the spot—from the -rusty kerosene tin and the little yellow flame. The -twilight shrouded him—a mean figure, slinking in the -shadow of the hedge.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch10'>CHAPTER X</h1></div> - -<h3>MIDNIGHT</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When the north wind moans thro’ the blind creek courses,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And revels with harsh, hot sand,</p> -<p class='line0'>I loose the horses, the wild red horses,</p> -<p class='line0'>I loose the horses, the mad red horses,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And terror is on the land!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                               —<span class='it'>Marie E. J. Pitt.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>USK fell, and the stars came out to ride in a -blue-black sky, before the sound of horses’ -feet, galloping, floated to the quiet house at Billabong. -Mrs. Brown came out on the verandah, one -hand at her ear, listening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here they are—an’ thank goodness!” she -uttered. “I’m never easy in me mind when they’re -out on them young horses—not as anything ever -happens, but who’s to say it isn’t goin’ to? It’s -always a relief, like, to see them come scrimmagin’ -in!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hogg, a dim figure in the gloom of a big clump of -hydrangea, merely grunted. Norah considered that -a serious realization of the claims of his name had -induced Hogg to practise grunting. It was a fine -art with him, and capable of innumerable shades of -expression.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Just now he was hunting snails—his dour face -occasionally revealed in an almost startling manner -by gleams from the tiny lantern he carried.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Watter will always bring them,” he remarked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Eh?” asked Brownie, sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ay. The place was free a week back—an’ noo -they’re crawlin’ all through it—rapacious beasts!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What on earth are you saying, man?” demanded -Brownie, bristling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tes the snails, Mistress Broon. Whiles, ’a wes -thinkin’ there wes none; but sin’ ’a’ve been soakin’ -this pairt o’ the gairden they’ve made ma life a -burrden. ’A ken fine there’s nae gairdener wull get to -heaven gin he has to deal much in life wi’ snails!” -said Hogg, desperately.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nasty beasts!” said Brownie sympathetically. -She shuddered as a crunching sound came from under -Hogg’s boot, and fled indoors; and the Scotchman -worked on, pondering upon the peculiar and painful -susceptibilities of women. “It makes ma heart glad -to scrunch ’em!” he reflected, demolishing half a -dozen of his enemies with a massive boot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The riders trotted into the stable yard, tired, but -cheerful.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Coming home was the best part of the day,” -said Norah, happily, slipping off and beginning to -unbuckle Bosun’s breastplate, leaving Garryowen -to Jim. Garryowen had carried her like a bird; but -Norah had a fancy for letting her own property go.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you can put Bosun in the stable to-night,” -her father said; “Monarch and Garryowen, too; -they deserve a bit of hard feed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And don’t Nan and Warder?” protested Jean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—but they aren’t used to it,” said Mr. -Linton, laughing. “These three are pampered -babies, and the others are matter-of-fact old stagers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nan’s a dear!” said Jean, indignantly. She -caressed the brown mare’s long nose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll slip over after tea and feed them,” Jim said. -“They’re a bit hot now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very well,” his father answered, leading Monarch -into the dark recesses of the stable and returning for -Bosun. “Better leave the others in the yard, too, -until you come over; then you can give them some -chaff, just to set Jean’s mind at rest.” He pulled -that lady’s hair gently. “Make haste, we’ve kept -poor Brownie unconscionably late.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie showed no signs of having been delayed. -She met them smilingly, and called Wally “poor -dear!” when he simulated extreme fatigue. Tea -was a mighty meal, and before it was over Norah -and Jean felt their eyelids drooping. It was still -very hot in the house. Outside, a wind began to -blow fitfully from the west.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go to bed, both of you!” ordered Mr. Linton, -as they rose from the table and went out through the -long windows upon the verandah. “You’re both -knocked up. What’s that light moving?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s Hogg, snail hunting,” Jim answered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll be fined for working him overtime some -day,” said his father. “Most of them are only too -glad to knock off, but Hogg’s a demon to work.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This isn’t work, it’s sport!” grinned Jim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think Hogg’s dreams would be haunted -by the screams of slaughtered snails!” Wally said. -“Wonder how many of their scalps he’s entitled to -wear at his saddle bow—slain in gentle and joyous -combat! He’s a mighty hunter.” He yawned, -cavernously. “Jim, if you want me to help you feed -those horses before I go to sleep you’d better hurry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come on,” Jim said, swinging himself over the -low railing of the verandah. “Then I’ll race you to -bed, if you like. Good-night, kids!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Kid yourself,” said Norah, in great scorn. “Jean, -first into the bath gets it!” Uttering this mystic -prediction, she kissed her father hastily, and fled -upstairs, with Jean toiling in her wake. Sounds of -much splashing kept the bathrooms lively for some -time. Then Billabong, clean, refreshed and profoundly -sleepy, tumbled into bed and became -oblivious of the world.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>* * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah woke from a confused dream of Hogg, -mounted on an immense Queensland bullock, and -chasing a battalion of snails down Mount Kosciusko. -Variety was lent to the vision by the fact that -Kosciusko had become an active volcano, and was -in wild eruption behind the Scotchman, who was -silhouetted blackly against a background of burning -lava. <span class='it'>And the snails were screaming.</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a moment she did not think she could be -awake. The ridiculous dream had been vivid, and -still the glow filled her room. Then again came the -sound she had dreamed, and Norah was suddenly -broad awake, and, flinging herself out of bed, fled -to the window. She uttered a cry, and tugged at -Jean frantically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whatever’s the matter?” asked Jean sleepily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Quick, tell Jim! Call him! Oh, hurry, Jean, -the stables are on fire. I’m going—the horses!” -She was groping for shoes and flinging on a coat. Then -she tore downstairs, shouting as she went. From -the stables, as she stumbled out upon the verandah, -came again the sound of her dreams, and she caught -her breath in a sob. For no one who has ever heard -it can forget the horror of a horse’s scream.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stables were burning fiercely. One end, the -westward end, that held the buggy house and harness -rooms, was a sheet of flame; but the fire had not -yet fairly seized upon the whole, although the door -of the loose boxes showed trails of smoke coming -from within. She could hear the trampling of hoofs, -jostling, terrified, and then a long whinny of utter -fear, rising again to a scream. Sobbing, she wrestled -with the stiff bolt of the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Across the garden came a shout—Jim’s voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come away from that, Norah! Come back, -dear. They’ll trample over the top of you.” He -was running desperately towards the little figure -against the lit building.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re burning!” said Norah, sobbing. The -fastening yielded, and she flung one door back, unable -to see anything for the dense smoke. She called -the horses by name, pushing open the lower door, -and had barely time to jump aside when Monarch -and Bosun bolted out, frantic with fear. Further -back, the scream came once more.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, it’s Garryowen!” Norah gasped, “and -his door’s shut; and if I don’t go in, Jim will.” -She took a long breath, a child’s fear fighting against -pity and love. Then she put her arm up, as if to -guard her eyes, and stumbled into the smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Within, it was almost impossible to breathe. -Fierce little shoots of fire came through cracks in the -wall that showed a mass of flame beyond; and the -heat was choking and deadly. Already the roof was -burning; the hay in the loft above had caught, and -the flames were shooting fifty feet above the stables. -In his box, Jim’s big bay thoroughbred was rearing -and kicking, mad with terror. Even when Norah -had managed to open his door, he would not come -out to face the unknown horrors. She called him, -trying to steady her voice—knowing that to venture -within his box in his maddened state was little -short of suicide. From outside she could hear Jim’s -voice, shouting for her, sharp with anxiety.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I’ll have to leave him!” Norah sobbed. -“The fire’s coming through the roof. Oh, Garry, dear, -do come out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Above the loose box the ceiling split open for -about a yard, and a shower of burning fragments -came down. They struck Garryowen on the -quarter—and the great horse, screaming, plunged -through the open door and out like a whirlwind to -the glimpse of star-lit sky that showed through the -further doorway. Behind him Norah staggered -feebly, brushing burning particles from her hair—holding -one hand across her mouth in the vain effort -to keep out the choking smoke. Within sight of -safety, consciousness left her; she tripped, falling -face downward on the wooden blocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean’s terrified voice at his door had awakened -Jim almost before Norah had flown downstairs. -The glow in his room did not put the fear into his -heart that flashed there at the stammering words—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Norah’s gone over!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Norah—she mustn’t!” the boy gasped. He -flung himself past Jean, shouting to her to warn the -rest of the house, and raced across to the burning -stables. At the gate of the yard Monarch and Bosun -almost were upon him—they swerved in their -maddened gallop, missing him by a hair’s breadth as -he ran. But there was no sign of the little sister.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He peered through the smoke wildly, calling to -her. For all that he knew, his own horse was already -out, safe in some dark corner of the yard; that -Norah had gone into the burning building did not -enter his head. He searched for her, shouting her -name more and more loudly. A sudden terror -came upon him lest the horses should have knocked -her down as they rushed out—he sprang to the open -doors, in sick fear of finding her hurt—senseless. -But nothing was visible—nothing but the rolling -clouds of flame-shot smoke. He paused, irresolute.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then he heard Norah’s voice at Garryowen’s -box, and even as he leapt forward, amazed and -despairing, came a clatter of hoofs on the wooden -pavement, as the bay horse bolted out in his last wild -dash for safety. His shoulder just brushed Jim as -he plunged through the doorway, but the touch -was enough to send the boy staggering back, almost -falling. He recovered himself with an effort, dashing -into the stable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Beyond him, above Garryowen’s loose box, the -roof split gradually, and the roar of inrushing flames -filled his ears. They lit up the dark interior, for a -moment even stronger than the cruel smoke. Then -he saw Norah at his feet. He picked her up, holding -her with her face pressed against him to save -her from the burning fragments that filled the -air—staggering out, grim and determined, with his -breath coming in choking gasps. Then his father’s -voice rang in his ears, and he saw Wally’s face dimly -and felt their hands as they drew him and his -burden to safety.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put Norah down on the grass gently, a limp, -unconscious figure. A voice he did not recognize -as belonging to him was gasping something about -water, and he heard Wally’s swift feet, that seemed -to go and come all at once——. They were splashing -water on Norah’s face, but she did not move; and -suddenly he heard a dry sob break from his father, -more terrible in its agony than any sound could ever -be again. Perhaps it was in answer to it that Norah’s -eyes flickered a little and presently they opened more -widely—red-rimmed eyes, half blind—and she -smiled at them faintly. Her smoke-grimed lips -moved in words that sounded like “all right.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim got to his feet and moved over to the fence, his -shoulders shaking as he gripped the pickets.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought she was dead,” he said; “I was jolly -well sure she was dead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Voices and shouting were coming from the men’s -hut. Behind him a long, thundering crash echoed -to the sky as the stable roof fell in. Then his -father’s hand was on his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Steady, old chap,” said David Linton, “she’s all -right. Get to the hose in the garden quickly, Jim. -The house has caught.”</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch11'>CHAPTER XI</h1></div> - -<h3>THE BATTLE UNDER THE STARS</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>This is the homestead—the still lagoon</p> -<p class='line0'>  Kisses the foot of the garden fence,</p> -<p class='line0'>Shimmering under a silver moon</p> -<p class='line0'>  In a midnight silence, cold and tense.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                        —<span class='it'>W. H. Ogilvie.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>S</span>ARAH, the housemaid, was at the big bell of the -station, ringing it wildly. Long after every -man and woman on Billabong was awake and busy, -Sarah continued to ring. She said afterwards that -it seemed to ease her!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A flying fragment from the burning loft had been -carried by the wind across the gardens to the oldest -part of the homestead—wooden rooms that were -now used as storerooms and out-offices. In five -minutes they were blazing fiercely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim and Wally had raced for the garden fence, vaulting -it, and landing in the midst of a bed of pansies.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lucky for us they weren’t roses!” gasped -Wally, picking himself up out of the soft soil. “A -fellow wants to have on more than pyjamas for this -sort of a lark!” They tore on, ploughing over -Hogg’s most cherished flower beds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is that blessed hose?” Jim uttered, -wrathfully. He dived into various dark corners -where taps existed. Then he stopped, frowning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hogg was mending it. Confound the delay!” -he said. “Start with the little one, Wal.; you know, -it’s near that palm you were climbing. I’ll find -Hogg.” Shouting, he ran round the corner of the -house, and collided violently with the gardener, -hurrying to meet him with the great rubber coil in -his hands. The shock sent them both staggering, -and Hogg sat down abruptly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ye took me—fair i’ the wind!” he gasped. -“Run on, laddie. A’ll get ma breath presently.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Flames were shooting from half the windows upstairs -when Jim at length got his hose to work. The -fire had caught the wooden balcony, spreading from -it to the upper rooms, and downstairs the kitchen -was burning, and the back verandah had caught. -Mr. Linton, running over after carrying Norah far -out of the way of heat, and leaving her in Jean’s care, -saw how the flames were being sucked into the house -through the wide-open back door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Won’t do!” he muttered. Dashing in through -the smoke, and gripping the almost red-hot door-handle -with his felt hat, he managed to slam the -door. He staggered off the verandah just as the -flooring collapsed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Black Billy, his eyes apparently starting out of -his sable face, was at his elbow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Run round and shut the front door, if it’s open, -Billy!” Mr. Linton said, coughing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Plenty!” murmured Billy. He disappeared -round the corner of the house, a black streak of fear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the eastern side the window of Mr. Linton’s -office stood open. The squatter swung himself -through it with the lightness of a boy, and ran to his -desk, which stood open, its roll-top flung back. It -held papers that must not be risked—he thrust them -into his overcoat pockets hurriedly; then, spreading -the cloth from a little table on the floor, he emptied -the drawers upon it, working by the dancing glow of -the flames that lit up all the surroundings. Already -the heat and smoke were almost unbearable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The safe’s fireproof,” he muttered, glancing -towards its corner—“that’s a comfort, anyhow!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was becoming untenable. Clouds of -smoke rolled in from the windows and crept, snake -fashion, under the door. On the side of the room -nearest the fire the plaster began to crack, and the -paper shrivelled on the wall. It was difficult to -breathe—David Linton’s panting gasps seemed to -choke him. He knew he could do no more. He -added to the heap on the table cloth the portrait -that always stood upon his desk—Jim and Norah’s -mother, sweet and young, smiling from her silver -frame. Then he gathered all into a bundle and -groped his way to the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Every available hose was already at work. The -hiss of the water, falling on the flames, sounded like -snakes angry at being disturbed. Beneath the -office window, flames were licking at the wall; the -woodwork at one side was blazing and crackling. -David Linton hesitated, one hand on the sill—it was -hot, and his load made him awkward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the garden came Jim’s shout.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Half a minute, Dad! Don’t try to get out yet!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stream of water from his hose played suddenly -upon the burning woodwork, splashing on the sill, -and sprinkling the man who stood waiting. Above -him the flames died out sullenly. Jim played on the -hot bricks of the wall for a moment, in fear less -already the fire in the house should be finding its way -into the office—then he shouted again, deflecting -the stream, and Mr. Linton climbed out, bringing his -bundle carefully after him. He carried it across the -garden, nodding at his son.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Behind the house, Murty O’Toole and Brownie -had organized a bucket brigade.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t carry buckets up to much,” Brownie -observed, “but I can pump a treat!” She worked -the force-pump manfully, never ceasing, though the -heat from the burning house made the metal portions -of the pump too hot to touch, and her plump -old face was crimson, and her breathing pitifully -distressed. Sarah and Mary were in the line, passing -the brimming buckets to the men with the easy -swing of young bush-trained muscles. Mr. Linton, -arriving at a run, shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s not a hope of saving this part,” he cried. -“We’d better concentrate on the front. Brownie, -you’re not to work like that—go over to the pepper -trees and look after Norah. No—I’d rather you did——” -as Brownie hesitated, unwillingly. “It would -really be a relief to me to know you were with her—she -said she had no burns, but I don’t see how she can -have escaped without any.” Even at that moment -a twinkle came to his eye, for at the hint Brownie -uttered a dismayed exclamation, and fled away across -the yard to her nursling. With Norah needing her, -the house might burn, indeed!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll save what we can from the front rooms, -Murty,” the squatter went on, leading the way with -rapid strides. “Some of you get to work with the -buckets—there are four of them hosing. It’s a -mercy the water pressure’s good.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They flung open the French windows in the front -of the house. Already every room was filled with -smoke; the men dashed in and out, holding their -breath—bringing out silver and pictures and books -first—the things that no insurance money could -replace. Jim, from his post near the tap, smiled a -trifle to see his father’s first load—his own silver -cups, trophies of his years at school. Stopping at -the edge of the lawn, Mr. Linton bowled them down -the sloping grass, and hastened back for more.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the window of the drawing-room came Dave -Boone and Black Billy, staggering under the piano. -At the edge of the verandah Billy’s end slipped and -jarred heavily upon the kerb, the strings setting up a -demoniacal jangle. Billy uttered a yell of terror, -and bolted down the lawn, being recalled with great -difficulty by Mr. Boone, who expressed a harassed -wish to “break his useless black neck.” But the -dusky one firmly refused to touch the piano again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That pfeller debbil-debbil!” he said. “Baal -me hump him any more.” He rescued the drawing-room -fire-irons with heroic determination, while -Mr. Linton came to the assistance of the bereft Mr. -Boone, whose wrath was tending towards apoplexy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lee Wing held the nozzle of one hose firmly -directed upon a dangerous point. He was a peculiar -spectacle. The prudence characteristic of the gentle -Chinaman had induced him to put on as many clothes -as possible before leaving his hut, and he was attired -in at least three suits. They were uncomfortable, -but he had the consolation of knowing where they -were; and a spark might send his hut up in smoke at -any moment. Upon his bullet head were four hats, -each pulled down firmly. His pockets bulged with -miscellaneous possessions, his pigtail floated behind -him. If the worst should come to the worst, Lee -Wing was clearly prepared to start back to China.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His hereditary enemy, Hogg, worked not far off. -As a rule the feud between the gardeners did not -slumber, but just now they were as brothers. Hogg’s -mind was too full of woe over the destruction of his -garden to be troubled by what he was wont to call -contemptuously the Yaller Peril, and Lee Wing, his -trim expanse of vegetables well out of harm’s way, -felt something resembling pity for his competitor, -whose flower beds were mere highways for trampling -feet. Even as they looked, Billy dashed out of the -house carrying a heavy carved box—Jim’s handiwork—and -dropped it upon a delicate rose bush with a -loud, satisfied grunt. At the spectacle of slaughter -Hogg gave a heavy groan and a sudden involuntary -movement of the hand that held the nozzle of his -hose. It turned the stream of water from its course—a -matter of which Hogg, gazing open-mouthed at -the destruction of his hopes, was quite unconscious, -until a wrathful shout brought him back to earth -with a start. Then he realized that he was hosing -Jim vigorously, deaf to his very justifiable remarks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What on earth are you up to?” sang out the -dripping Jim. He burst out laughing at the Scotchman’s -dismayed face. “I’m not sorry for the bath, -Hogg, but the house needs it more!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Losh!” gasped Hogg, gazing at his handiwork—paralysed -past any possibility of apologizing. He -swung the stream of water again to the fire, muttering -horrified ejaculations in broad Scotch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stable had almost burned itself out. A dull, -red glow came from the smoking bed of coals that -smouldered angrily between the broken and blackened -brick walls. One of these had fallen, with a -crash that echoed round the hills; the others still -stood, black holes gaping in them where windows had -been, like staring eyes that watched the ruin of the -pride of Billabong—for there had been no such stables -in the district. Harvey’s little plan had hit even harder -than that ingenious gentleman had anticipated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Beyond the fences the cattle stood in interested -groups, fascinated by the fire; further off were the -horses, thrilled with more fear than the stolid -bullocks, but unable to tear themselves from the -mysterious glow. But Monarch and Garryowen and -Bosun were away at the farthest corner of the homestead -paddock, quivering and starting yet, their -hearts still pounding at the memory of the terrible -moments in the burning stable; and on Garryowen’s -quarter were round, burnt patches, while half of his -tail was singed off. Yet pain was not so dreadful -to the big thoroughbred as Fear—fear that he could -not understand, that had come to him in the darkness, -and was yet knocking at his heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the house the fire was slackening. Billabong -was built of solid brick, so that there was not a great -deal of inflammable material for the flames to fasten -upon; and they had been discovered soon—not -allowed, as in the stables, to obtain a firm hold. The -defence had been prompt and thorough. David Linton -blessed the forethought, coupled with the love of -his garden, that had made him equip the homestead -with water laid on from the river as well as with many -tanks. They had needed it all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was at the hose now, having relieved Jim, to -whom the business of standing still and holding a -nozzle had been no light penance, despite the necessity -of the proceeding. One of the men had taken -Wally’s place, and the boys had dashed off on a tour -of the homestead, to look for any possibility of a -further outbreak. David Linton looked at what -remained of his house, his mouth stern—going back -in memory to the time of its building, and the old, -perfect companionship that had been by his side. -Now the rooms that he and his wife had planned were -black, smoking ruins, and the roses she had planted -were shrivelled masses on the wall. There was no -part of the house that did not have its memories of -her, so vivid that often it seemed to him that he saw -her yet, flitting about its wide corridors and the -rooms that even until now had borne the magic of -her touch. All the years the home had helped him to -fight his loneliness and his longing. Now——. He -stared at it with eyes suddenly grown old.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then across the grass came a little odd figure—Norah, -still grimy with smoke, and very shaky, with -Brownie’s arm near her to help, and Jean not far off. -Norah, her coat open over her blue pyjamas, and her -hair, in her own phrase, “all anyhow,” about her, -and her grey eyes swimming as she looked from the -house to her father’s face. David Linton put down -the hose and held out his hand to her silently, and -Norah clung to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Daddy, poor old Daddy!” she whispered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim came round the corner with long strides; even -odder than Norah, for he had not waited to put any -overcoat over his pyjamas, and he had been drenched -and dried, and blackened and torn, until he resembled -a scarecrow in an advanced stage of disrepair. He -gripped his father’s free hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s not so bad, Dad!” he said, cheerily. “Lots of -the old place left. We’ll all build it up again, Dad!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton smiled at his children, suddenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Right, mates!” he said. “We’ll build it up -again!”</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch12'>CHAPTER XII</h1></div> - -<h3>BURNT OUT</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And the creek of life goes wandering on,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Wandering by;</p> -<p class='line0'>And bears for ever its course upon</p> -<p class='line0'>    A song and a sigh.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                          —<span class='it'>Henry Lawson.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span> DROVER on the road with store cattle miles -away saw the glow in the sky that night, and -reported it next morning to a farmer driving in to -Cunjee; and before noon half the township seemed -to be out at the station.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Little Dr. Anderson, in his motor, was the first to -appear. He found the Billabong inhabitants straying -about the ruins to see what remained to them. -The overseer’s cottage and the men’s hut had given -them shelter for the remnant of the night after the -fire had been finally extinguished, except Mr. Linton -and Jim, who remained on guard until morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Within, the devastation was only partial. Most -of the rooms in front were practically untouched, -though all had been damaged by water. The back -of the house had suffered most; little but the walls -were left. Jim brought a long ladder for further -explorations, for the stairs were unsafe, being burnt -through in two places. He found that the rooms -belonging to his father, Norah and himself bore -traces of flood rather than of fire. The walls were -cracked with heat, but otherwise they were intact. -But the water had done its worst, and he groaned over -the spectacle of Norah’s pretty room, its red carpet a -vision of discoloured slush, and the white furniture -stained and blistered. All its little adornments were -lying in confused heaps, swept down by the water. -It was a gruesome sight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Within the wardrobe and chest of drawers, however, -clothes were unhurt. Jim took up a rope and -lowered bundles down to his father, so that when -Norah and Jean awoke, very late in the morning, -it was to find clean raiment laid out for them by -Brownie, and breakfast waiting for them in Mrs. -Evans’s neat little kitchen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Isn’t it a mercy?” Jean confided to Norah. -“Last night it didn’t seem to matter at all running -round before all Billabong in a nighty and a coat, but -I went to sleep wondering how they’d look in the -daytime!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie and the maids were the most to be pitied, -for they had lost everything but a few cherished -possessions, snatched up as they ran out of the house. -Mary and Sarah were not hard to clothe—but Mrs. -Brown was a different proposition. The united -wardrobes of Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Willis, the men’s -cook, contrived something in the nature of a rig-out -by dint of ripping out gathers and tucks and using -innumerable safety pins. “I’m covered, if not -clothed!” said Brownie, “an’ thankful to be anything!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton had resolutely put away his trouble, -and was inspecting the remains with a keen, businesslike -face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a matter of restoring rather than rebuilding,” -he told Dr. Anderson, who was spluttering with -indignation still, more than an hour after his arrival. -“The insurance should cover the damage, I fancy; -and the back of the house can be built after more -modern notions, which won’t be a disadvantage. -The stables? No—they will go up again precisely -as they were. And the place will look the same, in -the main; we don’t want it altered. It will look -abominably new, of course; our old mantle of ivy -and virginia creeper is destroyed, and the walls will -be bare for a long while. Poor old Hogg is mourning -over his dead roses and the general havoc in his -garden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, you take it calmly!” said the little doctor, -explosively.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No good doing anything else,” he answered. -“And, after all, I have such immense cause for -thankfulness in getting Norah out of that confounded -place unhurt, that nothing else really matters. It’s -a nuisance, of course, and what I’m to do with the -youngsters’ holidays I don’t know; it’s pretty rough -on them. But—good Lord, Anderson! I want to -go and feel the child whenever I look at her, to make -sure that she’s really all right! It seems incredible—I -never saw so hideously close a shave!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Norah’s absolutely matter of fact over it,” the -doctor said. “I rebuked her in my best professional -manner for doing such a mad thing, and she looked -at me in mild surprise, and remarked, ‘Why, if I -hadn’t, Jim would have gone!’ It seemed to finish -the argument as far as she was concerned. Wonder -if your fellows have got Harvey?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they’re bound to get him,” the squatter -answered. “And I wouldn’t care to be Harvey when -they do.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Murty O’Toole had commenced detective operations -with break of day. He had not ceased to abuse -himself for failing to be at the stables in time to help.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A set of useless images,” said he, in profound -scorn. “Slapin’ an’ snorin’ like so manny fat pigs—an’ -Miss Norah an’ Masther Jim on the shpot! Bad -luck to the heat an’ the races!—ivery man jack of -us was aslape almost before we was in bed, ’twas that -tired we was. But that’s no excuse!” Murty -refused to be comforted, and only derived faint -solace from the determination to find out the cause of -the fire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It did not require sleuth-hound abilities. The -little paddock had burned in patches, for here and -there were green expanses of clover that had checked -the fire, and the hawthorn hedge had helped to stop it -at the boundary; but the west wind had taken it -straight across to the stables, and in the morning -light the brown, burnt ground led Murty quickly to -the clump of lemon gums. Behind them a kerosene -tin stood, inverted, and the burn began there. -When the stockman picked it up the blackened square -of charred grass beneath it showed out sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That ain’t the kind of thing that happens wid an -accident,” said Murty between his teeth. He looked -further.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Behind the burnt ground, the place where a man -had lain was easily visible in the long grass. There -were cigarette butts in plenty, and a little further -away an empty cigarette box. Murty pounced upon -it in triumph.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Humph!” he said. “Harvey smokes that -brand—an’ no wan else on Billabong.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then the whisky bottle, half hidden in the hedge, -caught his eye, and he picked it up. He was sure -now. The smell of fresh spirit was still in it; and he -had seen the bottle in Harvey’s room two days before. -And, with that, black rage came over Murty’s -honest heart, and for five minutes his remarks about -the absent Harvey might have withered that individual’s -soul, had he indeed possessed such a thing. -Then Murty replaced his evidence, and went for Mr. -Linton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He led the men away from the homestead an hour -later, each as keen and as enraged as himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mind, boys, you’ve promised not to hurt him,” -David Linton said, “He’ll get all that’s coming to -him—but I won’t have the station take the law into -its hands. We can’t be absolutely certain.” The -men were certain: but they had promised, unwillingly -enough. They went down the paddock at a -hand-gallop, with set, angry faces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally had ridden into Cunjee, to send telegrams -and letters, and with an amazing list to be telephoned -to Melbourne shops, since the township could not -rise to great heights in the way of personal effects, -saddlery, or even groceries. Billabong was, in -patches, blankly destitute. Not a decent saddle was -left, save those belonging to the men: buggies, harness, -tools, horse feed—all had gone in the destruction -of the stables. Norah and Jean were completely -hatless, their head gear having been downstairs; -and as Jim was wont to keep most of his every-day -possessions in a downstairs bathroom where he -shaved and dressed, he had nothing left but his best -clothes, and a Panama sternly reserved, as a rule, for -trips to Melbourne.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nice sort of a Johnny you look, to be wandering -round ther—ruined ancestral hall!” Wally told him -derisively. “You might be a bright young man on -the stage. It’s hardly decent and filial for you to -think so much of personal adornment at a time like -this!” Further eloquence was checked by sudden -action on the part of his friend, who was too unhappy -over his own grandeur to bear meekly any jibes on -its account. He had headed the telephone list with -urgent messages for riding breeches and leggings, -and a felt hat of the kind his soul desired. There was -something little short of appalling to Jim in finding -himself suddenly without any old clothes!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Following Dr. Anderson came riders from other -stations, policemen from two or three scattered townships, -and many other people anxious to help, so that -the fences near the homestead were soon thickly -occupied with horses “hung up” in every patch of -shade. There was, of course, nothing to do. Nor -could Billabong even maintain its reputation for -hospitality, since it had been left almost without -provisions. The storeroom containing the main -quantities of groceries, as well as the meat house, had -been amongst the first parts of the house to catch. -Bags of flour could be seen, burst open, in the ruins, -and thick masses of what looked like very badly-burned -toffee, and had been sugar. The men’s hut -had fed the exiles, and further supplies would be -brought out from Cunjee by Evans in his buggy—the -only vehicle, except the station carts and drays, -left on Billabong.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s really rather like being cast on a desert -island,” said Jean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess it’s like that to all the people who have -come out,” she said. “Just fancy, Jean, we can’t -even give them a cup of tea. There’s milk, and that’s -all there is. Isn’t it awful?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the visitors had not come to be fed. They -condoled, and looked round the ruins, and made -strong and unavailing comments, and then, in the -Australian fashion, offered all they had, from their -houses to their buggies, to fill in any deficiencies. -Invitations to find shelter at neighbouring places -poured in upon Mr. Linton and his family. The -squatter would not leave the homestead, but he considered -the question of sending Jean and Norah to -spend a week in Mrs. Anderson’s friendly care, finally -referring the matter to the girls themselves, and finding -them so horrified at the idea that he promptly -withdrew it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want to crowd Evans’s cottage out -altogether,” he said, half apologetically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Mrs. Evans has a spare room, and she lets -us wash up, and I’m going to bath the baby to-night!” -said Norah. “And she wants us to stay—and -Jim and Wally and you are going to sleep in -the tents, anyhow. Oh, Daddy, don’t send us away. -I would hate it so!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right, all right, you needn’t go!” rejoined her -father, laughing. “But it will be very dull for Jean: -you can’t ride or drive, and the cottage isn’t as comfortable -in this heat as Billabong.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Jean reassured him, hastily. She had no -desire to migrate to a world of strangers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is hot, though, Daddy, that’s a fact,” said -Norah. “I was thinking——” She broke off, -watching him a little doubtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When you think in that tone, I have generally no -chance of escape,” said he. “What is it this time?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, there’s another little tent.” Norah hesitated, -half laughing. “Jim would put it up and fix -up bunks for us. Couldn’t we come and join your -camp down there?” She pointed towards the -lagoon, where Jim had already taken two small tents -and was hunting about for ridge poles. The bank -looked cool and shady, fringed with groves of wattles -and big box trees. “We could keep our things up -at Mrs. Evans’s cottage, and dress there: but it -would be lovely to sleep in a tent. That little room -is certainly hot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton pondered. The lagoon was only a -hundred yards from the cottage. Certainly, there -was no great objection to the plan. And Norah was -still bearing traces of the previous night, in white -cheeks and heavy eyes: it was hard to refuse her -anything in reason.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, you may,” he said, “if you can arrange -matters with Jim.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, can we, Daddy? You are the blessedest——!” -said Norah. Suddenly he was alone. Two -strenuous figures in blue frocks descended upon the -hapless Jim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whatever’s the matter?” Jim asked, looking up -as they raced down upon him. “Not another fire? -And aren’t you two hot enough without doing Sheffield -handicaps across here?” He had borrowed a -pair of blue dungaree trousers from the wardrobe of -Mr. Evans, and was, in consequence, much happier.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Want you to put us up a tent,” Norah said, -cheerfully. “You don’t mind, do you, Jimmy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim whistled. “What does Dad say?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Says we can if you’ll fix it. You will, Jimmy, -won’t you? We’ll help you ever so. It would be -so lovelier than sleeping in a hot little room!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, all right,” said her easy-going brother. -“You’ll have to make yourselves scarce in the mornings, -you know—this is our bathing place.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, we know. We’ll do whatever you say,” -said Norah, with amazing meekness. “You’re a -brick, Jimmy. Shall we carry down the tent? I -know where it is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, you won’t,” said Jim, severely. “You can’t -try to commit suicide over-night and then make yourself -a beast of burden in the morning. Wal. and I can -bring it when he comes out; he ought to be back -soon. Just you sit down in the shade and think of -your sins.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That won’t keep me busy,” Norah retorted. But -she did as she was told, and they sat peacefully under -a big weeping willow until Mrs. Evans summoned -them to dinner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After lunch there was nothing to be done at the -homestead. Mr. Linton had gone to Cunjee in Dr. -Anderson’s motor to transact much business and talk -on the telephone to Melbourne insurance people and -building contractors. Wally appeared about three -o’clock, hot and dusty, and reported the condition of -the township.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Every one’s talking fire,” he said. “The police -and half the men are out after Harvey. I’ve never -seen Cunjee so excited—it seems quite appropriate -that they’ve still got the Christmas decorations in the -streets! They’re considerably withered, of course, -but it seems to indicate that something’s in the air. -I guess Harvey will have a lively time when they -catch him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wish I could be in at the death,” said Jim, grimly. -His father’s wish had kept him from joining the pursuit, -but he had stayed unwillingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it wouldn’t be bad fun, would it? Wonder -is they haven’t got him already. He must be pretty -well planted,” Wally said. “He’s certainly the man -you’ve got to thank: if he’d a clear conscience he’d -be in Cunjee now, instead of nobody knows where. -Whew—w, it is hot! Come and have a swim, Jim.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No swim for you yet awhile,” Jim told him, -grimly. “You’ve got to come and fix camp.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me?” asked Wally, blankly. “Of all the unsympathetic, -slave-driving wretches——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s so,” grinned his chum. “All the -same, you’ve got to come.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I felt there was something in the wind,” said -Wally, lugubriously. “I left you as beautiful as a -tailor’s block, and looking very like one, only woodener, -in your best suit; and I find you in dungarees -and a shirt, and hideously happy. It isn’t fair, and -me so hot. Isn’t he a brute, Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not this time,” laughed Norah. “You see, it’s -our tent you’ve got to fix. Go on, and we’ll get a -billy from Mrs. Evans and brew afternoon tea for you -down by the lagoon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So they spent the hot hours in the shade, while the -boys made the little camp ship-shape, their tent and -that of Mr. Linton close together near the bank, and -the girls’ a little way off in a clump of young wattles. -Jim fixed up bunks in bushman fashion, with saplings -run through bags endways, and supported on -crossed sticks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You won’t want any mattresses on those,” he -said: “they’re fit for anyone. What about blankets, -Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Brownie’s been drying the ones you amateur firemen -soaked last night,” said his sister, unkindly. -“They’re all water-marked, of course, but they’re -quite good enough for camping.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“First rate,” Jim agreed. “We’ll get ’em. -Come along, Wally.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“More toil!” groaned that gentleman, who had -been working with the cheerful keenness he put into -all his doings. “Why did I come here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor dear, then!” said a cheerful, fat voice. -The creaking of a wheelbarrow accompanied it, and -preceded Mrs. Brown, who came into view wheeling -a load of bedclothes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Brownie, you shouldn’t, you bad young thing!” -exclaimed Wally. He dashed to take the barrow, -and was routed ignominiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never you mind—I can manage me own little -lot,” said Brownie, cheerfully. She pulled up, -panting a little. “Lucky for me it was all down hill; -I don’t know as I could have managed to get it up -a rise.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You oughtn’t to have wheeled that load at all,” -Jim said, with an excellent attempt at sternness. It -appeared to afford Brownie great amusement, and -she chuckled audibly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bless you, it pulled me here!” she answered. “I -come down at no end of a pace. Now haven’t you -got it all just as nice as it can be. Makes me nearly -envious!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll fix up a tent for you, if you like,” Jim told -her. “Just say the word.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not for me, thank you,” said Brownie, hastily. -“This open-air sleeping notion is all very well for -them as likes it—but I’m used to four walls an’ a -winder. I like something you can lock—an’ where -can you lock a tent, Master Jim?—tell me that!” -She propounded this unanswerable query with an air -of triumph. “Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to any -bunk to put me into it, bunks not bein’ built on my -lines. I’d hate to come down in the night, like that -there Philistine idol in the Bible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, you wouldn’t have far to fall!” said Jim, -laughing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, but any distance is far enough when -you’re my weight,” Brownie responded, with dignity. -“Now, Miss Norah an’ Miss Jean, seein’ as how I’ve -got my breath again, I think we’d better start bedmaking.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t you bother, Brownie; we can fix up our -own,” Jim said, politely—and greatly hoping that -his politeness would have no effect. It had none.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Humph!” said Mrs. Brown. “Handy you -may be with tools an’ horses, Master Jim, but I -never yet did see the man or boy that was handy -with bedmaking. I’ve noticed that bedclothes -seem to paralyse a man’s common sense when he -starts to make a bed; he don’t seem to be able to -realize what relation they have to the mattress. -Generally he fights with them quite desperate, and -gets them nearly tied in knots before the job’s done. -So just you two lie there peaceful, an’ me an’ the -young ladies will do it in two twos.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boys’ bedmaking ambition was of no soaring -nature, and they were very content to “lie peaceful,” -watching the sun dip behind the trees that fringed -the lagoon. Then came Mr. Linton, who nodded -approval of the workmanlike camp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“First rate!” he said, warmly. “For destitute -and burnt-out people, we shan’t fare too badly.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rather not!” Jim answered. “How did you -get on, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, all right. Telephone was as indistinct as -usual, but I managed to say a good deal of what I -wanted through it. There will be an insurance man -down to-morrow.” Mr. Linton smiled at the bedmakers, -who came out of the last tent and settled -down under the trees thankfully. “They’ve found -Harvey,” he concluded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Found the brute, have they?” Jim exclaimed. -“What did he have to say, Dad? Did they hurt -him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Harvey had had luck,” said Mr. Linton, slowly. -“He’d hurt himself first.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How? Tell us, Dad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, they hunted most of the day before they -got him. They had every road searched before noon, -the police were in communication with all the townships -in the district, and there was no sign of him. -Then the men left the roads and went across country, -hunting up the river and along any creek, and -through scrub. But I don’t think Mr. Harvey would -have trusted himself in scrub without a horse.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not he!” Jim agreed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Murty found him. He was riding across the -Duncans’ big plain, and thought he heard a coo-ee; -but there was no cover anywhere, and he couldn’t -see a man wherever he looked. But he rode about, -and found him at last in a little bit of a hollow. Murty -said you might have ridden past it a hundred times -and never have seen anyone. Harvey had shouted -once, but when he saw that it was Murty he was -afraid to call again, and tried to lie low.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Couldn’t he walk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He broke his leg last night,” Mr. Linton answered. -“The poor wretch has had a pretty bad -time. He was jumping over a log, he says, and came -down with one leg in a crab-hole, and it twisted, and -threw him down. He didn’t know it was broken at -first, but he found he couldn’t use it. So he crawled -away from the log, being afraid of snakes, and got a -couple of hundred yards into the paddock. Since -then he’s kept still.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What—out in the open?” Jim asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes; not a scrap of cover. And think of the day -it’s been—it was 112° in the shade in Cunjee—and -Harvey wasn’t in the shade. He told Murty he was -badly thirsty before he got hurt, and had been -looking for water. His leg is in a bad state, -and he must have had a terrible day. Murty came -in for the doctor, and we went for him in the car—of -course, Murty could do nothing on horseback. Harvey -was a bit delirious by the time we got to him. -Anderson says he’ll be three months in hospital.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whew-w!” whistled Wally. “Three months!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then he’ll have three munce to reflect on the -error of his ways!” said Brownie, implacably. -“Oh, I know me feelings aren’t Christian, an’ I don’t -set a good example to the young; but what did he -want to go and do it for?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Break his leg? But did he want to?” Jim -grinned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know very well I don’t mean his wretched -little leg,” Brownie said, testily. “He never had no -call to burn us all out. Now he’s broke his leg, an’ -you’ll think he’s an object of sympathy an’ compassion, -an’ nex’ thing Miss Norah’ll be visitin’ him in -the ’Ospital an’ holdin’ his hand an’ givin’ him jelly!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By gad, she won’t!” uttered Norah’s father, -with satisfying emphasis. “There are limits, -Brownie. But it’s all very well for you to talk—if -you’d seen the poor little weed you’d have been -sorry for him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not me!” Brownie answered, truculently. “I -only got to think of Miss Norah in that horrid stable, -an’ every soft feelin’ leaves me, like a moulting hen.” -Brownie’s similes were apt to be mixed, and nobody -marked them. “Does he say why he did it? He’s -got nerve enough to stick out that he never lit it at -all!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, no, he hasn’t—not now,” said Mr. Linton. -“He admitted it to Murty meekly enough, and Murty -says he was awfully taken aback at hearing the -amount of the damage; he said he only thought of -burning the grass. Whether his concern is for my -loss or the possible results to himself, I’m not -clear. I don’t regard him as exactly a philanthropist.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie snorted wrathfully as they rose to go up -to the cottage. The sun had set, and Mrs. Evans -was calling from the hill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t give him credit for no decent motives at -all,” she said. “He’s bad right through—an’ don’t -you ask me to be sorry for him—he’ll have three -munce takin’ it easy in ’Ospital, livin’ on the fat of -the land an’ doin’ no work—an’ that’ll just suit -Harvey! I got no patience with that sort of worm -in sheep’s clothing!” She subsided, muttering -darkly, and Wally offered her his arm up the hill, -while Jim wheeled the barrow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie dropped her voice as they neared the -cottage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, well,” she said—and paused. “I don’t suppose -them gaol ’Ospitals is exackly dens of luxury. -If you an’ Master Jim, Master Wally, think as how a -little strong soup or meat jelly might go in to that -poor, wicked, depraved little wretch——?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fattening him for the slaughter, eh, Brownie?” -asked Wally, gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s it,” said the fierce Mrs. Brown, accepting -the suggestion with ardour. “P’r’aps he -mightn’t get what he deserves if he looked pale an’ -thin at his trile!” She mused over the matter. -“Wonder if they feed ’em on skilly when they’re in -’Ospital,” she pondered. “An’ a leg like that. -Well, well, we’re all ’uman, after all, an’ likely his -mother never did much by him—he looks as if he had -growed up casual! You find out about that soup, -Master Wally.” And Wally nodded, his eyes kindly -as he smiled at the broad, motherly face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Makes you feel a bit small, though,” he confided -to Jim later on. “Because I’m not in the least sorry -for Harvey. I think he deserved all he got, and more, -and these beggars don’t mind gaol. Suppose I’m a -hard-hearted brute!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m another,” Jim responded. “When I -think of young Norah—and the horses! I guess my -poor old Garryowen had about as bad a time as Harvey. -Says he never thought of the house! Well, he -lit the grass three hundred yards from it, with a west -wind blowing—that’s all! When I can work up any -sorrow for Harvey I’ll let you know!” And the -stern and unmoved pair sought the lagoon for a final -swim before “turning in.”</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/illo-160.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0005' style='width:90%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>“ ‘Brownie, you shouldn’t, you bad young thing!’ ”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 id='ch13'>CHAPTER XIII</h1></div> - -<h3>BEN ATHOL</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>There are stars of gold on the Wallaby Track,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And silver the moonbeams glisten,</p> -<p class='line0'>The great Bush sings to us, out and back.</p> -<p class='line0'>  And we lie in her arms and listen.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                            —<span class='it'>W. H. Ogilvie.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span> WEEK went by—a week of blinding heat, ending -in a cool change, accompanied by a gale of -wind that almost blew the tents and their occupants -into the lagoon. Then the weather settled to glorious -conditions, neither hot nor cold—long days of -sunshine, and nights chilly enough to make the -campers enjoy a fire by the water’s edge while they -fished for their breakfast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But, on the whole, it was dull. The new saddles -had not arrived from Melbourne, so that riding was -out of the question. In any case it was deemed wiser -not to ride Monarch and Garryowen and Bosun too -soon. Norah and Jim had them yarded each day, -and they caught and handled them, dressing Garryowen’s -burns, and petting all three—talking to them -and leading them about while they hunted for the -milk-thistles horses love. Gradually the quivering -nerves steadied down, and the memory of their -terror faded. But Garryowen would never face fire -again; a tiny blaze was too much for him, and even -smoke sent him into a panic. Even kindness could -not make him forget the moments when he had been -a rat in a burning trap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They fished and walked—moderately; walking -was not a Billabong characteristic; and helped Mrs. -Evans and Brownie, and worshipped the Evans baby—that -is to say, Jean and Norah did, and Jim and -Wally pretended not to; and they watched Hogg -glowering as he worked in his ruined garden, and -wished business did not detain Mr. Linton during -nearly every hour of the day. It was hard to settle -to anything. Possibly they were feeling a natural -reaction after the strain of the night of the fire. But -as none of the four would have known what reaction -meant, no one suggested it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were all in the boat one exquisite evening, -floating lazily among the water lilies on the lagoon, -and pretending to fish—a transparent pretence, since -frequent snagging on the lily stems had made every -angler disgusted, and had brought all the lines out of -the water. Then Mr. Linton appeared on the bank -and they pulled in and took him on board, giving him -the place of honour in the stern.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is the most peaceful thing I’ve done since -we became a burnt-offering,” he said, as they drifted -away from the shore. He lit his pipe and leaned -back contentedly. “Well—business is done!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank goodness!” from Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I quite agree with you,” said her father. “To -be burnt out is bad enough, but it’s an added penance -to be forced to put in time as I’ve been doing. I’m -sick of the sight of insurance people, and policemen, -and architects, and contractors!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you made all arrangements, Dad?” Jim -asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So far as I can. But the men I want to employ -can’t begin rebuilding for three weeks at least, -possibly a month; and then the job will be a long one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then I won’t see it before I go back to school!” -came from Norah, disgustedly. “Oh, I’m so -sorry!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; and I’m sorry, too,” said her father. -“But it can’t be helped. The fire has done unpleasant -things to your holidays, my girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Just you wait until I begin growling!” Norah -said, laughing. “I’m having lovely holidays, truly, -only I’m disappointed that I can’t see the house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’ve a plan,” said David Linton, slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah sat up so briskly that the boat rocked violently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have a little sense, Nor.!” came from Jim. -“Sit still, or you’ll be smacked and turned out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get out yourself!” said his sister, inelegantly. -“When Dad has a plan in that voice it is time to sit -up! Tell us, Dad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How about Ben Athol?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ben Athol!” Jim whistled. “By Jove, Dad, -that’s an idea!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” said Norah. “Didn’t I tell you it was -time to sit up!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ben Athol towered from the low ranges to the -north of Billabong, beyond the stations and out to -the wild country that was No Man’s Land because of -its steepness and inaccessibility. “Old hands” told -stories of well grassed valleys in the ranges, where -stock might be pastured; of a mountain river, flowing -clear as crystal all the year round, in a way very -unlike the usual habit of Australian rivers. But -comparatively few white men knew anything about -the country between the hills. Blacks were reputed -to camp there—some miserable, scattered families, -who came into the townships as winter approached -to beg for food and blankets, sometimes to hang about -all through the cold months, a thievish, filthy pest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Snow lay for the winter months upon the brow of -Ben Athol. In spring, when the warm sun melted -the great white cap, it slid away gradually, and the -big peak stood out, dark blue among the lesser hills. -Always it seemed to Norah like a friend.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For two years they had talked of climbing it. -But the expedition required some organizing, for it -was three days’ ride even to the last township that -nestled at the foot of the hills. Then came a day’s -stiff climbing for horses, after which it was only -possible to proceed on foot, if one wanted to reach the -peak. Few were adventurous enough to want to -do so.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I think we may as well go,” said Mr. -Linton, when his excited family calmed down. “I -have been turning over various plans in my mind for -the last few days, for we can’t stop here; it’s too dismal -to look at the old place. We’re all in good form, -fit for such a ride. I don’t quite know about Jean.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, please,” said Jean, in a small shriek. “I -can, quite easily. Truly, Mr. Linton.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure she’s all right, Dad,” Norah put in. -“She wasn’t a bit stiff after that long day we had in -the Far Plain.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, that was a pretty fair test,” Mr. Linton -remarked. “Anyhow, we can’t start for a few days, -so you had better ride a good deal, to get into form. -The saddles will be out to-day. But we shan’t use -them for the trip—new saddles aren’t advisable for a -journey like that—we’d probably have the horses -with sore backs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rather,” Jim said. “I’m never really friends -with a saddle until it has been re-stuffed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they are like new boots—they must get -accustomed to a horse,” Mr. Linton answered. -“We’ll have to exchange with the men. Murty will -see that the new ones are looked after. We’ll use -the old ones from to-day, so that you girls can find -out which are the most comfortable for you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right,” nodded Norah. “When do you -think we’ll start, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is Thursday—we’ll get away on Monday -morning,” her father replied. “We’ll take Billy, to -lead a packhorse and make himself generally useful. -It will not be necessary to carry a great amount of -provisions, because we can lay in a stock of food at -the various townships as we go. Atholton is the last -one, at the foot of the ranges, and I’ve sent a note to -the storekeeper there, telling him to have various -things ready for us. Until then we need only have a -day’s rations. We’ll take a tent for you girls——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, need you, Dad? Can’t we put up a wurley?” -Norah begged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Mr. Linton, firmly. “We don’t know -if we’ll always be in timber to make wurleys, and -it’s as well to be prepared for bad weather. That -little tent is no trouble to take, and, as it’s waterproof, -it will make an excellent covering for the -pack. We’ll take some fishing tackle. They say -the fishing in that mountain stream is very good. -For the rest, Norah, you and I will have a heart-to-heart -talk with Brownie. I believe it will make the -old soul quite happy to have to cook for an expedition -again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The time until Monday seemed all a cheerful -bustle of preparation. Jean and Norah rode each -day, generally with Wally in attendance, since Jim -and his father had much to do together. There were -jobs of moving cattle from one paddock to another; -of riding round the Queensland bullocks, now settling -down contentedly in the Bush Paddock, and only -becoming excited when the three riders tried to -count them; of inspecting the fences, with sharp -eyes alert for a broken panel or a sagging wire. No -one at Billabong need ever ride aimlessly; there -was always work of this kind—work that the three -regarded as the best possible fun. And always they -talked of next week’s expedition, and made quite -a hundred thousand plans in connection with it. -Jean had never been camping out in her life, and, -considering how calm a person she was ordinarily, -it became almost alarming to behold her state of -simmering excitement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton sternly hunted his flock to bed early on -Sunday evening, and dawn, had scarcely broken -next morning when they were astir, Norah and Jean -running hurriedly to the Cottage to dress, while -Murty dismantled their little tent, and had it, with -the bags that formed their bunks, neatly packed -and made ready for transport. Breakfast was -despatched hastily by all but Mr. Linton, who declined -altogether to bestir himself unduly, and -demanded of his excited charges if they had visions -of catching a train? Finally, they were all in the -saddle, the horses fidgeting and dancing with -excitement—save the packhorse, who looked upon -the world with an embittered gaze, and Black Billy’s -scrawny piebald, old Bung Eye, who was supposed -to be proof against any kind of excitement whatever.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now do come back safe an’ sound, all of you!” -Brownie begged. “Me nerves have had enough to -bear lately; I don’t want any broken heads or -cracked legs. An’ if you find a gold mine out there, -then I’ll give notice, if you please, sir, an’ take out -a miner’s right, an’ go off makin’ me fortune!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anybody in this party finding a gold mine is -hereby ejected summarily!” said Mr. Linton, -promptly. “The penalty would be too heavy to -make the find worth while.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll live and die poor, but we’ll keep you, -Brownie!” Jim told her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me own prospects don’t seem to matter much -to you, do they?” retorted Brownie, enjoying -herself hugely. Occasionally it gave her immense -delight to toy with the fiction of leaving Billabong—knowing -very well indeed, as did they all, that a -team of bullocks would scarcely have been strong -enough to tear her away. “Often I says to meself -that I might end me days as a prospector—there’s -no knowin’ how much gold is lyin’ about in them -ranges for the pickin’ up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If it’s there, Brownie, I will bring you a necklace -of nuggets with my own fair hands,” said Wally. -“Steady, you brute!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Brownie beamed over the portion of the speech -addressed to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you—an’ take care of that horse, dearie, -for I know he ain’t safe,” she said anxiously—to the -great delight of Jim, and Wally’s no small embarrassment. -The men grinned widely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The halters is in the pack, sir, an’ likewise the -hobbles,” said Murty. “If y’ don’t be watchin’ -that black image of a haythen on Bung Eye, he’ll -put the wrong hobbles on Bosun—there’s a small, -little pair I made special for the pony. He’ll get -his feet out of nearly anny other hobbles on the -place.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, Murty!” from Norah. Murty -beamed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A good ride to ye all,” he said, “an’ don’t be -afther breakin’ your neck on thim ridges, Miss -Norah. ’Tis the only neck like it on Billabong, an’ -we can’t spare it, at all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll take care of her, Murty,” said her father.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bedad,” said Murty, “I have not forgotten -that wan time ’twas y’rsilf did not take care of -y’rsilf in that very same place! How am I to be -thinkin’ anny of ye safe afther that misfortunate -time?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, Monarch and I have learned sense now,” -he said. “He won’t get rid of me in the same way -again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Divil a wan of me knows!” said Murty, darkly. -“Well—that ye may come home wid whole bones, -annyhow! Is it gettin’ up a search party we’ll be -if ye’re not back this day week, sir?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly not!” said the squatter. “If we -find Brownie’s gold mine, there’s no prophesying -when I shall get my party away from it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then ye’ll find hersilf an’ me joggin’ out in the -old dray to meet ye,” Murty averred. He took his -hand from Bosun’s bridle, and stepped back. -Good-byes floated to the little group by the cottage -as the riders cantered down the track.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch14'>CHAPTER XIV</h1></div> - -<h3>ON THE TRACK</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A homely-looking folk they are, these people of my kin—</p> -<p class='line0'>Their hands are hard as horse shoes, but their hearts come through the skin.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                                 —<span class='it'>V. J. Daley.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HEY camped that night half a mile off the -road, in a paddock belonging to a station Mr. -Linton knew well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Henderson would give me leave if I asked him—so -I won’t,” he said. “It’s a short stage, but -that’s advisable, seeing that it’s our first day out, -and that it has been uncommonly warm. And -we’re sure of good water in the creek over yonder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So they found some slip-rails and rode into the -paddock and across the long grass to the creek, a -fairly large stream for that time of the year, fringed -with a thick dark green belt of wattles. The horses -were short-hobbled and allowed to graze, and the -camp was pitched quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The tent for the girls was put up in a little grove -of trees, near which the bank of the creek sloped -down to an excellent place for bathing—a deep hole -with a little stretch of clean grass growing over a -sunken log at the water’s edge—a place, as Norah -said, simply planned to stand on while you were -drying. Most Australian creeks are unkind in this -respect—either the bank is inaccessibly steep, or -the few available places are so muddy that the -difficulty after a bathe is to keep clean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll fish there before you bathe,” Jim told -Norah, regarding the hole hopefully. “If there -aren’t blackfish there I’m very much mistaken.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Norah told him, -unkindly. “Don’t leave any fish-hooks in our -pool, that’s all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll get no fish for tea if you don’t practise -civility!” Jim grinned. “I’m worn to a shred -putting up your blessed tent, and there’s really no -reason why I should allow you to be impolite. Why -don’t you take pattern by Jean? Her manners are -lovely!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish my family heard you say so!” said the -lady referred to, longingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t they appreciate you? I’m like that!” -Wally said. “I often think I’ll die without any one -finding out my true worth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jolly good job for you if they don’t, old man!” -quoth Jim, retreating hastily, and cannoning with -violence into his father as he dodged round a gum -tree. Explanations ensued, and the party settled -down to fish, soon catching enough to make tea a -memorable meal. Then they lay about on the grass -and talked until it was bedtime—a period which -came early, though no one would admit any sense of -fatigue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a still, hot night—so hot that the girls -slept with the tent flap tied back, and were openly -envious of the men of the party, who disdained to -erect a “wurley,” and slept bushman fashion out -in the open, with their blankets spread in a soft -spot, and their saddles for pillows. Black Billy -disappeared along the creek, camping in some select -nook after his blackfellow heart. Then silence fell -upon the camp, and all that could be heard was a -mopoke, steadily calling in a dead tree, throughout -the night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah was the first to awaken. It was daylight, -but only faintly; looking through the opening of -the tent she could see the sun coming slowly over -the edge of the horizon, flushing all the eastern sky -with gleams of pink and gold. A little breeze blew -gently. She slipped quietly from her bunk, put on -a light overcoat and went out barefooted into the -sweetness of the morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was an old moss-grown log near the tent, -and she sat down upon it. Just beyond the belt -of trees that marked the creek, the yellow paddock -stretched away, unbroken by any fence, so far as her -eye could reach. She could see grazing cattle here -and there, and a few half-grown steers were standing -in a little knot and staring towards the camp with -curious, half-frightened eyes. From further down -the bank came the chink of hobbles, and the chime -of the bell on old Bung Eye’s neck. Near the tent -her father lay sleeping; a few yards away were Jim -and Wally, far off in the land of dreams. The clean -bush scent lay over everything; the scent of tree -and leaf and rich black earth, where the night-dew -still lingers. Just below her the creek rippled softly, -and the splash of a leaping fish sent a swirl across -the wide pool. Norah sighed from very joy of the -place, and the beauty of the morning, and the -certainty of a happy day ahead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then she became aware that some one was awake—in -the curious way in which we become conscious -that the thoughts of another have entered into our -solitary places. She looked round, and beheld one -intent eye regarding her from the end of the roll of -blankets that represented Wally. For a moment -the eye and Norah continued to watch each other; -at which point Norah suddenly realized that it -was faintly possible that Wally might feel a -shade of embarrassment, and modestly withdrew -her gaze. She did Mr. Meadows great injustice. -He yawned widely, sat up, and wriggled out of his -blankets. Then, discovering that Jim’s mouth -was slightly open, he proceeded to place within it -three dandelions, which accomplished, he fled while -his unconscious victim was waking up and spluttering. -Wally sat down on the log beside Norah, with -a face like an unusually lean cherub.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a horrid boy!” said that damsel, laughing. -“Dandelions taste abominably—at least that -milky stuff in them does.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never tried it,” said Wally. “What funny -things you seem to have lived on!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor old Jimmy!” said Norah, disregarding this -insinuation, and bending a glance of pity on Jim, -who was coughing violently, and evidently prepared -for battle. Mr. Linton had wakened, and was -regarding his son with curiosity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a pneumonia cough, I should say, sir,” explained -Wally, considerately, from the log. “Nasty -lungy sound, hasn’t it. Shall I get you some water, -my poor dear?” At this point the outraged Jim -arose and hurled himself upon his tormentor, who -dodged him round a bush until Jim managed to -pick up a thorn with his foot, when he retired to a -log for purposes of investigation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait till I get you in the creek, young Wally!” -he growled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not too many larks,” commanded Mr. Linton, -who had also cast off his blankets. “We’ve got to -get away as early as we can, so as to have a long -spell in the hottest part of the day.” He shook -himself vigorously. “I think I’m too old for -sleeping without a mattress.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So am I,” said Wally, who was sitting cross-legged -on Norah’s log. “That bit of ground looked -the softest I could see, but it found out every bone -I have before I’d been there an hour. It would be -a tremendous advantage to be fat! I was afraid -at last that my hip bone would come right through, -so I got up and scraped a little hole for it. Then I -was much more comfortable, except when I wriggled -in my sleep and failed to hit the hole.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’ve had a lovely night!” Norah -averred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think so—sleeping in the lap of gilded -luxury—at least in a beautiful sacking bunk!” said -Wally, indignantly. “Then you get up at your -elegant leisure and jeer at those whose lodging was -on the cold, cold ground! Women were ever thus!” -He choked, dramatically, and rose. “James, if -you’ve finished operating, are you ready to come and -bathe?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I must wake Jean,” said Norah, disappearing -within the tent. Then they scattered up and -down the creek for their swim—not a matter to be -dawdled over, for even in the summer morning the -water was very cold. Jim returned, fresh and -glowing, before the girls were ready to vacate the -tent, and proceeded to loosen its fastenings in a way -that caused them great anguish of mind, since it -threatened to collapse bodily upon them. The last -stages of their toilet were performed hastily, and -without dignity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can’t be helped,” said Jim, imperturbably, as -they emerged, wrathful. “Got to strike camp, and -this is my job.” He brought the tent to earth with -a quick movement. “Help me to fold this up, -Nor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where’s Wally?” Norah asked, complying.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I left him diving for the soap,” Jim grinned. -“He was pretty cold, and didn’t seem exactly -happy; but I couldn’t wait. Here he comes. Did -you get it, Wal.?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I did—no thanks to you!” said Wally, whose -teeth were still inclined to chatter, while his complexion -was a fine shade of blue. “He’s just the -champion mean exhibit of the party, Jean. I was -nearly dry, out on the bank, and threw the soap at -him in pure friendliness; and the brute actually -dodged! Dodged! And then he wouldn’t dive -for it: fact is, I believe he’s forgotten how to dive. -So I had to go in again after it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Any mud at the bottom?” asked Jim, grinning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About a foot of soft slush. I loathe you!” -said Wally. He proceeded to roll up blankets -vigorously, still slightly azure of hue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Billy had the horses already saddled, and when -breakfast was over the pack was quickly adjusted -and a start made. They travelled through country -that became rapidly wilder and more rugged. A -wire fence bounded each side of the road, which was -a track scarcely fit for wheeled traffic. The paddocks -on both sides were part of big station properties, -on which the homesteads were far back; so -that they scarcely saw a house throughout the day, -except when now and then they passed through -sleepy little townships, where dogs barked furiously -at them and children ran out to stare at the riders. -They were typical bush children, who scarcely ever -saw a stranger—lean, sun-dried youngsters, as -wild and shy as hares, and quite incapable of giving -an answer when addressed. They paused in one -township to buy stores, and Norah dashed to the -post office to send a postcard to Brownie, assuring -her that so far they were safe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The post office was a quaint erection, especially -when considered in the light of a Government -building. Had it not been for this mark of distinction, -it would probably have been termed a shed. -It was a little, ramshackle lean-to, against the side -of a shop that was equally falling to decay. There -was no door—only a slit barely two feet wide, -through which Norah entered, wondering, as she -did so, if the township contained any inhabitants -as fat as Brownie, and if so, how they contrived to -transact their postal business. It was very certain -that Brownie could not have entered through the -slit unless hydraulic pressure had been applied to -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Within was emptiness. The sole furnishing of -the office was a small shelf against the wall; above -it, a trap-door. This artistic simplicity was complicated -by the appearance of a head in the trap-doorway, -after Norah had tapped vigorously five -or six times.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I clean forgot the office,” said the owner of the -head—a tall, freckled damsel, with innumerable -curling pins bristling in her “fringe.” She favoured -Norah with a wide and cheerful smile. “Fact is, -I was out in the garden lookin’ at your lot. Ain’t -your horses just corkin’!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re . . . not bad.” Norah hesitated. “I -want a postcard, please.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not bad!” said the Government official, disregarding -her request. She propped her elbows on -the ledge within, evidently ready for conversation, -and put her face as far through the trap-doorway as -nature or its designer would permit. “Well, I -reckon they’re fair ringers! That big black ’ud -take a lot of beatin’, I’ll bet. Is it your Pa ridin’ -him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” Norah answered. “Can I——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Goin’ far?” asked the postmistress. “You -all look pretty workmanlike, don’t y’ now? Where -d’ y’ come from, if it’s a fair question?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“From this side of Cunjee. And we’re going up -Ben Athol. I want——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Up Ben Athol! You’re never!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, we’re going to try. Can I have——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never heard of any one but drovers an’ blackfellers -goin’ up there,” said the postmistress, gaping. -“You two kids’ll never do it, will y’, do y’ think? -I wonder at your Pa lettin’ you. Rummy, ain’t it, -what people ’ll do for fun!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ll be calling me in a moment,” said poor -Norah. “Let me have a postcard, please.” She -held out her penny firmly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, all right,” said the postmistress, unwillingly. -Without removing her face from the little window -she fished in an unseen receptacle and extracted a -card, which she poked through to Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no pen here,” said that harassed person -investigating. “Can I have one—and some ink?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Right-oh!” said, the official. “This chap’s -a bit scratchy, but the office is clean out of nibs. -There is another—but it’s worse. This one’ll write -all right when you get used to it. I say, is them -divided skirts comf’table to ride in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah assented, stretching out her hand for the ink.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I read in the paper that ladies was riding -astride,” said the postmistress, apparently soul-hungry -for companionship. “But me father won’t -let me get a pattron an’ try an’ make one. Yours -don’t seem to mind.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He won’t let me ride any other way,” said -Norah, writing busily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go on! Well, ain’t men different!” said the -postmistress. “Never know where you have -them, do you? Is those long fellers your brothers?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah nodded, feeling at the moment, unequal -to detailed explanation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thought so. An’ you’re re’ly goin’ to try old -Ben Athol! Wonder if you’ll ever get there,” the -postmistress pondered. Her freckled face suddenly -widened to a smile. “Look at that blackfeller, -now! Well, if he ain’t a trick!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Billy was jogging up the street on old Bung Eye, -smoking vigorously. Behind him, taking the fullest -advantage of a long halter, the packhorse led, very -bored by Life. The township children shouted and -ran, but nothing affected Billy’s serenity. He -passed out of sight, and the Postmistress, oblivious -of further possible wishes on the part of her customer, -quitted her little office and rushed outside to gaze -after him. In this pleasurable occupation she was -not alone, since three parts of the township was -hanging over its front fence, gazing likewise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the street came Jim’s whistle, for the third -time—this time with something peremptory in its -note.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Coming!” Norah called. She dropped her -card into the slit marked “Letters,” and ran out, -receiving voluble farewells from the postmistress -as she fled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye!” Norah called. She swung herself -upon Bosun’s back, and trotted down the street with -Jim. Already the others were some distance ahead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The postmistress came in, regretfully, as the dust -of their going died away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wonder who they were?” she pondered. -“Well, at least, there’s the postcard!” She opened -the letter box, and drew out the documentary -evidence, receiving not much information from -Norah’s hastily-scrawled lines. She turned the -card over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m blessed!” she gasped. Keen disappointment -was in her voice. She pondered for a -moment and then hurried out, locking the office door -firmly, and affixing to it a battered notice, which -read: “Closed for dinner.” The fact that she had -already dined did not trouble the free and independent -soul of the postmistress.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Half an hour later the sound of galloping hoofs -on the road behind them made the Billabong party -look round. A cloud of dust resolved itself into -the vision of the postmistress, mounted on a raking -chestnut, and somewhat bulky in appearance, by -reason of the fact that she had slipped on a habit -skirt over her other apparel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s waving,” said Norah, much puzzled. -“Let’s pull up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They waited. The postmistress arrived with a -wide and friendly smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thought I’d never catch you up!” she panted. -“Blessed if you didn’t forget to put any address -on that postcard you wrote!” She produced the -card, a good deal crumpled by the vicissitudes of -travel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I am a duffer!” ejaculated Norah. “But -how awfully good of you to come after us!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was indeed,” said Mr. Linton, warmly. He -produced a pencil, and Norah scribbled the address -and handed the card back. “Uncommonly kind -and thoughtful. We’re very much obliged to you. -I hope it didn’t give you very much trouble?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a bit!” said the postmistress, genially. -She read the address with care, and tucked the card -into her bodice. “Fact is,” she said, “I was just -dead keen to know it meself! Well, I must be -gettin’ back—me office is shut up, an’ the coach is -nearly due. So long!” She wheeled the chestnut, -galloping back to the township.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch15'>CHAPTER XV</h1></div> - -<h3>THE HOUSE BY ATHOLTON</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The little feet that run to me,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The little hands that strive</p> -<p class='line0'>To touch me at the heart, and find</p> -<p class='line0'>  The heart in me alive.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>O God! if hands and feet should fail!</p> -<p class='line0'>  If Death his mist should fling</p> -<p class='line0'>Between my heart and the touch of</p> -<p class='line0'>  The little living thing!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                    —<span class='it'>R. Crawford.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>I</span>T was late in the afternoon of the third day, and -in a cloud of thick dust the riders were hurrying -along the road towards Atholton. Ahead they could -see the scattered roofs of the little township, showing -white among the trees; but everything was obscured -by the dust that swirled and eddied, now -tearing away before them in a cloud sixty feet high, -or seeming to stand still all around them, blinding -any vision for more than a few yards. Behind -a leaden sky glowered through the dust clouds, -or was revealed, darkly purple, when they rose -for an instant to swirl and scurry, and grow -dense again, as the shrieking wind came in a -fresh gust.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Three days of gradually mounting heat had worked -up to a tempestuous change. All day, riding had -been anything but pleasant. Even in early -morning the air had been still and heavy, after a -night of breathless heat. They had left camp not -long after sunrise, intending to rest during the -middle of the day; but the weather had tried the -horses; they had travelled badly, sweating before -they had gone a mile, so that progress was slow. -Mr. Linton had cut the noon “spell” ruthlessly -short.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll have to hurry,” he said, glancing uneasily -at the sullen sky. “This means a big storm, and -it’s very doubtful if we can escape it, even now. -As far as I remember there’s no shelter at all between -here and Atholton, and there is too much big -timber along the track to be safe in a storm. Billy, -you travel the slowest—cut along!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Billy proceeded to “cut,” not unwillingly. He -hated storms, even as a cat, and firmly believed that -thunder was the noise of innumerable “debbil-debbils,” -let loose dangerously near the inhabitants -of earth, and at any moment likely to fall on the -just and the unjust. He mounted Bung Eye and -jogged off along the track, the packhorse toiling in -the rear. Ten minutes later saw the rest of the -party in pursuit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the first it was evident that the ride would -be a race with the storm. Mr. Linton made all the -haste that was possible for the horses; but the way -was long and the heat so breathless that it seemed -cruel to urge the poor brutes along. A purple -cloud came up out of the west, and spread up and up; -then a murky haze obscured the sun, yet brought -no lessening of heat. Finally came a low sighing -of faraway wind, and long before it struck them -they could see distant tree-tops swaying and bending -before the fury of the blast. They came to a -sharp turn in the road, facing eastwards.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank goodness, there’s Atholton!” uttered -Mr. Linton, pointing at the roofs far ahead. “We -may get off with dry skins if we gallop.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They shook up the horses. Even as they did so, -the beginning of the storm was upon them in a -furious gust of wind that gathered up the loose -summer dust of the road and carried it high into the -air. It was impossible to see more than a few yards -ahead except between the gusts. They rode blindly, -trusting to their horses, and fairly sure that on such -an afternoon there would be no other obstacles of -traffic on the lonely bush track. On either side the -thick timber creaked and groaned in the wind, and -occasionally a sharp crack told of a limb or a treetop -breaking under the strain. Then the horses -bounded as a sharp crackle of thunder came out of -the west and ran round the sky in a heavy, echoing -roll, followed by a vivid flash of lightning. Heavy -drops began to fall, splashing into the thick dust -underfoot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gad! There’s a house!” said Mr. Linton -thankfully. “Make for the gate, Jim.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A hundred yards ahead a white cottage stood near -the track, in the midst of a pleasant orchard. As they -clattered up to the road gate, a woman came out -upon the verandah and waved to them energetically, -beckoning them in. Garryowen propped at the -gate, and Jim swung it open. The sky seemed to -split with another thunderclap as they rode through, -and then came rain, like a curtain, blotting out -everything behind them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The woman rushed down to the little garden gate -as they raced to it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let the young ladies come in here—quick! -There’s a shed over there for the horses.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Off you get, girls!” Mr. Linton said. Jean and -Norah slipped to the ground, yielding their bridles -into ready hands, and ran up the garden path -behind their hostess. The rain was pelting upon the -iron roof of the little cottage with a noise like -musketry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think you’re very wet,” panted the -woman. She darted into the house, returning with -towels, and rubbed them down as they stood on the -verandah, despite their protests.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re truly all right,” Norah told her. “Thank -you ever so much. But what luck! Five minutes -later and we’d have been soaked to the skin but for -your house. And it isn’t a joke to get everything -wet through when you’re camping, as we are, -and travelling as light as possible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think not,” said their hostess—a tall -woman, whitefaced and delicate in appearance, with -tired grey eyes, that had black half circles beneath -them. “Fact is, I’ve been looking out for you—the -storekeeper in the township was telling me -Mr. Linton’s party was to come through Atholton this -evening. I’ve been thinking about you all the -afternoon, wondering if the storm would catch you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were very good,” Jean told her, shyly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t know. There isn’t so much to -think about in these places—one’s glad of any excitement. -I’d have been more excited if I’d known it -wasn’t only men riding. It’s a big ride for you two -girls.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re used to it,” said Norah. “It’s been -lovely, until to-day; that has certainly been a bit -hot. It’s hot still, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Close as ever it can be,” said the woman. “But -the rain’ll cool it.” She peeped round the corner -of the verandah, putting her head into the rain. -“They’re all right in the shed, horses and all. Will -you go into the house and sit down and rest?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it’s nice out here,” Norah said, hesitatingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, it is better than inside—the house is -heated right through,” said the woman. “Wooden -houses cool quickly, but they heat like an oven, -don’t they? I’ll bring out chairs.” She disappeared—her -movements were curiously quick—and -came out laden. They sat on the verandah, with -the pelting rain beating all round them, and a sense -of wet coolness gradually coming over the hot -atmosphere.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was anxious to talk—this gaunt, hungry-eyed -woman of the Bush. She went from one subject -to another almost feverishly, asking them a hundred -questions—of home, of school, of the life that was -so busy hundreds of miles away from her lonely -home in the timber. And always her eyes wandered -restlessly, as if she were seeking. Once she failed to -answer a question, staring before her with a strained -look that was half expectancy and half despair. -Then she came back to attention with a start, and -begged their pardon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I—I was listening,” she said. “I didn’t quite -hear what you were saying.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The storm began to wear itself out after a while, -and she took them into the house, saying that they -would be glad of a wash and brush up while she -made some tea. She showed them into a neat little -bedroom, and brought a brimming can of hot water.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Just you make yourselves quite at home,” she -said. “Don’t hurry; I’ll call you when I got -tea made.” She went out, closing the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a bright little room, with a cheap blue -paper on the walls, and crisp, fresh curtains at the -window. Everything was poor, but spotlessly clean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Isn’t it nice?” Jean said. “It smells of lavender -and things!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And as if the window were always open,” said -Norah, approvingly. “I like it—and I like her, -too. Don’t you, Jean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—I do,” Jean said, slowly. “She—she’s a -bit queer though, isn’t she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s got a scared sort of look,” Norah said, -trying to find words. “Perhaps she’s had a lot of -trouble. Ever so many women in the Bush do, I -think. But I like her eyes, though they’re so tired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re mother-y sort of eyes,” said Jean, her -thoughts suddenly flying to her own mother, in far-off -New Zealand. “I wonder if that’s her little -girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A photograph smiled at them from a cheap frame -on the wall—a little laughing child, taken in the -stiff, conventional manner of the country photographer, -yet dimpling into merriment as if at some -suddenly happy thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” said Norah. “What a dear little youngster! -Isn’t she a darling!” She faced round as -the door opened, and their hostess came in, bringing -clean towels. “We’re just in love with this,” she -said, indicating the photograph. “Is she your little -girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The woman put down the towels in silence. Her -face was working, and before the misery in her eyes -Jean and Norah shrank back aghast. There was -a moment’s dreadful silence. Then she spoke in a -strained, unnatural voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She was—once,” she said. “But she’s dead. -We lost her. She’s dead. Dead!” Suddenly she -was gone, the door slamming behind her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girls looked at each other dumbly, horror-stricken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I say!” said Jean, presently. “Oh, -weren’t we idiots! I’m so sorry we asked her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor thing!” Norah said, her voice a shade -unsteady. “Oh, poor thing! Did you see how -terrible her eyes were?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean nodded. “There couldn’t be anything more -awful than to have a kiddie like that, and then for -it to die,” she said. “No wonder she looks so—so -hungry. I wish we hadn’t asked her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So do I,” Norah said. “It must have hurt her -dreadfully—and she’s been very kind to us. But -how could we guess?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t half like going out,” said Jean. “I -wish we could slip away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We couldn’t do that,” Norah said, shaking her -head. “Come on. We’d better hurry, because -Dad and the boys will be over. The rain has nearly -stopped.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They found the rest of their party in the kitchen, -when they made their way out presently, considerably -refreshed. Their hostess was bustling about, -setting out cups and saucers. She met their half-nervous -glances quite cheerfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps you two would butter some scones for -me,” she said. She smiled at them—a kindly look -that told them they had nothing to worry about. -And Norah and Jean took the task thankfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now what are you going to do?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Their hostess asked the question of Mr. Linton -across the empty teapot. It was a large teapot, -but it had been filled and emptied twice. Now -every one was feeling better.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t go camping to-night,” she went on. -“The ground will be soaking and you’d get your -death of cold. Besides, it may rain again; I don’t -believe it’s all over yet.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, camping is out of the question,” Mr. Linton -answered. “We’ll have to find shelter in the township, -that’s all. I suppose there’s an hotel?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you call it one,” said the woman, sniffing. -“Sort of bush shanty, I should call it—and not too -good a specimen at that. Very rough style, and -not too clean—and that’s putting a pretty fine point -upon it. You couldn’t possibly take these children -there.” She nodded in a friendly way at Jean and -Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“H’m—that’s awkward,” said the squatter. -“Are there any farms about that would take us -in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know of any. Most of the people about -here have small houses and they’re pretty crowded.” -She hesitated. “If you gentlemen could manage -at the hotel, I’d be very glad to have the girls here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s very good of you,” Mr. Linton said, -hesitating in his turn. She read the shade of doubt -in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know my husband, I think,” she said; -“he’s Jack Archdale, that used to be boundary -rider at the Darrells’ station.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, of course!” said Mr. Linton. “And you—weren’t -you teaching in the State school at Mulgoa? -I seem to remember hearing of Archdale’s wedding.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Mr. Darrell gave us a great wedding,” said -Mrs. Archdale, smiling. “Five years ago, nearly; -we came up here soon after.” Her face clouded -momentarily, as if remembering. “Jack’s doing -contract work; he’ll be in after a while. So, will -you trust your belongings to me, Mr. Linton?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Only too gladly,” said the squatter, in a voice -of relief. “It’s exceptionally lucky for us, Mrs. -Archdale. One has to take risks of finding rowdy -bush inns when one goes for wild expeditions, but I -confess I’m glad not to have to take the girls there. -I’m greatly obliged to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, it’s a real treat to me,” she said. “It’s -lonely here; I don’t seem to make great friends with -the township people, and Jack’s away all day; and -you can’t be always scrubbing and cleaning a house of -this size, to keep yourself occupied. You don’t -know how glad I’ve been of a talk with them already—and -they took pity on my questions!” She -flashed a smile across at Norah that suddenly made -her tired face quite like that of the little laughing -child in the photograph. “You won’t mind staying -with me?” she asked, a little wistfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll be awfully glad to,” Norah said. As a -rule, she was a little shy of strangers, but there was -something about this woman that made her feel -more like a friend; and Norah was desperately sorry -for the brave heart behind the haggard eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a little hard to say good-bye to Mr. Linton -and the boys, seeing them ride off to the township -in the clean, rainwashed dusk. But they found -plenty to do in helping their hostess, although she -would have had them sit still and do nothing. And -there was an odd fascination about her—about her -quick voice and quick movements, and quaint, unexpected -streaks of merriment, that set them laughing -very often. Archdale was a big, silent fellow, -who evidently worshipped his wife’s very shadow. -His eyes scarcely left her as she flitted about the -kitchen preparing the evening meal. The photograph -that they had seen was in every room—a big -enlargement of it in Mrs. Archdale’s bedroom. It -even smiled from over the polished tins upon the -kitchen mantelpiece, and sometimes Norah saw the -father’s eyes wander to it sadly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After tea they talked on the front verandah, having -made a joint business of the washing up. Jack -Archdale went to bed soon. He had had a long day’s -work in the heat. But his wife kept Jean and Norah -up a little longer, always talking. A strong restlessness -never left her. It was evidently hard for her -to sit still, and to keep silent a harder thing yet. -Still, she made them so merry when she talked that -they forgot that they were tired, and were sorry when -at last she packed them off to the fragrant little -bedroom with the blue walls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I do like her,” Jean said. They were tucked -into bed together, the moonlight coming in through -the open window, and making a white ray across the -sheet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s just a dear,” Norah agreed. “But, oh! -hasn’t she sorry eyes! Don’t you wish one could -make her forget?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My word!” said Jean, with emphasis. “But -no mother ever could forget losing a little kiddie, I -expect. And she hasn’t got any others.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There came a tap at the half-open door, and Mrs. -Archdale came in. She sat down on Norah’s side -of the bed, which was nearest the door. The moonlight -fell on her face, showing it quite colourless.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re quite comfortable?” she asked. “That’s -right. I thought I’d like to see. I like some one to -tuck up. I thought I’d come and—and tuck you -up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something in her voice kept them silent. But -Norah put out a half-nervous hand, and Mrs. Archdale -took it and held it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And—and tell you about her,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then she was silent again. Outside in the paddocks -a curlew was calling wearily across the timber.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure I must have frightened you this afternoon,” -she said at last. “I was dreadfully ashamed -of myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Please, don’t!” Norah whispered. “We -shouldn’t have asked you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why not? If I can’t stand being asked, I have -no business to keep the pictures about. Only—you -see it was on just such a day as this that we lost -her—fearfully hot, and ending in a big thunderstorm. -Just like to-day—and whenever one comes, -I go nearly mad. I can’t keep still, and all the time -I’m listening and looking. I know it’s terribly -foolish, but I can’t help it. Jack knows; he always -understands, and he doesn’t go away from me these -days unless he can’t get out of it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stopped, and they felt her shivering.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You see, we lost her in the scrub,” she said, -dully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She slipped away into the timber. She was -only just three, and no little child has much chance -in the Bush. How would they have? It’s so big -and lonely, and cruel—oh, how I hate it! We hunted—we -were hunting so soon! and all the district -turned out, and we got the black trackers. But -it was so hot—and then the big storm came up, and -when it was over there were no tracks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She ceased, looking out of the window—so long -silent that it seemed that she had forgotten them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So we never found her,” she said at length, quite -calmly. “The Bush just took her and swallowed -her up. We looked for weeks; long and long after -all the other people had given it up—and they didn’t -give up soon—Jack and I were hunting. All day -long, and often all night too; calling and calling, as -long as we thought that she could answer. And -after that we hunted, only we did not call. And -then, like a fool, I got brain fever, and while I was -ill the big Bush fires came and burnt all that part of -the scrub. It’s fifteen months ago, now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean was sobbing softly. But Norah could only -cling to the hard, work-worn hand she held, very -tightly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I often think how lucky mothers are who see -their kiddies die,” the tired voice went on. “They -know they helped them as much as was possible, -and they have their graves to look after. I haven’t -got anything—no grave, and no memories. Then I -think of her lost and wandering in that horrible -green prison—tired and frightened, and calling me; -and I don’t know how much she suffered. Why, it -scares men to get lost in the Bush—and my little -Babs was only three. If I knew—if I knew that she -died easily. It isn’t fair on a mother not to know, -when she was such a baby thing. It isn’t fair.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had quite forgotten them now. It was as if -she was talking to herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jack wants to go away from here,” she said. -“But I can’t go. I can’t go. I always keep -thinking that some day when I am walking through -the scrub I might find—something. And then at -least I would have the little grave. It would be -easier than having just nothing. Jack doesn’t like -me to go looking, now. But I have to keep on. -When you’ve put your baby to bed every night for -three years—kissed her and played with her—how -she used to laugh!—and heard her say her little -prayers, and tucked her in, you can’t settle down to -leaving her alone at night out in the timber. You -just can’t do it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again the voice ceased, and she sat staring out of -the open window. After a long while she got up, -still holding Norah’s hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-night,” she said. “Perhaps I oughtn’t -to have told you. But I had to, somehow. If it -hadn’t been this kind of a day I could have told you -lots of funny little things she used to do.” And -with that dreadful little speech on her lips she went -away.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch16'>CHAPTER XVI</h1></div> - -<h3>BEYOND THE PLAINS</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The little feet have left the house,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The little voice is still;</p> -<p class='line0'>Without, the wan, wind-weary boughs;</p> -<p class='line0'>  Within, the will</p> -<p class='line0'>To go and hear the wee feet tread</p> -<p class='line0'>Within the garden of the dead.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                         —<span class='it'>R. Crawford.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HERE were no traces of storm when the girls -awoke next morning. Mrs. Archdale came -in with tea as soon as she heard their voices. Her -face was quite smiling and happy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very likely that dear old ‘Brownie’ of yours -would say I shouldn’t give you early tea,” she observed. -“And I’m sure she’d be right. But I do -love it myself, and I’ve only got you for one morning, -so I had to bring it! Jack says I’ll ruin my system -with tea, and all I can say is, it’s a beautiful ending -for a system!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No one quarrelled with the tea or with the wafers -of buttered toast that accompanied it. Mrs. Archdale -talked briskly while the girls ate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s just a perfect morning,” she said. “Blue -sky and a little breeze, and everything so clean and -beautiful! You will have a lovely ride into the -ranges. I’ve often threatened to make Jack take me -up Ben Athol, but he regards me as quite insane -when I mention it. But I should love to go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come with us,” Norah cried.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I couldn’t leave my old man,” she said. -“We never go very far away from each other now. -Some day I will persuade him to go, and perhaps -we’ll find the remains of your camp. But the blacks -won’t have left much of it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are there many blacks?” Jean asked, wide-eyed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, very few. Two or three families, I believe. -They used to be in one of the aboriginal settlements, -and sometimes they go back there in the cold -weather; but they won’t stay there when the spring -comes, and they say two or three camp in the hills -all the year round. Sometimes they come down -to Atholton and hang about the township for a week -or two begging for food and old clothes; but they -are a perfect nuisance, and they’d steal your very -clothes-lines! So everybody hunts them, and after -a while they clear out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do they come out here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a bit far from the township for them to come -much,” Mrs. Archdale answered. “One young -darkey, who calls himself Braggan Dudley, visits us -occasionally, and tries to sell us very badly-made -boomerangs; and his old mother makes rush baskets -rather well. I buy the baskets, and scorn the boomerangs. -But last time Mr. Braggan came he helped -himself to one of Jack’s hats. Unfortunately for -him, Jack happened along at the moment, and -made things lively for him with his stock-whip; -so I don’t fancy we shall see much of the gentleman -in future. Not that you can tell—they have cheek -enough for anything.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope we’ll run across some of them,” Jean -said. “I haven’t seen any Australian blacks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t get excited over the prospect,” Mrs. -Archdale told her. “They may have been worth -seeing when they dressed in paint—not that they -often wore so much as that!—and roamed the forest -before the white people came; but in their present -state of half civilization they are as miserable a set -as you could imagine. I haven’t met any that are -not whining, thieving, pitiful creatures—filthy beyond -imagination, too, most of them. There used -to be a woman in the ranges of a rather better type—she -had been employed as a housemaid on one of -the stations, and had learned some decent ways, -though, of course, she ran off and married a blackfellow. -But she must have gone back to one of the -settlements, I fancy; at any rate I haven’t heard -anything of her for two years or more. I’d like to -know what became of Black Lucy; she wasn’t at -all a bad sort.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton, arriving with the boys at an early -hour, had more to say on the subject of the -blacks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Green—the storekeeper—tells me it won’t be -safe to leave our camp unprotected,” he said. “Those -wandering natives are a perfect nuisance—there’s -nothing they won’t steal. That ends Master Billy’s -chance of getting to the top of the peak. He’ll -have to stay and mind camp, poor chap. Still, he’ll -think himself terribly important, and if any of his -dusky brethren should come along he’ll quite enjoy -hunting them off; so he’s not altogether to be pitied.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was the hotel bad?” Norah inquired.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t allude to the hotel!” Wally said. “We’ve -had a busy night, and we’re all soured—and sore!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you poor souls!” Norah said. “Did they -feed you decently?” At which Jim and Wally -gave vent to a simultaneous groan, charged with -bitter recollection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was pretty dreadful,” said Mr. Linton, laughing. -“I think we’re fairly certain to want an early -lunch!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They said good-bye to Mrs. Archdale reluctantly, -with many thanks and promises to see her on the -return journey. She held Norah’s hand a little, -looking at her wistfully. The others had ridden on -down the hill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you mind if I gave you a kiss?” she -asked, hesitating over each word. “I haven’t -kissed any one but Jack since—since . . .” Her -voice trailed off into silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah bent down from the saddle quickly, and -the poor woman flushed at the touch of the fresh -young lips. She stood looking down the track long -after the riders had vanished into the timber.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Atholton was not an exciting city. It consisted -of a few scattered houses, most of them bark-roofed, -since the cartage of roofing iron to this remote -district was an expensive matter. No railway was -within sixty miles, and communication with the -outer world was by means of a coach, which ran -twice a week. The <span class='it'>Peak Hotel</span> was the high-sounding -appellation of the inn, where Mr. Linton and the -boys had suffered many things. The Atholton -inhabitants referred to it briefly as The Pub. There -was a store, combining various matters; within its -small compass could be found groceries, drapery, -bread, meat, saddlery, and the post office; while at -a pinch the storekeeper would undertake a commission -for a plough, a tombstone or a piano. The -only other business establishment was a blacksmith’s -shop, where just now the smith was busy in shrinking -a tyre for the wheel of a bullock dray. The -bullocks, a fine team of ten polled Angus, were -drooping their black heads wearily outside, the -heavy yokes falling forward on their necks. Their -driver propped his long form against the doorpost, -and exchanged district news with the smith.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the store Black Billy might be seen adjusting -to the pack-saddle a bundle done up in sacking, and -containing provisions. The storekeeper came out -as the party rode up; after the manner of Bush -storekeepers, all agog to talk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ’Mornin’, Miss Linton,” he said, addressing Jean -and Norah impartially. “Lovely day you’ve got -for your ride, now—haven’t you? All the same, I -wouldn’t mind bettin’ you’ll be pretty tired before -you get up to the peak of old Ben Athol.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I don’t know,” Norah said. “We don’t -mind getting a bit tired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In a good cause?” finished the storekeeper, -chuckling at his own lightsome play of words. “Well, -some have one idea of a lark, and some have another; -I can’t see much meself in climbing up that stony -old hill, but it’s all a matter of taste. And how did -you get on at Mrs. Archdale’s?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She was very kind to us,” Norah answered, -warmly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a kinder woman in the districk,” said the -storekeeper, producing a fragment of black and -ancient tobacco, and proceeding to cut up some. -“Pity she’s gone a bit queer. I was tellin’ your Pa -last night how rummy she’s got since their youngster -died, an’ I believe I fair worried him about you. -But, of course, Mrs. Archdale’s all right—she’s only -a bit queer on that point.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t call her queer,” Jean burst out, indignantly. -“She can’t help thinking about her little -girl, of course.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But she’s just awfully nice!” Norah seconded. -“And she was as good to us as ever she could be.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There, now, I told your Pa she would be,” said -the storekeeper, quite unmoved. “Keeps that -little home of hers like a new pin, too, don’t she? -Of course, Mrs. Archdale’s a cut above the ordinary—had -a bit of education, and all that. And, as you -say, no one could blame her for frettin’ about that -poor little kid. Such a jolly little youngster she -was—always had a laugh for you. I can tell you -the whole districk was cut up over that youngster’s -loss—an’ it wasn’t for want of huntin’ that the poor -little body was never found. Of course, that’s what’s -on her mother’s nerves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One can’t wonder at that,” said Mr. Linton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, of course you can’t. Bad enough for a -child to die; but not to be able to give it decent -burial makes it mighty rough—especially on a -woman. Not the first, by a long way, that has never -been found in these ranges, they’re that thick an’ -full of gullies; but the wonder was we didn’t get -little Babs Archdale. All the districk was out. -There wasn’t a yard of scrub unbeaten for ten mile, -I don’t think.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor little baby!” said Norah, very low.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ay. An’ the mother—my word, I don’t reckon -any of us as were huntin’ ’ll ever forget Mrs. Archdale’s -face. She’s not the kind as shows her feelin’s -very ready; an’ that made it all the worse. Poor -soul! Poor soul! An’ after we’d had to give up, -and the black trackers had gone back, an’ every one -knew it was hopeless, she an’ Jack kept on looking, -night an’ day I dunno at last what old Jack was -most afraid of—not findin’ her or findin’ her. Twas -a relief to every one when we heard the mother -had gone down with fever. She was ravin’ for -weeks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The storekeeper dropped his voice, looking round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An’ there’s a yarn,” he said. “I dunno if it’s -true. Some people say it is. Half her time Mrs. -Archdale’s off in the scrub alone; an’ the yarn is -that she’s got a little cross stuck up in the ground in -some gully, an’ ‘Babs’ carved on it; an’ she keeps -flowers there, like as if it was really her little kiddie’s -grave. An’ they say she goes down there an’ just -sits still an’ looks at it. I dunno. Old Jack can’t -know anything about it, or he’d never leave her; -but it ain’t the kind of thing you like to think of a -woman doin’—not a woman you like. An’ all this -districk thinks the world of Mrs. Archdale.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah rode beside her father, and they were silent -long after they had bidden the storekeeper good-bye -and left the roofs of Atholton low among the timber -as they mounted into the hills. She looked up at -him at last.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Dad,” she said; “if only any one could help -her!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ay,” said David Linton. “But that’s beyond -human power, my little girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think she liked having us, Dad,” Norah said, -half shyly. “That’s nothing, of course, unless it -kept her from thinking. Can we go back there for -another night on our way home?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you like, dear,” he said. “But you’d rather -camp, wouldn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think so—not if she’d like us. She -asked me if she could kiss me, Dad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did she?” Mr. Linton said. “Poor lonely -soul! It would really be better if Archdale took -her out of the district altogether—if she’d go. But -that would be the difficulty, I expect. I could give -him a good billet on Billabong if he’d take it. I’ll -be looking for a storekeeper next month.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I wish he would,” Norah exclaimed. “But -I don’t think Mrs. Archdale would ever leave here -She feels she’s a bit nearer that poor dead baby, -perhaps.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Above them they could catch glimpses of the -track as it rose spirally into the hills. Atholton -nestled back into the very foot of the ranges. Scarcely -half a mile from its last house the flat country ended, -and the hills, tier on tier, rose ahead. Indeed, only -for a little while was there any real track. A few -isolated mountain farms were perched on tiny flats -among the ridges, but as soon as the last of these -was passed the wheel track, rough as it was, ended -abruptly, and there was only a rough Bush path. -Sheep had made it originally, and it had been widened -by drovers bringing down stock; but at best it was -narrow and uneven, and often the scrub grew so -closely on either side, that it was only possible for -two to ride abreast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was too exquisite a day to be sad. Later the -sun would be hot, but now the jewels of last night’s -rain still hung, trembling, on leaf and bough, and -caught the sunlight in liquid flashes. As they rode -brushing the dewy branches, they seemed to shake -loose the hundred scents of the Bush, and the sharp -fragrance was like a refreshing draught. There were -not many wild flowers left, but there was no sameness -in the scrub, that showed varying shades of -colour—tender green of young branches; grey-green -and blue-grey of the gum trees, shading to bronze -in the distance; on the topmost boughs of young -saplings translucent leaves that showed against the -sunlight, yellow and red, and glowing crimson. -Overhead a sky of perfect blue, deep and pure, -wherein sailed piled masses of white cloud, flushed -with pink where the rays fell. And all about them -birds that sang and chirped and whistled, flitting -busily in the green recesses of the scrub; such tame -birds that it was evident that few humans came -this way to break into the peace and safety of their -hills.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess we’ve had our last canter for a day or -two,” Jim said. “Nothing but climbing now. -How’s the pack standing it Billy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Plenty!” said the sable retainer, vaguely. -“Baal that pfeller slip—Boss packed him on.” His -grin suddenly was a streak of light in the darkness -of his countenance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But for the deep whisperings of the Bush it was a -land of silence. They had mounted above the last -of the hill farms; no longer the faint bleating of -sheep came to their ears, or a cattle call sounding -through the timber. Here and there they caught -glimpses of a steer, poking through the scrub in -search of the sparse native grass; but presently -there were no more fences, and they had climbed -into the country that was No Man’s Land.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No one would have had it. Even the easily -pleased rabbit would have found scant pickings on -the stony soil. The scrub became scanty and gnarled—the -winds that blew across the face of the ranges -in winter twisted the saplings into queer, bent -shapes, and whirled the very earth from their roots. -The horses, unused to such unkind ground, slipped -and stumbled on the sandstone outcropping here and -there. Sometimes there were gullies where the -growth was dense—often the site of some old landslip, -or a deep cleft between two hills; and sometimes -the sound of falling water carried their eyes -to where a spring, concealed in some rocky hollow, -sent a miniature fall drip-dripping down a steep -slope—its margin daintily green, with little plants -striving for a hold among the stones.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They camped for lunch early, seizing a patch of -deep shade, where a great blue gum grew out of a -gully—the only big tree visible among the sparse -scrub. A huge boulder had sheltered it as a sapling, -protecting it until it had won strength sufficient -to outgrow the kindly refuge, and fling its great -head towards the sky. The boulder lay at its feet -now, and the riders camped in its shadow. Near -at hand a spring trickled softly into a rainwashed -hole, which brimmed over, sending a silver thread of -water down among the stones below. There was -little or no grass for the horses; but for this halt -they had carried a small ration of hard feed for each -horse, and the sweating steeds welcomed it eagerly. -The night camp was to be made on a flat further up, -where, the storekeeper had told Mr. Linton, they -would find grass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Through the afternoon they climbed steadily. -Soon it was easier to walk than to ride, since riding -was no quicker—and to lean forward grasping a -handful of your horse’s mane to ease the strain on -his back, and prevent yourself slipping over his tail, -is not an especially fascinating pastime, when pursued -for any lengthy period. So they led the horses, -stumbling over the rocky pathway—though stumbling -was a somewhat exciting matter, as, if you fell, -your steed would probably walk upon you, since -you would be apt to roll back under his fore feet. It -was a tiring day, even though the fresh mountain -air helped them to forget the sun, beating down -hotly upon their shoulders. They enjoyed it all—the -English race, all the world over, has a way of -taking its pleasure strenuously. No one thought of -wanting the way made easier.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, just as Mr. Linton was casting somewhat -uneasy glances at the weary horses, and wondering -how much more acrobatic ability would be demanded -of them, they came to a belt of deeper scrub, where -moisture was suddenly perceptible in the soil that -for hours had been arid and dry. For a few moments -they climbed through it, in single file, and then -a turn in the narrow track led them out upon a -little plateau lying in a nook among the hills. Not -more than fifty yards square, it showed green against -the rugged slopes beyond. Water, unseen, trickled -musically, and a few trees were dotted about.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whew-w!” whistled Jim. “What a ripping -place to camp!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Couldn’t be better,” his father said, with relief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to stay here for a week!” Wally -declared, casting his hat upon the ground.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you’ll be living on gum leaves most of the -time!” retorted Jim. “Perhaps you might get a -monkey-bear if you were lucky.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I could stand devilled bear very well indeed, -just now,” responded his friend. “Never met such -hungry air in my life—in the words of the poet, -there’s nothing in the world I couldn’t chew!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, that may be the poet’s opinion, but you’re -not going to chew anything here until camp is fixed,” -said Mr. Linton, laughing. “Jean has us all beaten—her -saddle is the first off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jean will get beastly unpopular if she’s not careful,” -said Wally, favouring the energetic Jean with -as much of a scowl as his cheerful countenance would -permit. “These horribly-good people nearly always -come to a bad end, and nobody loves them!” A -tirade that left Jean quite unmoved, as she inquired -of Mr. Linton if Nan were to be hobbled?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Besides the tent, there was a “wurley” to be put -up to-night. The boys were inclined to scorn this at -first, but found later on that they were glad of its -shelter, for the keen mountain air was very different -to the milder temperature of the plains, and their -stock of blankets was not large. They built it of -interlaced boughs, thick with leaves, and when -finished it looked most inviting. By that time -Jean and Norah had tea ready, and the camp fire -was glowing redly in a rocky corner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They sat about it afterwards, singing every chorus -they could remember, to a spirited accompaniment -by Wally on the penny whistle. The whistle was -pitched in a higher key than Nature had rendered -possible for most of the singers—a circumstance -which did not at all impair the cheerfulness of the -quartet, though Mr. Linton threatened to flee into -the fastnesses of the bush if the “obbligato” were not -discontinued. Black Billy, washing cups at the -spring, and gathering kindling wood for the morning -fire, grinned all the time in sympathy with the freshness -and merriment of the young voices. They -rang out cheerily, their echoes dying away on the -lonely slopes. Never had such sounds disturbed -the brooding silence of old Ben Athol.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To David Linton, lying awake in his “wurley” -in the moonlight, gazing dreamily out at a star that -trembled in the west, it seemed that the last chorus -still lingered on the night air:—</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Wrap me up in my stock-whip and blanket,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And say a poor buffer lies low—lies low,</p> -<p class='line0'>Where the dingoes and crows can’t molest me,</p> -<p class='line0'>  On the plains where the coolibars grow.”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><h1 id='ch17'>CHAPTER XVII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE PEAK OF BEN ATHOL</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>By rolling plain and rocky shelf,</p> -<p class='line0'>  With stock-whip in his hand,</p> -<p class='line0'>He reached at last, oh, lucky elf,</p> -<p class='line0'>The Town of Come-and-help-yourself,</p> -<p class='line0'>  In Rough-and-ready Land.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                    —<span class='it'>A. B. Paterson.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>O</span>H!” said Jean, despairingly. “I wish to -goodness I hadn’t been born fat!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very possibly you were not,” Jim’s voice -said. “Don’t lay all the blame on your parents; -it seems to me more an acquired habit on your part.” -His cheerful face came over the edge of a boulder, and -peeped down upon her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ’Tisn’t my fault at all!” said Jean, indignantly. -“You know very well I hardly ever eat butter or -potatoes, and I love them both. We’re all fat; -and Dad and Mother are the fattest!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It must be the New Zealand air,” said Jim, -regarding her with interest. “Perhaps, if we turned -you out into a poor paddock for a while, you’d come -down in condition. Not that I’d advise it, because -we like you as you are—but I hate to see you worried.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, don’t be an ass!” responded the harassed -Jean. “This isn’t a time for polite conversation—I -want to get over that horrid old rock. And -I’m so hot!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, didn’t I hear your bleat of woe, and come -back to help you, though I was making for the peak -like the gentleman in ‘Excelsior,’ you ungrateful -woman?” asked Jim. He swung his long legs over -the boulder, and came scrambling down to where -she stood. “Poor old thing! It’s pretty steep, -isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not a poor old thing, and I won’t be pitied,” -retorted Jean with indignation. “I haven’t got -long legs like all of you, but I can climb hills, for all -that. I only want a leg-up over this boulder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course you do,” said Jim, in his best soothing -manner—which was wont to have anything but a -soothing effect. “Lend me your foot, Miss Yorke, -and be prepared to put some spring into your portly -frame. One, two, three—up you go!” He hoisted -her deftly, and with a quick movement Jean had -scrambled to the top of the rock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was one of a hundred similar sandstone boulders -scattered over the side of the hill. Sometimes, by -dodging through crevices and under jutting points -of rock, it was possible to avoid them; but often -they lay so thickly that to skirt them was impossible -except by a detour too long to be practicable. -There was not much vegetation to be seen. Grass -was practically non-existent, but tough young gums -grew here and there among the rocks, with twisted -stems, finding a foothold in some mysterious manner -by thrusting deep twining roots into the crevices. -There leafage was too sparse and stunted to give -any real shade, and the sun beat down with blinding -force; though it was not yet noon, the rocks were -hot under the touch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ahead, straggling forms could be seen pushing -their way upward. Wally and Norah were in the -lead, by virtue of long legs and tough muscles; then -came Mr. Linton, with whom Jim had been climbing -until he heard Jean’s small “bleat” of distress, -and turned back to help her. The camp was far -below: for a long time they had lost even the faint -curl of the smoke of their fire, where Billy had been -left disgustedly washing up the breakfast things, -and with strict orders to remain on guard throughout -the day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Linton and the boys carried valises strapped -across their shoulders, containing food and water. -Already it had been found necessary to husband -the latter, since climbing on such a day was thirsty -work, and the supply of water bottles was not large. -To brew tea at the Peak was considered out of the -question; that was a luxury to be anticipated on -getting back to the camp. Even now, Jean looked -longingly at Wally’s diminishing burden, and solaced -herself indifferently by chewing an exceedingly dry -gum leaf, which tasted very strongly of eucalyptus, -and made her, if anything, thirstier than before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were scarcely any small birds in this high -region—cover was too scarce, and food supply -correspondingly low. Once they caught sight of an -eagle-hawk, sailing leisurely across a path of blue -sky, visible between two hills; and, even as they -looked, his wings ceased to beat, he hovered, motionless, -for a moment, and then fell like a stone, -swooping on some prey descried in a distant gully. -Occasionally there were holes that looked like rabbit-burrows, -and sometimes an opening that marked -the entrance to a wombat hole: but of wild life -they saw nothing, save here and there a lizard -sunning itself on a patch of warm rock, and sliding -off with incredible rapidity at the unfamiliar -sound of voices.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As for the blacks,” said Jean, resentfully, “I -believe it was only a yarn about them—or they’re -all gone. We haven’t seen even a trace of a camp.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, there’s a good deal of room for a camp or -so to exist without our coming across them,” Jim -answered, wisely. “But I think it’s quite likely -there are none left—why on earth should they stay -in country like this when they can be fed and housed -decently at one of the settlements? Of course, the -gentle black is a peculiar sort of chap, and hates -to be shut up within four walls. Still, I think this -sort of thing would scare even a native back to -civilization.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m sorry,” Jean made answer. “I did -want to see some.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s old King Billy at the Darrells’ station,” -Jim told her, kindly. “He lives there, and reckons -he owns it. If you like, we’ll get him trotted out for -your inspection. He’s our Billy’s father, and I’ve no -doubt he’d be glad to call on his loving son, especially -if he thought his screw had just been paid.” Which -handsome offer did very little to appease Jean’s -longings, even when Jim supplemented it with a -further proposal to make the monarch appear in -war-paint and utter horrifying tribal yells. After -having been acquainted with William, junior, it -was difficult to expect any romantic attributes in -his royal father.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ben Athol was a deceptive mountain. Often the -summit seemed quite near, as if but a few yards -more would land them at their destination. This -was cheering, and led them to climb with great -ardour, each striving to be first over the toppling -edge that appeared to be the margin of the crest. -But when it was surmounted, it was found to be -only a shoulder, and the actual Peak loomed high -above them yet. This occurred so often that it -moved Wally to wrath and eloquence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never saw anything rummier than the anatomy -of this blessed hill,” he said. “It’s got as many -shoulders as an octopus ought to have, only they’re -all on the same side! I think we’ll be climbing it -like this till the end of time, and never getting any -forarder. Do you think it would pay to cut round -and try to climb up its chest instead?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim said, “Don’t be personal!” and patted -him on the shoulder with such friendly force that -the orator, who chanced to be sitting on the extreme -edge of a boulder, slid off, and continued sliding -until he found Mother Earth—which happened with -some force. This led to reprisals, and by the time -that the combatants, somewhat dusty, had adjusted -their differences, the remainder of the expedition -was some distance up the Peak.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the Peak itself, and the last pull was a -steep one. All the ground was heaped with stones, -great and small. To dodge them was out of the -question, and every foot of the way had to be -climbed. There were no trees here, though on the -very summit a few clung amid the rocks. It was -hot work, crawling, climbing, slipping—the rough -sandstone grazing the hands that clung to it and the -knees as they scrambled across. But it was the top. -Jean and Norah raced for the last few yards—a -contest abruptly ended by the latter’s catching -her foot in a crevice and falling headlong. Jean -arrived at the Peak by herself, and looked round -in some astonishment, to behold her chum rising -from the earth and ruefully surveying a hole in her -skirt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh—I’m sorry!” said the victor, laughing and -flushed. “Are you hurt, old girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Only my feelings—and my skirt!” laughed -Norah, inspecting a grazed hand as a matter of -lesser moment. “It’s a good thing we packed -needles and cotton.” She came up beside Jean, -and caught her breath in quick ecstasy. “Jeanie! -what a view!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The ranges lay beneath them, rolling east and -west. Darkly green, their clothing of timber hid all -ruggedness and inequalities, and only that waving -expanse of foliage rippled softly from their feet. -Here and there a peak, higher than its fellows, reared -its crest, or a giant tree flung a proud head skywards; -but there was little to break the softly-rounded -masses of green. But out beyond the hills, -the plains lay extended, mile on mile, spreading -away illimitably. Dark lines winding sinuously -over their bosoms showed the timber bordering the -courses of creeks and rivers. Once a sun ray caught -a glint of blue where a lake rippled thousands of -feet below. On one lonely plain a belt of pines -made a dark mass, easily distinguishable, even at -so great a distance. On all was silence—so -profound that it was easy to imagine that the -green country lying below was as desolate and -uninhabited as the rugged Peak where they -stood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton, coming up silently, looked out long -over the country he loved, one hand on Norah’s -shoulder. Then he sat down on a boulder and lit -his pipe, still watching and silent, as the blue smoke -trailed away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boys arrived hastily, flushed and panting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Beat you!” gasped Wally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dead heat, you old fraud!” Jim retorted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Be quiet, you duffers,” said Norah, affectionately. -“Come here and look across the world!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So they looked—and were impressed even into -silence for three minutes, which is a remarkable -tribute to be exacted by any landscape from any -boy. Then Nature reasserted itself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I could drink in that view for hours,” said Wally, -with fervour, “if I weren’t so thirsty!” He undid -his bundle in haste, and looked longingly at the -water bottle. “May we all moisten our lips just -once, Mr. Linton—one little moist?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’d better take stock,” responded that gentleman, -coming out of his reverie, and proceeding to -unstrap his load. “Jim, how much have you got -left?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They inspected the supply, which was found to -be barely sufficient to assist in washing down luncheon. -This once settled, they threw care to the -winds, and demolished all, since going down hill -would be a quicker matter, and the heat less than on -the journey up. “Horses travel well when there’s -water ahead, so perhaps I may expect the same from -you!” remarked Mr. Linton, to the just indignation -of his party, who averred that his willingness to -allow the water to be finished proceeded solely from -anxiety to have no load to carry down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was still hot when they left the summit. Resting -there was scarcely a comfortable business; -there was little shade, and the rocks were uneasy -places for repose. “Better to have another spell on -the way down, when we strike a good place,” said -the leader; and the others chorussed their agreement. -So they went down, slipping and sliding on -the boulders—digging their heels into a patch of -earth whenever one was discovered soft enough to -act as foothold. It was not without risk, for the -Peak was steep, and a false step among the stones -would probably have resulted unpleasantly. David -Linton was free from minor anxieties concerning -his irresponsible clan, holding the happy-go-lucky -Australian belief that worrying does not pay; still, -he breathed more freely when the descent of the -Peak itself was accomplished, and a slightly easier -slope lay before them. Broken legs are at all times -awkward—but to carry a broken leg down a mountain -side is not a performance to be lightly contemplated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pulled up an hour later.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I have no idea as to the views of the clan,” -he remarked. “But I am going to have a spell. -It is borne in upon me that I am getting old, and that -I have not had a smoke for a long time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not old, at all, but we’ll all have a spell,” -Norah responded. They had halted in a shady spot, -where native grass tried to grow, and there were -stones of a convenient shape to serve as seats. The -Peak loomed far above them, grim and remote, -although they were yet on its side. They had -climbed down so far that the view all round was -blotted out, since now they were below the level of -the timber-crowned hills that clustered round Ben -Athol. Already the fierceness of the sun had gone, -and there was even a breath of chill in the shady -stillness where they rested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They lay on the ground or found stony seats, and -for half an hour talked lazily or did not talk at all, -as the spirit moved them. Jim and his father were -deep in a discussion of bullocks. Suddenly Norah, -who had been industriously biting the tough grass -stems, as an aid to thought, scrambled to her feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to go and explore,” she said. “Who -will come?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me,” said Jean and Wally, simultaneously, and -with painful disregard of the King’s English.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not I, I think,” said her father. “I want to -finish my pipe.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then I’ll keep you company,” Jim said. “Don’t -get lost, you kids!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Kid yourself!” remarked Wally. “Then we’ll -meet back at the camp, sir?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I suppose so. Don’t get far off the track, -Wally,” said Mr. Linton; “and take care of my -daughters!” He smiled at Jean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll keep ’em well in order, sir,” said Wally. “Observe, -children, Papa has put you under my charge!” -Whereat Norah tilted her nose disdainfully, and -they scrambled off among the rocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prohibition against getting far from the path -made exploration limited—not that there was much -to be gained by exploring, since one part of the hill -seemed precisely the same as another. Very rarely, -a lean mountain sheep appeared, to scurry off among -the timber in bleating affright at the strange apparitions; -but in general the scrub and the rocks were -monotonously alike, and travelling, once off the -sheep track, was considerably more difficult. So -they made their way back to it, resolving that -exploration was a mistaken ideal, and journeyed -down hill cheerfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally paused when they were beginning to think -that the camp must be close at hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cease your foolish persiflage!” said he, severely. -“I’ve an idea.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never!” said Jean, with open incredulity. -“Where?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s this,” said Wally. “Somewhere in my -bones it is borne in upon me that young Billy is -asleep. Let’s see if we can’t take him by surprise.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right,” Norah said, twinkling. “But why -you should think poor old Billy is snoring at the post -of Duty is more than I can say, unless you’re thinking -that in similar circumstances you’d be sleeping -yourself!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There may be something in that,” said Wally, -regarding the supposition with due consideration. -“If Billy has kept awake all day he’s a hero and a -martyr, and I should like to crown him with a -chaplet of ‘prickly Moses,’ laurel leaves being unobtainable. -Anyhow, let us creep upon him, and -make him think he’s attacked by sable warriors, -clad principally in ferocity.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They went on softly, in single file. The path was -easier, as the slope became less acute; an hour -earlier, quiet walking would have been impossible, -owing to shifting stones that had a way of rattling -down hill at a touch; but now they could prowl, -soft-footed, through the scanty undergrowth. It -was, perhaps, five minutes later when the first -glimpse of the green plateau came into view, and at -a signal from Wally they stole forward noiselessly, -halting in the shadow of the scrub that fringed its -edge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was immediately evident that Wally’s instinct -had been entirely correct. Black Billy had succumbed -to the heat, or the soporific effect of the -eucalyptus scents, or his own loneliness—or, very -possibly, to a combination of all three. He lay on -his back under a little tree, his battered old felt hat -pulled over his eyes, and his skinny limbs flung -carelessly in the abandonment of sleep. His mouth -was wide-open, and snores proceeded from him -steadily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sweet child,” said Wally admiringly. “Nothing -lovelier than a sleeping cherub, is there? What did -I tell you, young Norah Linton? Grovel.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I grovel,” whispered Norah, laughing. “Poor -old Billy, he must have been horribly dull.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not he, lazy young nigger. Plenty to eat and -nothing to do is a blackfellow’s heaven,” responded -Wally, in an energetic whisper. “Hold on until I -collect my breath for a yell.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah caught his arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wally! Look there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From behind the tent suddenly emerged a figure, -looking round cautiously. As she straightened up -they could see her face plainly—a black woman, -shapeless and bent as in the manner of all black -“gins,” when their first youth is passed. Her broad -face, hideous in its dark ugliness, shone with the -peculiar polish of black skins. She was dressed in -rags, principally of sacking, amidst which could be -seen the remnant of an old print frock that had once -been red; a man’s felt hat covered her matted hair -ineffectually, since here and there stray locks stuck -out of holes in the crown.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Great Scott,” Wally whistled. “And that young -beggar, Billy, snoring. Well, Jean, there’s your -noble savage, anyhow, and I hope you like her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, she got a picaninny,” Norah whispered -eagerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the woman moved they could see a tiny form -clinging to her skirts on the other side. She faced -round presently, and they saw the small aboriginal—a -queer mite, in rags of sacking also, and a piece -of the same elegant material tied over its head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No one could have said off-hand that it was boy -or girl—it was merely picaninny. Elfish eyes -looked out from a tangle of black hair under the -sacking. One little dark hand clung to the black -gin’s skirts; the other grasped a tiny boomerang -that was evidently a toy. There was something -uncanny in its perfect silence and caution of the -little thing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rum little beggar!” Wally whispered. “Fine -Australian native in the making! Jean, are you -impressed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The woman’s awful,” Jean murmured back. -“But the baby’s a jolly little chap. I wonder if -he’s a boy or girl”—a confusion of genders which -sent Wally off into a fit of silent laughter that was -almost alarming, since it made him apoplectic in -appearance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do be quiet!” Norah whispered. “She’s -certain to hear you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the black gin was quite unsuspicious of the -watching eyes. She poked about the camp, here -and there picking up some trifle and concealing it -somewhere about her rags. Billy’s recumbent form -she avoided carefully, and her eyes never left him for -more than a moment. She wandered softly about -the tent, longing, yet fearing, to untie the flap and -make more detailed investigations. And always -at her side trotted the picaninny, clinging to her -skirt and entirely unconcerned by the adventure, -except in its silence and stealthy movements.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently, however, it stopped suddenly, released -its hold, and sat down on the ground with a comically -knitted brow. The gin looked down, an impatient -frown on her heavy features. The little -creature was evidently concerned with a thorn or -splinter its bare black foot had picked up; it was -searching for it, twisting itself to try to get a view of -its case-hardened sole. The gin cautioned it with -uplifted finger, and leaving it on the ground, stole -off on a further tour of exploration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The black baby was evidently very cross. It -frowned and twisted over its foot, and seemed to -be telling the splinter, under its breath, its unbiassed -opinion of it. Meanwhile, the lubra was lying flat -on her face beside the tent, groping under the canvas -with one hand, and her soul apparently charged with -hope. Norah and Jean watched her, choking with -laughter, since, so far as they knew, she could only -encounter a bunk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll have to take steps if she tries another -spot, Wally,” Norah whispered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Right-oh!” was the noiseless response, given -somewhat absently. Wally was watching the -picaninny. He turned to Norah in a moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a rum little blackfellow,” he said. “See -its foot; I’ve never seen a darky with a foot like -that, and we used to live amongst ’em in Queensland. -They’re all just as flat-footed as a—a platypus. -But look at the instep that rum little black -coon has got; it’s as high an instep as I’ve ever seen, -and the foot’s quite pretty.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah looked as desired. The dusky baby was -still contorting on the grass, fishing vigorously -in its foot for the offending splinter. Its face was -turned towards them, but bent so intently over its -task that they could scarcely see it. There was no -doubt that the small foot was pretty—a slender -foot, with arched instep, incongruous enough, sticking -out of the sacking rags.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, as they watched, success rewarded the -picaninny’s efforts. The hard little fingers, with -talonlike nails, found the head of the splinter, and -drew it carefully out. The child looked up triumphantly, -a smile breaking out suddenly and illuminating -all its dark face. And at sight of the smile -Norah gave a great start, and cried out aloud:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wally—did you see! It isn’t a picaninny at -all! It’s Mrs. Archdale’s baby!”</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/illo-224.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0006' style='width:350px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>“The little creature was evidently concerned with a thorn or splinter its bare black foot had picked up.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 id='ch18'>CHAPTER XVIII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE WURLEY IN THE ROCKS</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And yet there is no refuge</p> -<p class='line0'>  To shield me from distress.</p> -<p class='line0'>Except the realm of slumber</p> -<p class='line0'>  And great forgetfulness.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                 —<span class='it'>Henry Kendall.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>Q</span>UICK as they were, the black woman was -quicker.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was lying full length on her face when Norah’s -startled voice rang out across the camp. Almost -with the first word she was on her feet, twisting to -an erect position with a quick movement curious in -one so ungainly. Like a flash, also, the child was -running to her, screaming with sudden terror. The -gin caught her up with a swift clutch, and in three -strides had gained the shelter of the scrub.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Wally, run!” Norah cried.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Wally was running. His long legs took him -across the grass so swiftly that he seemed to gain -the scrub almost at the same instant as the lubra. -Behind him came Jean and Norah, scarlet with -excitement. They pulled up sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no sign of any one. The spring that -had its source near the plateau trickled out at the -side, and the scrub grew more densely than anywhere -else. It seemed to have swallowed up their -quarry. Not even a broken or trembling branch or -a mark in the bushes told where she had gone. They -listened, their hearts thumping heavily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, from the left, came the sound of a breaking -twig, and Wally turned in its direction, and went -crashing through the undergrowth, the girls at his -heels. For a moment he feared that he was on the -wrong track; then, with a great throb of relief, he -caught a glimpse of a faded red print skirt, and ran -wildly on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Once he looked back with a quick call.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t get bushed if we miss each other. I’ll -coo-ee!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Right!” Norah had no breath for more.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They ran madly through the scrub, dodging, -twisting, scrambling among the saplings and bushes. -The stones were the worst; they cropped out of the -ground, often with a coating of dry lichen or dead -leaves disguising their outlines, and it was almost -impossible to dodge them, running at top speed, in -the gloom of the trees. A dozen times the pursuers -tripped and went sprawling over the unseen and -unyielding obstacles, only to pick themselves up, -bruised and shaken, to run harder than ever, to -make up for lost time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The black gin always kept before them. Sometimes -they caught a glimpse of her red skirt, and -once Wally saw her across a little cleared space, -fleeing silently, with the child clasped to her breast; -but generally she was out of sight, and they could -only follow her by sound. She ran with all the -stealthy cunning of her race, her bare feet making -little noise when contrasted with the crashing of her -pursuers, who shouted to her loudly and unavailingly -to stop. Nor did she ever run in a straight line—like -a hare she twisted and doubled, though always -as if she had some definite end in view, for, despite -her tortuous course, she always kept to the same -direction. The child uttered no sound; the woman -ran as though she had no burden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah fell behind presently; not only was the -pace too much for her, but she feared to leave Jean, -who was lagging far in the rear. She waited for her -to catch up, and they jogged on together, listening -anxiously for Wally’s voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally had set his teeth, suddenly indignant at -being outpaced for so long by a woman—“a black -one at that!” he uttered, forgetting that no woman, -save a black one, would have had the slightest -chance of keeping ahead. The pride of the schoolboy, -to whom none of his mates had been able to -show the way on the football field, surged up in him, -and he flung himself forward, shouting. He knew he -had lost sight of Norah and Jean—and they must -not be left to run the danger of getting “bushed.” -The chase must end.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was gaining yard by yard—the pad of flying -bare feet came closer and closer. Then he heard a -heavy fall, and a loud, piteous cry—a child’s cry—that -sent the honest blood surging to his heart. He -was almost upon the black woman as she picked -herself up, clinging to the child—and then she -doubled suddenly, twisting herself through a gap -between two great boulders. Not quite quickly -enough; had the boy been a dozen yards further off -he might never have seen where she disappeared. -But he was on her heels, following. Then he knew -that the chase was over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were in a tiny triangular space, nearly filled -by a “wurley” formed by roofing in the stones with -boughs, and leaving a few upright ones as a doorway. -The boulders hemmed it in. The place was hardly -larger than a dog kennel at Billabong—searchers -might have passed it a hundred times, never guessing -that there was any space left among the masses of -rock. It had evidently been inhabited a long while, -for the ground was beaten hard, and it reeked with -the “blackfellow” odour that is worse than the -majority of smells. The black gin dived into the -tiny hut, and faced about; Wally could see her -fierce eyes gleaming—could hear her breath, loud, -panting gasps. He was panting himself; the “Coo-ee!” -he uttered, turning towards the direction -where he had last seen the girls, quavered a little. -He sent it echoing through the bush twice before an -answer came. Then the boy’s heart gave a throb -of relief as Jean and Norah came into view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Got ’em!” he said, indicating the “wurley” -with a jerk of his hand. “Moses! can’t that lady -run! I’d like to enter her for the Oaks! Are you -girls all right?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it—is the kiddie——?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blest if I know!” said Wally, laughing. “You -said so, and so I ran. If it isn’t some one else’s -youngster, then the lady in here has a mighty uneasy -conscience on some other score, that’s all. But if -you’ve given me that little jog-trot for nothing, -young Norah——!” He broke off, endeavouring to -look threatening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, I saw it laugh!” said Norah. “And it -was the face of that photograph and Mrs. Archdale’s -face rolled into one!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never saw Mrs. Archdale with a face as black -as that,” Wally rejoined. “You aren’t complimentary, -Nor. Let’s have a look at them, anyway.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the black gin cowered back in her den, and -refused to move. Persuasion and threats alike -were unavailing. Finally Wally shrugged his -shoulders.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Awfully sorry to pull your house about your -ears, ma’am,” he said. “But if you won’t come -out, it’ll have to be. Look out, you girls—I shall -stir up awful smells!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He fulfilled his prediction as he pulled away the -interlacing boughs—hygienic principles are not in -vogue in an aboriginal “wurley.” It was pitifully -scanty—a moment’s work sufficed to reveal the lubra -and the child she grasped firmly. She tried to hold -its face against her—but the baby wriggled free at -the strange voices, facing the grave young faces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now that they were so close only a glance was -needed to show that this was no black picaninny. -A dark stain covered the child’s face and its legs -and arms: but through it the features were those of -the baby who had laughed to them from the blue -wall of the little room at Mrs. Archdale’s. And -there was no fear in the wide, dark eyes that met -theirs—but rather an unspoken greeting, as though -instinct told her that she was once more among her -own kind. Norah held out her hand to her; but -the black gin cowered back, holding the little body -yet more closely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine,” she said; “that pfeller picaninny -mine!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Qui s’excuse s’accuse</span>,” said Wally, in his best -French. “We never said she wasn’t, old lady—’twas -your own guilty mind. That feller Mrs. Archdale’s -picaninny, Black Mary.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine,” she said, sullenly, fear glowing in her -eyes. “Baal you take her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Baal I’ll leave her?” retorted Wally. “You -give it me that picaninny, one time, quick!” He -swung round at a step behind him. “Thank goodness, -here’s Billy! I don’t think I’m much good -at international complications.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Billy grasped the situation in a few words. Then -he addressed a flood of guttural remarks to the black -gin, who shrank visibly from him, and answered him, -trembling. He turned to Wally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That pfeller, Lucy,” he said, briefly. “She -bin marry mine cousin, Dan. S’pos’n’ she have -picaninny, it tumble-down (died) one-three time. -So Dan he gone marry Eva.” He told the small -tragedy of Black Lucy, unconcernedly, and the -lubra listened, nodding.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So that pfeller Lucy plenty lonely,” went on -Billy. “Then, s’pos’n him meet li’l white picaninny -down along a scrub, him collar that pfeller. That -all. Every pfeller lubra want picaninny,” finished -Billy in a bored voice, as if marvelling at the ways -of womenkind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a long pause. At last Wally spoke, -hurriedly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well—she knows we’ve got to take the kiddie, -anyhow, doesn’t she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine bin tell her that,” said Billy. “She bin -say not.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The black woman broke in, in a high, shrill voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not take her. That li’l pfeller, picaninny belongin’ -to me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Picaninny’s mother’s wanting her,” Norah said -her voice pitying.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine!” said the black woman, uncertainly—“mine!” -She held the child closer, rocking her to -and fro; and the children stared at her, not knowing -how to solve the problem.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Billy had no illusions. He grasped the gin’s arm, -and jerked her to her feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Baal you be a fool?” he said, roughly. “S’pos’n’ -p’liceman come, you bin find yourself in lock-up, -plenty quick! P’lice bin lookin’ for you this long -time ’cause you bin steal picaninny.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She winced and shivered, looking at him with great -stupid eyes, like an injured animal’s.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You come and see my father,” said Norah, -gently, putting one hand on her arm; and somewhat -to their surprise, the gin came, making no further -outcry, but holding the child to her. So they went -back through the scrub. Billy led them swiftly, -making but a short distance, in a straight line, of -the long and tortuous race that the fugitive had led -them. It seemed a very few minutes before they -saw the canvas of the tent shining white through -the trees, and heard voices beyond.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Quite suddenly, the black gin stopped. For a -moment she held the child to her so savagely that -the little thing cried out in pain. She muttered over -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My li’l pfeller picaninny!” she said. “Mine!” -She turned to Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mine bin good to her,” she said, thickly. “Baal -mine ever beat that one!” Just for an instant -she stood looking at them in dumb agony. Then -she put the child down with a swift gentleness, and, -turning, fled into the gloom of the Bush.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch19'>CHAPTER XIX</h1></div> - -<h3>THE LAST NIGHT</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The gray gums by the lonely creek,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The star-crowned heights,</p> -<p class='line0'>The wind-swept plain, the dim blue peak,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The cold white light,</p> -<p class='line0'>The solitude spread near and far</p> -<p class='line0'>Around the camp-fire’s tiny star,</p> -<p class='line0'>The horse bells’ melody remote,</p> -<p class='line0'>The curlew’s melancholy note</p> -<p class='line0'>  Across the night.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                     —<span class='it'>G. Essex Evans.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>W</span>ELL, she’s a queer little atom,” said David -Linton, surveying the treasure trove. -“Strong and healthy, too, I should say, if one could -see anything for stains and dirt. She’s inconceivably -dirty. Has she made any remarks on the -situation?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She seems to approve of you, at any rate, Nor.,” -said Jim. “What on earth are you going to do with -her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bath her,” said Norah promptly. “Thank -goodness, Mrs. Archdale isn’t going to see her looking -like that!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t fancy the poor soul would worry over -that point of view,” said her father. “But bath her, -by all means—you’ll certainly require to do so, as -she’ll have to be in your tent all night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A mercy we’ve got the washing-up tin,” remarked -Norah, looking with approval at a half -kerosene tin which had formed a somewhat disputed -part of their pack; “and ammonia—I’d never get -her clean without it. Brownie put in a bottle in -case of insect stings.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll need it all,” Jim said, grimly. “Will -she speak, Nor.?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She won’t say a word so far,” Norah answered. -“I wonder if she has forgotten how? A baby like -that would forget nearly everything in a year and a -quarter, wouldn’t she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The child stood in the midst of the group, one -hand clinging tightly to Norah’s finger. She had -said nothing since she had been suddenly left among -the strangers. As the black woman rushed away -from her she had made an instinctive movement to -follow her, but Billy had been too quick, his hand -falling on her tiny shoulder before she had taken two -steps. At his touch the little thing had given a -terrified start, and then, moved by some hidden -instinct, had fled to Norah, whose hands were held -out to her. Since then she had not relinquished her -grip on Norah’s finger. She gazed from one to the -other with great, unwinking eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps she hasn’t forgotten her name,” Jean -suggested. “Try her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So Norah knelt down before the ragged little -figure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Babs!” she said softly. “Babs!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The baby looked at her. Something like a gleam -of recognition came into her eyes. But beyond -that she would give no sign, and at last Norah gave -up the attempt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d better bath her now,” she said; “her hair -must be quite dry before she goes to sleep. Billy, -you boil the billy quick as you can.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What on earth are you going to dress her in?” -Jim asked. “You can’t put those rags on her -again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think not!” his sister answered, -eyeing the malodorous tatters disgustedly. “Jean -and I will fix up something.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You had better fix it up out of a blanket, then,” -her father observed. “I don’t suppose she has -encountered water for fifteen months—and we don’t -want her to take a chill.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right,” said Jean, nodding wisely. “I’ve -got an idea, and we have needles and thread.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then we can leave it to you two,” said Mr. -Linton, with relief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can,” said Norah. “Only keep the supply -of hot water going!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They needed all they could get, and the soap was -at a low ebb and the ammonia bottle empty before -they made little Babs Archdale clean. At first she -objected strenuously to the process, and her screams -rent the air, and she struggled furiously, so that it -took both attendants of the bath to hold her, and -much soap went in her eyes. But once her hair was -washed and tucked up out of her way, she suddenly -became good, and submitted happily to their -ministrations, revelling in the warm soapy water.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They stripped her rags off with gingerly movements, -and Jean carried them on a stick into the -scrub. All the child’s skin was stained with some -dark juice and grimed with the dirt of long months; -but it yielded to the scrubbing, and Babs emerged -from the final rinsing water a very different being -from the grubby picaninny who had gone in—the -white skin of her shining little body a startling -contrast to the deep sun-brown of her face and arms -and legs. Norah rolled her in a towel and tossed -her upon a bunk in the tent, rubbing and patting her -gently, in sheer happiness over the slender, sweet-smelling -little form. Out of the final towelling, -Babs sat up, glowing and dimpling. She broke into -sudden, happy laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you darling!” Norah said, catching her -up. “Jean, isn’t she just lovely? Babs! Oh, I -do want your mother to see you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Babs looked at her, opened her mouth, and then -closed it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Muvver!” she said, quite clearly. “Muvver!” -At which Norah and Jean, unable to contain their -emotions, hugged each other very heartily—to the -great delight of Babs, who sat upon the bed like -a piebald Cupid and dimpled into laughter again at -this strange pair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Over the tangled curls both girls worked despairingly, -while Babs submitted with a stoicism that -said much for her sojourn as an aboriginal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah stopped at last, and put down the comb.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think we’re a pair of duffers,” she said. “We -might work all night at that mop, and it wouldn’t -be right—indeed, I believe most of it will have to -be cut off. But can’t you imagine how Mrs. Archdale -will just love doing it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, it’s clean, at any rate,” said Jean philosophically. -“And that’s the main thing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a quaint little figure that they led out for -inspection; and the boys roared with laughter, to -the great disgust of the object of their mirth, who -tucked her damp head into Norah’s neck and refused -to face the audience for some time. Finally -she condescended to sit on David Linton’s knee -and inspect his watch—and brought down rounds -of delighted applause by suddenly bending forward -and “blowing” in the time-honoured fashion for -the case to be opened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jean, may I employ you as a tailor?” Wally -asked, solemnly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The small person was attired in a fearful and -wonderful garment contrived by Jean out of a soft -blanket—coming high round her neck, and ending in -brief trouser legs, from which the bare, brown knees -emerged. Over it she wore a linen coat of Norah’s—the -sleeves turned back almost to the shoulders, and -a world too wide for the tiny arms that seemed to be -lost within them. But there was no doubt that -Babs was happy and comfortable, albeit not clad -according to the dictates of fashion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s peculiar, isn’t it?” said Jean, surveying -her handiwork. “Most of it is sewn together on -her, and she’ll have to be unpicked for her next -bath. Don’t you think I was clever to manage to -get the pink stripes right down the front?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a genius!” Wally said, greatly impressed. -“There is, however, a sterner side to it. -Do I not recognize my blanket?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You do,” said Jean. “It happened to be the -softest. Anyway, you’ve got another, and it’s going -to be a hot night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A fair exchange isn’t any robbery,” said Norah, -with striking originality. “The other part of Babs’ -attire is in the scrub, if you’d care for it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I scorn you both,” said Wally. “It’s an -abominable thing to be made a philanthropist -against one’s will!” He fell to tickling Babs’ brown -toes with a stem of grass, to the great delight of the -mite.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was quite friendly with them all by the time -tea was ready, when she displayed an appetite that -would, Wally averred, have shamed a hippopotamus, -and ate until she bulged visibly, and Norah had fearful -visions of her exploding. Nothing, apparently, -came amiss to her, and her cheerful desire to eat -anything whatever led to harrowing conjectures as -to what could have been her principal diet during -her life in the scrub.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Kangaroo rat and wallaby, most likely,” Jim -remarked; “varied with fish, in various stages of -preservation, and nice succulent tree-grubs!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Be quiet, you disgusting creature!” said Wally, -in extreme horror. “You spoil my appetite.” He -helped himself to a mammoth slice of cake.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Looks like it!” Jim grinned. “Well, Babs -can’t furnish you with details of her late guardian’s -menu, I suppose; but I wouldn’t mind betting it -didn’t vary much from my ideas.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bless her!” said Norah, fatuously. “We’ll -give her everything we’ve got that’s nice now to -make up.” She tempted Babs with a chocolate, -and Babs swiftly fell before the temptation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you’d better call a halt,” observed Mr. -Linton. “That child has eaten as much as any two -of the party—and she’ll be asleep in about a minute. -You ought to put her to bed, Norah—we shall want -to make an early start for Atholton.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Babs was nearly asleep by the time Norah had -tucked her into her bunk. She clung to her finger -still, and drowsily put her face up to be kissed—a -forgotten instinct, coming back as consciousness -slipped away. And all through the night she -nestled to her closely, one little hand clinging to her -sleeve. Norah did not sleep much. She did not -want to; it seemed to her that she dare not cease -protecting the tiny dreaming mite for this last night—to -keep her safe for the morrow, that meant such -bewilderment of joy for the forlorn hearts in the little -cottage by Atholton. At the thought she thrilled -with an eagerness that left her almost trembling. -Even the short few hours seemed long to wait—thinking -of Babs Archdale’s mother.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But it’s only one more night!” she whispered. -“You’ll know soon.” She smiled in the moonlight, -raising herself a trifle to watch the little face nestling -near her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton slept across the tent doorway this -night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Just as well,” he said. “I wouldn’t risk to-morrow -for the Archdales for all Billabong!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And out in the gloom of the scrub, where the -moonlight scarcely filtered through the tracery of -boughs to the boulder-strewn ground, a woman -crouched, lonely, in her ruined wurley among the -rocks. Sometimes she muttered angrily; sometimes -her wild eyes, fiercely stupid, closed in sleep, -and then her hands moved restlessly, seeking for a -little body that no longer lay against her breast. -She was outcast, loathsome, a pariah; every man’s -hand would be against her, and only the wild hills -left to her for refuge. But perhaps the calm stars, -that see so many lonely mothers, looked down -pityingly upon this black mother, who had been -lonely, too.</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch20'>CHAPTER XX</h1></div> - -<h3>DOWN THE MOUNTAIN</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Oh, little body, nestled on my heart!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                               —<span class='it'>M. Forrest.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HEY fixed a saddle-pad for Babs in front of -Norah, and she rode proudly into Atholton. -The horses did not make her afraid at all; indeed, -she welcomed them with shouts of glee, appearing a -little doubtful as to whether they were pets or things -to eat—but in either case greatly to be desired. And -when she was mounted before Norah, with one hand -clutching a lock of old Warder’s mane and the other -holding Norah’s finger, she had nothing left to wish -for. She chuckled at frequent intervals; any -object along the track, from a kookaburra to a -lizard, moved her to little shouts of laughter, though -it was painfully certain that she wished to devour -the lizard. “I never saw such a merry baby,” said -Jean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gradually words came back to her. At first -they caught fragments of native dialect, chiefly unintelligible; -but, with the talk about her, and the -kind voices that spoke to her, English words returned -brokenly to the baby tongue. She answered quite -soon to her own name, looking up whenever she -heard “Babs” with a quaint, elfish half smile; and -before breakfast was over she had made a hesitating -attempt at “Norah”—finding the “r” altogether -too hard a stumbling block. Her vocabulary was -not large, but she made the most of it. And all -the time as they rode down Ben Athol, Norah taught -her one word—leaning forward, holding her closely, -one arm round the quicksilver little body. One -word, over and over again—<span class='it'>Mother, Mother, Mother</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah never could have told much about the way -down. It was steep, she knew, and stony; she -was glad old Warder was surefooted, since to him -was left most of the responsibility of the track. -There were birds singing everywhere, in the Bush and -in her own heart; there was blue sky overhead, -and a little breeze that just redeemed the day from -heat. It could not have been otherwise than a perfect -day. But for Norah there was no view beyond -the mat of black curls against her breast; no -thought beyond the one that surged and sang -within her. An old verse beat in her happy brain—“For -this thy brother was dead and is alive again; -and was lost and is found.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Contented, my girl?” David Linton asked, -riding beside her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m happy,” Norah answered, and smiled up at -the tall man on the great black horse. “I’m not -quite contented yet. But I will be, soon.” Then -Babs developed a determination to ride Monarch, -and lurched forward so suddenly that she only saved -her by a spasmodic grip that included some of -Babs, as well as her clothing—to the no small -indignation of Babs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be ambitious quite so early, my lass,” -said Jim, gravely, regarding the scarlet and wrathful -picaninny with a judicial air. “Time enough to -hitch your waggon to a star when you’re a bit older.” -Hearing which profound reflection, and understanding -no syllable of it, but deciding that she liked the -voice in which it was proffered, Babs promptly -transferred her affections to Garryowen, and was -with difficulty restrained from transferring herself as -well. Norah evaded both difficulties by seizing -advantage of a tiny stretch of flat ground and, cantering -across it, thereby so entrancing her passenger -that she was never again satisfied with anything so -ordinary as a walking pace—which was unfortunate, -as to canter down Ben Athol demanded four-footed -agility usually withheld from all but circus horses. -There was no lack of excitement in riding with Babs -Archdale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They lunched on the lower slopes of the mountain—cutting -the spell short, since Norah’s restlessness to -be gone made it impossible for her to sit still. Then, -still in the early afternoon, they saw the roofs of -Atholton below them, half hidden in the timber.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the flat, just where the hills ended, they shook -up their horses and cantered quickly over the half-mile -that lay between them and the village. Scarcely -any one was in sight; Atholton slumbered peacefully, -oblivious of intruders. The storekeeper, shirt-sleeved -and with pipe in mouth, lounged on his -verandah, and greeted them jovially as they came up, -Jim and his father in the lead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Got back, have you?” he said. “And had a -good trip, by the looks of you!” His eye travelled -back to Norah. “Didn’t knock you up, Miss -Linton——” His voice stopped abruptly on a -note of amazement. Staring, he was silent, and his -pipe clattered from his mouth to the ground. “Why!” -he gasped. “Good Lord—you’ve got little Babs -Archdale!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us have a frock of some kind for her—quick -as you can, Green,” said David Linton. “Anything -will do.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll take her in,” said Norah, slipping from the -saddle, and carrying into the shop the extraordinary -vision in the suit and blanket. They emerged in a -few moments, the blanket hidden by a brief dress of -blue print; and Babs reluctantly consented to -allow the strange man to lift her up to Norah again. -Mr. Green found his tongue, with some difficulty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never heard of such a thing in all me born -days!” he said. “Gad! to think of Mrs. Archdale——” -He stared after them, open-mouthed, as they -clattered off, swinging round the bend of the track. -The sound of the cantering hoofs echoed in the still -afternoon air as Mr. Green, leaving his store to its -own devices, hurried off to tell the township.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Near the cottage David Linton pulled up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are too many of us,” he said. “You -three youngsters found her—go and give her back!” -Jim and he moved into the shade of a big messmate -tree, and the others rode on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The little white cottage was fresh and inviting, the -garden gay with flowers. The front door stood open; -at any moment they looked to see Mrs. Archdale’s -tall figure come out upon the verandah. Suddenly -Norah found she was trembling, and that the cottage -wavered mistily before her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the garden gate they got down, and Wally tied -up the horses. There was no sign of any one. But -Babs gave them no time to wonder. The gate was -ajar, and she flung herself at it, uttering shrill little -squeals of joy, and raced up the path.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I say—catch her!” Wally said. “The shock -may be too much for Mrs. Archdale.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Babs was battering at the steps of the high -verandah as Norah caught her. She wriggled fiercely -in her arms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Down!” she said. “Want down!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait a minute, darling!” Norah begged her. -“Wally, you go on—find her. I—I’m going to -howl!” She sat down on the step, desperately -ashamed of the sobs that shook her; and Jean, in no -better case, patted her back very hard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Perhaps Wally was not very sure of himself either. -He cleared his throat as he stood at the door, after -knocking, not sorry that no answering step came at -once. Presently he came back to the girls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no one about,” he said. “I’ve been -round to the kitchen. Wonder where they are?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let’s come and look,” Norah answered, doubtfully -sure of herself once more. Wally picked up -Babs, who wriggled and squeaked on his shoulder, -a quicksilver embodiment of excitement that she -could not voice in words, since words were all too -slow. So they went through the silent house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no sign of any one. In the little blue -room the bed was dainty and fresh, with crisp linen, -and roses smiled a welcome from the table; and the -fire burned low in the kitchen stove, where a kettle -bubbled busily. But the house was empty. They -looked into Mrs. Archdale’s room, half afraid to find -her ill; but she was not there; and Babs went into -a fresh ecstasy of excitement at the vision of her -own picture, which laughed down at her from the -wall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Babs!” she cried, and pointed a brown forefinger; -“Babs!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You blessed kid,” said Wally, in perplexity, -“I wish you could tell us where to look for your -mother.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Muvver!” said the lady addressed. She -wriggled ecstatically, and grasped a handful of -Wally’s hair, to his extreme agony. A fresh effort -of memory came to her. “Dad,” she said, half -inquiringly, and drummed her heels upon her -bearer’s chest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the back of the house the little kitchen -garden stretched to the brush fence. Beyond came -a narrow, timbered paddock, and then the deep green -of the scrub—the unbroken curtain that had fallen -behind the baby on Wally’s shoulder more than a -year ago. They came out of the back door and stood -looking towards it doubtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then from the scrub they saw Mrs. Archdale -coming slowly. No one might say what dreadful -pilgrimage had led her into its silent heart. She -stumbled as she walked, bent as though her body had -given way under the stress of agony of mind too -great to be borne. Even across the shining grass it -was plain that she did not know where she walked—that -all that her eyes could see was the dark maze of -the Bush, where a little child had wandered, and -called to her. A fallen log lay across her path, and -she sat down upon it, burying her face in her -hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Wally, go and tell her,” Norah said. “I’m -such an idiot—I’m going to howl again. Let me -have Babs—I’ll bring her.” She followed Wally -slowly down the path, with Babs patting her tear-stained -cheek gently, saying, “Poor, poor,” in a -little crooning voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Archdale raised her head as the swift steps -came to her across the grass, and looked at the tall -lad for a moment without recognition. Then she -collected herself with an effort that was pitiful in its -violence, and smiled at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, you’ve got back!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wally nodded, seeking desperately for words. -His brown face was flushed and eager.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I——” he said, and stopped. “We——. Mrs. -Archdale.” Words fled from him altogether, and -he pushed his hat back with a despairing gesture. -“I’ve got something to tell you; and I’m such a -fool at telling it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing wrong?” she asked him swiftly. “Not -little Norah?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—nothing wrong. Everything’s all right; -everything’s perfect!” he told her. He put out a -lean, boyish hand, and gripped hers strongly. -“We saw you—coming away from the scrub.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t!” She flushed, miserably.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” said poor Wally, his -task almost beyond him. “I only want to say you -needn’t ever go there again. She—she isn’t there, -Mrs. Archdale!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you mad?” The colour died out of her -face, and for a moment the agony of her eyes robbed -the boy of speech.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I mean it,” he said, faltering. “If it was all—all -wrong, Mrs. Archdale? If your little kiddie -had never died?” Something choked his voice; he -could only look at her with honest, pitying eyes. -But the mother’s eyes were keen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know something!” she said; “there is -something!” Her voice rose to a wailing cry. -“Tell me, for God’s sake!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Across the grass came a voice that rang shrilly -sweet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Muvver!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Babs came running with swift bare feet; behind -her, Norah, half afraid, yet wholly unable to restrain -her once the remembered voice had raised its mother -cry. At the sight of the baby form, with outstretched -arms, the mother uttered a low, incredulous sob—a -sound so piteous that Wally turned away sharply, -lest he should see her face. Her feet would not carry -her to meet her baby. She fell on her knees on the -grass, and Babs flung herself bodily upon her, soft and -sweet, and quivering with love.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There came a clatter of hoofs. Jack Archdale, -riding home, had pulled up to speak to Mr. Linton -and Jim; and suddenly he broke from them like a -madman, and, not waiting for gates, put his horse at -the log fence of his paddock, cleared it, and raced to -the house. He flung the bridle over a post, and ran -wildly to them—past Jean and Norah, sitting together -on a stump, not able to speak, and speechless -himself, to where his wife crouched over their child; -Babs, who stroked her mother’s cheek gently, crooning -in her funny little voice: “Poor—poor!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah felt Wally’s hand upon her shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come on,” he said. “I guess we’d better get -back to the horses.”</p> - -<div><h1 id='ch21'>CHAPTER XXI</h1></div> - -<h3>BACK TO BILLABONG</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And thro’ the night came all old memories flocking,</p> -<p class='line0'>White memories like the snowflakes round me whirled;</p> -<p class='line0'>“All’s well!” I said. “The mothers still sit rocking</p> -<p class='line0'>The cradles of the world!”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                                  —<span class='it'>W. H. Ogilvie.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>S</span>O you’ll come?” David Linton asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and glad to.” Jack Archdale pulled -at his pipe, which would not draw. He took it out -of his mouth, shook it, and put it back again with a -shrug. It needed a grass stalk to clean the stem; -but that is a performance that demands two hands, -and one hand was given over to Babs, who sat on -her mother’s knee on the next step of the verandah, -imprisoning her father’s big finger in her moist little -grasp. So the pipe went out, its owner deriving -what comfort he might from holding it in his mouth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never want to see the place again,” Archdale -went on. “I’d have left it long ago but for the -one thing. Now I’d go to-morrow if I could. -Wouldn’t we, Mary?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Archdale nodded. Babs had one forefinger -tucked into her neck, and nothing else mattered -very much just then.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you see, Jack?” she asked, smiling at him. -“It’s her old trick; she always put her little finger -into my collar. She hasn’t forgotten anything.” -They bent together over the baby form, and forgot -the world.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll have to sell off here,” Archdale said, straightening -up, presently. “That won’t take very long, -though. Then whenever you’re ready for me, -sir——?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Any time next month,” the squatter answered. -“The storekeeper goes on the first, and I suppose -Mrs. Brown will want a few days to have the cottage -put in order for you. She has violent ideas on -disinfecting; not that I’m quite sure what she -wants to disinfect, but it seems to make her happy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But come soon,” Norah said eagerly. “I want -to see Babs again before I go back to school.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess,” said Jack Archdale,—“I guess what you -and Mr. Wally want about Babs is likely to happen, -if ever I can manage it. You’ve got a sort of -mortgage on her now, haven’t they, Mary?” To -which Wally, who was lying full length on the grass -with Jim, near the verandah, was understood to -mutter, “Bosh!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe it’s bosh; I don’t know,” Archdale said, -drawing hard at his cold pipe. “But that’s the way -we look at it. I—we . . . Well, it’s no darned good -tryin’ to say anything.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was only a bit of luck,” Wally mumbled, -greatly embarrassed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Any one would have found her,” said Norah, -incoherently. “We just happened to.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” Mrs. Archdale said, her cheek -against Bab’s black curls. “I suppose I may be -foolish—but it seems to me it was a bit because you -cared so much. It—it seemed to hurt you, just like -it did Jack and me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And lots of people would never have noticed -that the kid wasn’t really a picaninny,” Archdale -put in. He put his great hand down and took -Bab’s little bare foot in it, looking at it with eyes -half misty, half proud. “Well, thank the Lord, you -wasn’t born flat-footed, my kid!” he said—and -Babs chuckled greatly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She climbed down from her mother’s knee presently, -and after falling over Jim and Wally, and -treating each with impartial affection, toddled off -round the corner of the house, on a voyage of -discovery. It was curious to see how little she had -forgotten, and what joy she found in the old familiar -places. Archdale watched her go, and with the -last flutter of the scanty blue frock heaved his long -form up from the step, and followed slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It don’t seem safe to let her get out of one’s sight,” -he said as he went. “I wouldn’t trust that black -gin not to be hanging round in the timber.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Archdale followed them both with her eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jack swears he’ll tell the police if old Black -Lucy shows up,” she said. “But I don’t want him -to. It wouldn’t do any good—and I’m too happy -now to care. She had lost all her kiddies, poor -thing—and, after all, she took care of my -baby.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You would have been sorry for her if you’d -seen her,” Norah said. “I know you would.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, after all, you can’t judge them by our -standards,” said the squatter. “They are only -overgrown children, and we haven’t left them so -much that we can blame them altogether for -seizing at a chance of happiness. Probably -old Black Lucy’s family owned Billabong, and -can’t quite see why I should hold it now; and -certainly she would find it hard to understand why -her babies should all die while other women keep -their children.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To be broken-hearted with loneliness—and then -to find a little child wandering alone in the scrub—oh, -I don’t know that I blame her,” said Bab’s -mother, wistfully. “You—you’d really think it -was sent to you. I only lost one, and I thought my -trouble was greater than I could bear. And she -had lost three!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—but you can’t quite look at it that way,” -Mr. Linton said. “The blacks don’t regard a -child’s life quite as we do.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t they?” Mary Archdale asked, doubtfully. -“Perhaps not.” She pondered over it, and shook -her head, at last. “Oh, I don’t believe your colour -makes much difference to you when you’ve lost your -baby!” Her voice broke—just for a moment she -was back in the wilderness of pain, where she had -wandered for so many weary months.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, round the corner, came her husband, with -Babs perched high on his shoulder—triumphant in -her elevation, yet with her tangled black head -nodding sleepily, and the sandman’s dust making -her eyelids droop.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some one’s sleepy,” Archdale said, smiling at his -wife. “Coming, mother?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll put her to bed,” she said, rising and stretching -her arms to the little daughter. Archdale put Babs -tenderly upon the grass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess there’s two of us in that contract,” he -said. “Say good-night, Babs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They watched her with quick curiosity to see if -the command would be intelligible. It was long -since Babs had said “good-night.” But some far-off -echo was awake in the childish brain, and she -obeyed mechanically; moving from one to the -other with drowsy, soft kisses and drowsier “Dood -nights”—until the last was said, and she turned to -her father again and held up little brown arms to him. -He picked her up, with infinite gentleness in his -strength. One arm went round his wife’s shoulders -as they disappeared into the silent welcome of the -lighted house.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>* * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Outside the slow moon climbed into a starry sky, -and for a while no one spoke. Far off, a bittern -boomed in some unseen marsh—the eerie note that -makes loneliness more lonely, and warm companionship -the more comforting, by contrast. Then two -mopokes began to call to each other across a belt of -scrub, and a fox barked sharply. The fragrant -peace of the summer night lay gently upon the -blossoming garden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Norah leaned back against her father’s knee, with -Jean close at hand. It was to Jean that Mr. Linton -spoke presently. There were many times when, -between him and Norah, speech was not necessary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, you’re not having anything resembling the -holidays I planned for you, Jean,” he said. “All -the same, they have not been without incident!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s lovely!” Jean breathed. “Thank goodness, -they’re not over yet!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For to-night they were to sleep in Mrs. Archdale’s -little blue room. The men of the party, scorning -the excitements of the hotel, were to camp near the -scrub; already preparations were made, and the -white tent glimmered faintly in the moonlight. To-morrow -would begin the ride back to Billabong.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I heard from Town to-day,” the squatter -observed. A sheaf of letters had awaited him at -Atholton. “They will be able to begin work on the -house next week, so the rebuilding won’t be so long -drawn-out an affair as I feared.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a mercy, anyhow,” Jim said, fervently. -“I’ll be jolly glad not to see those blackened walls. -Seems to hurt you, somehow. But how does that -affect your plans, Dad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What plans?” Norah asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Jim and I, as the only level-headed -members of this irresponsible party, have been -planning,” said her father. “Billabong being unfit -for habitation, and two young ladies, to say nothing -of one Queensland gentleman, on our hands, justly -expecting an agreeable vacation——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dad, how beautifully you talk!” said Norah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Such wealth of language!” breathed Jim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Diogenes revivified! Or was it Demosthenes?” -said Wally, uncertainly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Diogenes inhabited a tub, if I remember rightly,” -said Mr. Linton, laughing. “As far as I can see, -I am likely to be driven to somewhat similar expedients, -until I have a house again. However—not -that any of you deserve my kind explanations, -except Jean, who probably wouldn’t deserve them -either but that she’s too shy to voice her thoughts in -the way you do.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean giggled assentingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“H’m,” said Mr. Linton, gazing at her severely -“I thought so. If ever there was an unfortunate -brow-beaten, burnt-out man, he sits here! Well, to -come to the point—if you’ll all let me—Jim and I -came to the conclusion that we must migrate somewhere -for the remainder of the holidays. We -thought of the seaside—Queenscliff or Point Lonsdale, -or possibly the Gippsland Lakes. That was to be a -matter for general consideration. There’s no reason -why we shouldn’t adhere, in the main, to the plan. -But since the workmen will be at the station, we’ll -have to choose a spot not far away, as I must be -most of my time at home. I can go backwards and -forwards, and Brownie can go with you to keep a -watchful eye on your pranks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“H’m!” said Jim thoughtfully. “That’s pretty -rotten for you, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nobody spoke for a few minutes. Then Wally -said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter with Billabong?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jean conquered her shyness with a tremendous -effort, sitting up abruptly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you’re going away for me, Mr. Linton,” she -said, speaking very fast, and plucking grass with -great determination of purpose, “please don’t. I -don’t want to be taken anywhere.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But, my dear child,” David Linton said, “I -can’t have you all in tents. And there isn’t any -house. You didn’t come for your holidays to rough -it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There isn’t any roughing it,” said Norah, -quickly. “If Jean and Wally don’t mind——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mind!” said Wally. “Why, I’ll feel like a -motherless foal if you take me away, and go about -bleating!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, there you are!” said Norah, inelegantly, -but very earnestly. “Oh, Dad—let us all stay! -We don’t want to go away. You don’t want us to -go, do you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, no; I don’t,” said her father, in perplexity. -“As a matter of fact, I’d far rather be at home; -indeed, I couldn’t be away for more than a very few -days at a time. But the whole place will be upset, -and I can’t see much fun for you youngsters in being -there. It doesn’t seem quite fair to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jim began to laugh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s uncommonly difficult to plan for people -who don’t want to be planned for, isn’t it, Dad?” -he said. “Such a waste of noble effort! I believe -we may as well give it up—they don’t seem to -hanker after fleshpots!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, are you any better?” asked his father, -laughing. “This was to be your holiday, too. You -know you’ve put in a year of fairly hard work on -the place, and I think you’re about due for a spell.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me?” said Jim, in blank amazement. “Why, -I haven’t killed myself with work—at least, I didn’t -think so!” He grinned widely. “But I’m glad to -know my valiant efforts impressed you. Anyhow, -you needn’t make plans so far as I’m concerned; -the old place is good enough for me, and if the other -chaps don’t want to go away, I’m certain I don’t!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You see, Dad,” said Norah, earnestly, “we’ve -got the tents—and perhaps we might put up a bigger -one, in case of bad weather, and make a really ship-shape -camp down by the lagoon, and just have our -meals at the cottage. And everything will be so -interesting at the house—and we’d have the horses!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s really all your own fault, sir,” Wally told -him. “You’ve given us the taste for tent life, and -you can’t blame us for becoming nomads. There’s -already something of the Arab sheikh about Jean, -and any one would mistake Jim for a dervish! Fancy -shaking down to a boarding house at Queenscliff -after this!” He waved a brown hand towards the -dim outline of scrub, seen faint against the starlit -velvet of the sky.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It would be awful!” said Jean, with such -fervour that every one laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And we can’t leave you, Dad,” Norah said. “It -would spoil everything. I don’t believe you’d enjoy -it, and certainly I wouldn’t call it really holidays -unless we were with you. It seems all wrong to go -away—not a bit like being mates. And we’re always -mates.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>David Linton found her hand looking for his in the -dusk, and gripped it tightly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very good mates, I think,” he said. “Well—if -you’ve all agreed, I’m not likely to want to hunt you -into exile. Only remember, it will not be quite like -home—tents are a poor substitute.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But—it’s Billabong!” said Norah, happily.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:.8em;'>THE END</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:5em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:.8em;'><span class='sc'>Ward, Lock & Co., Ltd., London.</span></p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'>TRANSCRIBER NOTES</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. -Where multiple spellings occur, majority use has been -employed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious -printer errors occur.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Some illustrations were moved to facilitate page layout.</p> - -<p class='line'> </p> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Norah of Billabong, by Mary Grant Bruce - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NORAH OF BILLABONG *** - -***** This file should be named 60446-h.htm or 60446-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/4/60446/ - -Produced by Al Haines, Cindy Beyer & the online Distributed -Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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