Show A FELONS LOVE LOV BY HENRY we NESFIELD CHAPTER III par far away in the interior of new south wales not many miles from the borders bordera of south australia there Is a lovely stretch of country which lit at the first glance a stranger would imagine to be b one vast plain it la is a beautifully undulating country in reality with low hills and wide alde spreading valleys belts and clumps ot of shea oak and pine and large lagoons which when what filled by the winter rains are the r rl BOI 1 of tho the various wildfowl wild fowl with which the country abounds some of the valleys contain vast stretches of dense scrub whilst others present a tempting pasture tor for the herds of kangaroos in some parts where dams dame have been made to save the water there are huts huta and sheep yards and far away out stations where solitary men dwell tending the flocks committed to their care seeing no living soul tor for months together and wishing to see ECO none these hatters batters as they are termed frequently go raving mad and the generality of them are moody crackbrained crack brained ere creatures agures who have almost lost whatever humanity they once possessed facing these great plains and nestling under tb the brow of a lofty hill bill on the barrier ranges was a station con listing 1118 ting of a comfortable dwelling house built from the boulders which lined the creek close by a number of mens huts buts a wool shed sheep and cattle yards and paddocks the last stretching out from the range tor for several miles into the plains to the weary I 1 who had skirted the range from the last station for over twenty miles on a blazing hot day with his roll of blankets slung across his bis shoulder and his billy in his hand the sight of station was a noat ost welcome one indeed the tall blue gum trees which marked the irregular birto of the creek as it debouched debauched debou ched from the gully in the bills were visible for a great distance and to the sore footed traveler tolling on towards them it seemed as if they wore never to be reached but when once those trees were gained the knowledge of the certain food and rest reat to be obtained beneath them cheered the fainting spirits and the hard bard days tramp wu was soon eoon forgotten in the comfort of the traveler a hut but and the stimulating droughts draughts of smoking tea mr hall was the owner of and lord not only of hundreds of square miles of country surrounding it but of the countless countiess flocks a and nd hoi holds do which grazed thereon here b he lived with his wife and family perfectly happy and contented and tar far away from all excitement political or otherwise their lives passed whole bomely among the rural pursuits and interests with which they were surrounded what was it to them that chwe was a change of government in england k fortune lost or won upon the derby or a new plot against the czar biart what did they care about the life of the old world less than nothing A good lambing season a heavy clip a rise wool an occasional run down to melbourne or sydney wre were matters of far keener interest to them than all the squabbles or rejoicing of the people of the old country the owner of had left england with his young wife nearly twenty years previously and after the usual amount of struggling inseparable from a colonists life had settled down and prospered his family consisted of two fine grown lads lade and a girl who were rapidly becoming more and more useful I 1 to him the elder son jack though only just nineteen already tood stood to his bis father quite la in the place of an overseer on the run the younger george was still at college in sydney shearing bad commenced and everybody on the station was hard at work to nail hall had bad been busy the whole day long cooking for the men for they had bad been unfortunate enough at this season beason of all others to lose their cook mr hall had bad been absent from home tor for the put past two weeks business had tan him away to melbourne but that night he be was expected home the day had been exceedingly hot though it was only the middle of november and mrs hall was so BO thoroughly tired gut ufa with her exertions that she was waa on a lounge chair in the veranda anxiously watching the track round the to fo of the range in the hope of seeing her husband in the distance from whore where she sat the prospect WM lovely indeed from the house IL 1 spa spacious clous garden full of shrubs orange and lemon trees and english flowers mingled with exotica stretched down the hill side to a bubbling stream higher up the gully tare large gum trees waved their fe feathery a abery foliage in the evening air and a grand background of precipitous hills bills formed ft a splendid contrast contract to the plains which mrs hall strained her eyes T in vain the sun un had just gone down behind the th hills andl nd only the brows of the dark peaks were tinged with ita to last rays ny thousands of sheep which had bad at d day sy been shorn ahorn were bleating as they streamed itri ned out from the yards nere thy had all day been imvris enod horses grazed in the home paddock eloe close by ade side by side with the th larda ards told that the men had bad not yet ceased from their labors mary mrs hall called out prea bontly as she heard some one moving about inside the house la in that you olar dear yes yea mother replied a tall lithe looking girl as she stepped out through a french window on to the veranda I 1 poor dear mother you must be quite knocked up I 1 I 1 I 1 am tired darling admitted mrs hall has haa jack come up from the shed yet no not yet answered the girl lut but supper la is quite ready and he wont bo be long now I 1 expect 1 I do hope that your father will come home tonight lie he said bald ho be would be ten days perhaps it Is now a fortnight since he left 1 I wonder whether lie he will have managed to get a cook said mary as she sat on the edge or of the veranda at her mothers feet all this cooking Is quite wearing you out you ought not to have to do it 1 I shall be all right after a good nights rest and if only your father would come back I 1 can you see beo nothing of him mary I 1 no not a sign said the girl but here Is jack sooner than I 1 expected now lot let us go into supper and begin A stalwart youth strode u up p the garden path and tossing his cabbage tree hat upon a chair threw himself at full length upon the grass plat well rony polly he exclaimed im just baked I 1 can tell you I 1 I 1 wish the governor would hurry home leaving me all the shearing to look after Is no catch t all this broiling afternoon ive been drafting out strangers and working just like a I 1 mothers been working hard too said bald mary reproachfully and she ab grumble like you do no by jove but then the maters an angell angel 1 he be answered springing to his bis feet and throwing his arms around hla his mothers neck 1 I bet no angel ever cooked dinner for seventy men with the thermometer at a hundred and ten in the shade without a murmur ob 01 I 1 m riot not to be irreverent mother well I 1 wont won t to please you but upon my word it was waa a shame of that brute johnson to go 90 off fit at a moments notice juat at the very busiest time never mind jack interrupted mrs hall as she leaned her head back over the rail on the lounge chair and clasped her hands bands behind her neck dont talk so much but look out with your young eyes and see if your father to is not coming in the distance or in other words worda said jack laughing sister ann sister ann do you nee ee some one co coming T no mother no one neither bluebeard nor the governor talking of blue I 1 wonder what our new cordon bleu will be like drink like a bell and swear like a trooper I 1 suppose as an they all do perhaps father wont have got one at all observed mary and if so eo I 1 spity pity you all for im going to try my hand band at cooking I 1 stood with my nose clog chloee to the meat see safe today to break myself into the smell of raw meat which always make me feel more mor or less ill 11 pshaw you might as 88 well be an english girl said bald jack scornfully if you were anything like a trump you d kill as well na as cook jennie smith does never mind we dont want mary to be quite such a masculine person us as jennie interposed mrs hall which brought forth a rejoinder from jack that miss smith was no end of a good fellow after which he suddenly remembered that he be was wag hungry and added hurriedly but I 1 im m ready for supper if you are ill just run in and wash oft off some come of this dust and be with you in a few moments and mr jack swung himself through the veranda and disappeared within the house CHAPTER IV supper waa well nigh over when the barking of dogs announced a late arrival fat father berl 1 cried young jack 1 I thought hed be here tonight ill run down to the huts and meet him and off he be darted in the direction of the sounds bounds after the first outburst out burdit of welcome had bad subsided some fifty questions had been asked find and mr hall had somewhat satisfied hla his hunger he said and now that I 1 have told you all my news how have you been getting on in my absence shearing going ahead all right jack yes yee father nothing much to growl about pretty fair clip so BO far I 1 think but you told us yet whether you got the married couple you promise look out for in melbourne well I 1 have and I 1 replied mr hall leisurely lighting his hi pipe it Is the hardest job in th the 6 world to get hold bold of anybody I 1 ear baw several couples in town but they were war all so BO precious independent thu that it made me quite one lot would not come so BO far into the bush an other wanted to know whether wh eth 8 r I 1 1 lowed beer and washing one linsly fellow had lz small children ao 10 that ft ike might leave or me in a aff months month tor for five ob shillings illings ft wk more wages wage at the ne next at station atlon nt at UA I 1 dropped across a very d decent t YOU follow fellow jut just out from the old country with a young wit wife and no encumbrances but what did you mesa mean by you have and you haven tT asked MM mr hall 1 I mean this the man tells me his wife Is in too delicate a state to do any work ilia his name la Is thomas thomaa baynes and he says be can cook well and li IN handy about the house I 1 we see his hl wife but I 1 engaged him at pounds a yeal on condition that it if his wife grew stronger she should assist you in any light work needlework or something of that de scrip tion no doubt when they gt got settled bottled and used to the life they will shake hair down all right I 1 mastray roust eay I 1 WM was taken with the lads lada appearance so BO I 1 bop it will turn out satisfactorily what a pity the wife la 18 10 delicate said mary and when ar a they coming up father they started before me but I 1 overtook them on the rood road returned mr hall and they arrived at sullivans public house in the coach this evening I 1 had bad no time to stop atop and aad see eee them but asked sullivan to send bend them on tonight in his buggy so 00 1 I suppose aupp 9 they will be here very shortly poor crea creature remarked mrs hall how will she stand bush lita life if she Is such a sickly thing you say aay they are young people yes quite young he told me hi he was twenty three but he hardly looks looka it however you will be able to judge for yourself very soon oh ob theres long bill he exclaimed balling it a station hand who had just come up to the veranda how haw dye do bill ham hag a buggy COMO come up from sullivans with a man and his wife for the station atla st all right see them settled la in the hut next the mens kitchen will you give a look after them an and make them as aa comfortable as an you can cals they are new chums not used und to roughing it much yet I 1 expect and aad a so doubt will feel strange at the start ott 1 I have been to see after them air replied bill so ao far as the young mau maa would let me but he seems mighty la in dependent and says bays he be can do for himself well Bom something ething strange la in ft a now new chum said mr hall laughing but it Is a hopeful beginning it you are passing hie bin but tell him to ft the mens breakfast at seven harp abam tomorrow and I 1 will go down and give him a look in afterwards on my way to the shed long before midnight the whole sta aft tion appeared to ta be wrapped in slumber and not a light was to be soon seen the very sh cheep p dogs snored and dreamed as aa dogs do dream after a hard days toll round rounding ing up their flocks and hunting back refractory to the yards just as aa they haill had been doing the livelong day every human being on the station slept fave one upon a rude benah benr h outside a hut aut near the mens kitchen sat a dark eyed youth looking upwards into the starry sky oky tears were slowly trickling down dowa his al face an and d he rocked himself to and fro tr struggling to a his sobs soba pro pr eltiy he be arose and clasping his hands a above bo v 0 hill bis head as 98 it in the very amy of his soul he murmured how will it all end oh merciful heaven how will it endt end then he entered the hut to be continued |