The Crooked Stick

he weekly chronicle of stock movements: who had sold, who had bought, who, having stocked up-that is, filled his run with all the sheep it would carry, and mo

various specified reasons which he displayed before his friends, such as seeing the world and renewing his constitution, lately injured by hard work and anxiety. So he ostentatiousl

g value of the wool clip, and the annual expenditure upon permanent improvements; the whole with personal valuation (approximate), and references to leading colonists of rank and position-to discover whether he, John Charteris, with an improving property, but constantly in want of cash advances, could not secure a loan for a term of years at English rates of interest,

sanguine, but in reviewing the situation, he decided that with women, as with other 'enterprises of great pith and moment,' you never know what you can do till

a price far below the owner's presumable valuation and the market rate of the ar

but sound on his pins, hardly a grey hair-regular short price in the betting. What a sell for him! Well, now about Jack Charteris. How stands he for odds? Nine-and-twenty next birthday; fairly good-looking, so the girls say; plenty of pluck, good nature, and impudence; ride, run, shoot, or fight any man of his we

emy with extraordinary gusto. Then exclaiming, 'Here goes anyhow! I'll go in for it on my way to Sydney.

gate. He was received with so much cordiality that he half thought his mission was accomplished, and that the princess would accompany him to Europe without notice, which would have been one of the rapid and triumphant coups in which his speculative soul delighte

e unwonted sparkle in a woman's eyes and as often as not-if the

ast word to her about his voyage if she would be in the orangery before breakfast, that young woman assented in the most unsuspicious manner, believing it to be something about Maltese lace, as to which she had giv

racted a silvery mist. How different from the outlook one little year ago! His eye roamed over the vast expanse meditatively, as if calculating the number of sheep to the acre such a grass crop wou

ever known him so pleasant in his manner, so nice and friendly, and yet reticent, before. If so improved now, what would he be when he returned

for leaving all his old friends, thought it time to come to the point, especially as Pollie in the goodness of her heart re

ly you must see the affection I've cherished, the feelings I've had for you ever since we first met. Years

was so utterly foreign to their usual merry and audacious expression, that Pollie, after one wild, fixed gaze of ho

under the circumstances. What I have said may or may not be ridiculous, but it is generally looked

g effort and prevented herself from lapsing into w

r you think it right or fair to entice me here, with my mind running on Maltese lace and Cingalese ornaments, which were the last things we spoke ab

umbly and regretfully-'love and admiration for your sweet self

t girls never show their feelings that way? It will be a lesson to you another time. Don't say another word. We shall always be good friends, I hope. When you come out with a wife-you'll find lots of nicer girls

d, she had disappeared. The glory of the morning had passed away with her. He made a melancholy attempt to whistle, and slowly betook himself to the

reached the breakfast-room, told her of the melancholy occurrence with a countenanc

entfully felt, she expressed extreme astonishment at the idea of his having come with malice prepense to make so serious a proposition. She was sure that Pollie had no

t quite just, Mrs. Devereux. How in the world is a man to find out if a girl likes him, if he doesn't ask her? Is he to wait years and years until they both grow old, or until he worries her into making some sign that she cares for him more than other f

x could not help thinking that he would have advanced his views very much with her daughter if he had spoken to her in the same decided tone and manner. '

us by surprise; but perhaps I ought to have noticed that your admiration for her was genuine. I quite agree with you that it is more manly

'She may or she may not. A girl doesn't always judge men rightly until it is too late-too late-but

e was

seat. His horses plunged at their collars, and swept out of the yard across the plain at a rate which showed that they were instinctively aware that a ra

You look as if you were driv

the same boat, I expect. I wouldn't care if you were the fortunate man, old fellow; though every one has a right to try his own luck. But I expect we shall both be euchred by that infernal, smooth-faced, mild-voiced, new-ch

t trust him too much myself, though I should be puzzled upon what to ground my "Doctor Fell" feel

ouldn't mind the girl being carried away from us by a man. She has a right to follow her fancy. B

I make allowances. Good-bye, old man. Bon voyage! Bring out a rosy-cheeked Engli

olony for ever, I feel so miserable and downhearted. But I'm not one of the lie-down-an

d away in the mirage of the far distance, while Harold rode quietly onward towards

which led to Corindah. After combating this not wholly logical tendency, and telling himself that it was his first duty to go and see that all things were well in o

lady says she finds it hard work entertaining Courtenay all by himself. He's not a bad hand at talking, but he's so terrifically serious and matter-of-fact that he's rather much for a couple of women. When

referred to cantered up on an active-looking hackney, rat

he said, 'whether I should hold divine service at

. If you will ride home with me now to Maroobil, I will see that all the men are mustered and the wool-shed got ready to-night. I can send a messenger to Corindah with a not

here are a good many people within a few hours' ride of Corindah, and Mrs. Devereux always kindly sends word to them of my arriva

er, looking at his watch, 'and we shall

nt and spiritual consolation. He had taken a colonial University degree, and was therefore well instructed in a general way, in addition to which he was a gentleman by birth and early t

incomes of the poorer clergy. This amounted to about two hundred and fifty pounds per annum. The contributories were almost entirely squatters. The other laymen of the denomination-labourers, shepherds, station hands, boundary riders, etc.-though they attended his services cheerfully, did not consider themselves bound to pay anything; holding, appar

They are accused, and not without reason, of being hard on their borrowed mounts, and of not being careful of their sustenance. The priest of the Romish communion, on the other hand, invariably has a good horse, in good condition. He treats him well and tenderly withal. Why this difference? Why the balance of care and merciful dealing on the side of our Roman Catholic brethren? For one thing, priests are chiefly Irishmen, who are horsemen and horse-lovers to a man. Then

ness with him than lack of purpose. He had not been a horseman in his youth. Australian born as he was, he had studied hard and permitted himself few recreations of a physical kind; so that when, after serving as

hly news of the district. Gradually, however, he attained to that measure of proficiency which enables a man to ride a quiet horse along a road or through open country, besides being able to drive a buggy without colliding with obstacles. He certainly drove with painfully loose reins, and rode his horse much after the sailor's fashion, as if t

showing signs of having been built in that earlier period of colonial history when less attention was paid to rapidity of construction. The garden was full of fruit-trees of great age and size, which even in the late droughts seemed

steed. 'Take Mr. Courtenay's horse to a box and feed him till sundown; then put him into the creek paddock. Go round and tell the hands to roll up in t

r such a fire glowed as effectually prevented those in the room from being cold. A solid mahogany table enabled any one to read or write thereon with comfort. And Harold was one of those persons who was unable to pass his evenings in a general way without doing more or less of both. A well-chosen library, with most of the stan

r doorways. Guns and rifles of every kind of size, gauge, and construction filled a couple of racks. All things were neat and scrupulous

ed views, declared-a fairly numerous congregation was assembled. The chairs and forms had been conveniently placed for the people. The wool table had been dressed up, so as to be made a serviceable reading-desk. Candles in tin sconces lit up the build

ional services, and to pay due respect to whatever clergyman, in the exercise of his vocation, might find his way to Maroobil. Harold was unprejudiced as to denominations, althoug

riders exhibited bronzed and sunburnt features, darkened almost to the complexion of 'Big Billy,' the black fellow, who, with a clean shirt and a countenance of edifying solemnity, sat on one of the back benches. A score of young men and lads, long of limb, rather slouching of manner, with regular features and athletic frames, showed a general resemblance in type, such as that towards which the Anglo-Celtic

s of the hearers, was administered; the benediction was said; and the little congregation composed of such different elements dispersed-some of them certainly

able good results from these occasional services, the efforts of myself and other men, who labour under different titles in the Lord's vineyard. When we reflect on the lives these m

. Perhaps there is less of the open, reckless profligacy that we used to hear of in our boyhood. But no doubt most of the men that we saw to-night gamble, drin

acher. 'Surely there must b

ain-chain. They save their money, and take it home to their wives; it helps for harvest and other time of need. But the older men, the regular nomadic h

t demoralising effect upon these po

me here early in life. He has been employed on Maroobil, off and on, ever since I remember. He never drinks when at work. You might send him into the township with a five-pound note any day and he would return sober. He is as h

yet w

anuary. By the first or second week in March he has not a shilling in the world-starting out "on the wallaby," as he calls it, sober and pen

in season might

e rose fro

f it under his nose at every public-house he passes. When you talk to him he is as sober as I am-more so indeed, for I am going to have a glass of whisky and water to-night, whereas he will touch nothing for nearly a year. He says, "Well, master, I be always main sorry at the ti

a ditch some day,

r. A man must die when his turn comes. But you'll have the hay spoiling, maste

!' groaned the clergyman. 'They can'

fairly strong men-taller and broader too-stand alongside of him at a hard day's work, and see where we shall be! Every muscle and sinew, strained and tested since childhood, is like wire compared t

e race be doomed to this hopeless degradation? The preacher's warning is useless, the kindly mas

inuous labour. What change or recreation have these barren intelligences so complete, so transforming as the madness of intoxication? With culture-national and universal-will come additional means of recreation a hundredfold multiplied. With th

herwise-not fearing the communistic and atheistic principles which may

rit, men will drink to heighten pleasure or to dull pain. But in proportion as the mental powers are developed and refined by culture, so will the vice which we call drunkenness diminish, perhaps d

men sat over the wide fireplace upon their return from the wool-shed. 'Lig

. Courtenay, filling a large tumbler with the aerated water. 'This is very refreshing-though I do n

st next morning. 'He will be all the better for it, and on return you can make across to Yandah just as w

nsiderate. I began to think Rover was failing a little;

ission. Leave Rover here till autumn, and he'll be fat and strong to carry you all the winter. And now, if you have any writing to do before lunch, I must leave you

uggy horses whirled the two young men away on the track to Corindah, a pathway whic

ng damsel came riding in, looking deliciously fresh and exhilarated by the healthful exercise, talking in an animated way to Mr. Bertram Devereux, who, attired with great neatness and mounted upon the handsomest horse that Corindah 'had to its name,' looked like an equestrian lounger from Rotten Row, was their equanimity altogether r

ay was not so good as usual; that he had 'gone off' in his preaching, and had not been so pleasant-mannered as was his wont. Mrs. Devereux was lost in astonishment at the variation in his performance and demeanou

young men were as brothers, and that Mr. Charteris would by no means object to such a proceeding. But Harold said rather sternly that he and Mr. Courtenay must drive home that afte