Settling Day

The doors were pushed ope

and he seemed to be listening intently. Th

me step on to the ve

lthough he had no desire to spy upon him, he tho

y,' said Jim to himself. 'He could take

the t

ly, and then came the sound of

e part of Rodney Shaw, and Jim

nd he decided to slip off the ve

eard a cry of surprise, almost of terror

w sitting on his bed, in his pyjamas, an

you?' said Shaw in

y me, Jim

you spying about on my verandah?

and made ex

, he's been drink

ped in a chair on the verandah to wai

eve it. It's

ou have been on a "jag," I a

pulling himself together, thought better of

ologetic way. 'I have been absent so long t

e looks,' thought Jim.

on a "jag"?' as

m. He evidently did not

ght this

a "jag" means. You have been on one

Shaw

ve a drop too much-first with Machinson, then after he l

kind,' said Jim. 'Let me tell you why I

ght. Si

n a couple of chairs, an

ke much interest in it, he seeme

ld insist upon Machinson "going" for them. They are a bad lot, and ought to

n don't seem to h

cused me of things I have never been mixed up in,' said Jim. 'You ought t

in par

ny of us. You have only to mention the matter to the P.M. and he'll soon see

?' questi

laug

s stood your friend more than once when you have been in a scrape. Don't you recollec

otice it. He was laughing to himself over the thoug

ol

ey,' sa

eh? Queer beggar and a rum name. Ho

d Jim, spel

k of the rest of his chair w

it,' said Jim. 'You must

was riding in a hurdle race and came a cropper on m

counts for it. I thought you seemed curi

gave a sig

ve been to with you, and what we formerly did together, I shall recall it all, and not

. 'I once knew a steeplechase rider who almost

ey Shaw. 'What was that row

and you kissed his daughter, and he went for you hot and s

hich a lot of damage was done. Your old man was very angry about it, but Adye Dauntsey smoothed it over. I took your

laughed as

some rare sprees in those days. You

be ready to help a pa

afraid I treated you rathe

onfess,' said Jim. 'I thought y

tood me. I hope we shall b

. 'It will not be my

gang. No good will come out of it, and I ha

lease,' r

ct if they were bundled out, neck and crop,

will tell him all about your capture of the horse

ou see if he do

say he stands in wi

d Jim; 'but it looks like it. He

til I put some decent clothes on, and we'll go round and have a look at the hors

answered Jim. 'Thoroughbred sta

of the house to where Jim

Rodney Shaw called to a ma

who brought the horse as

d him over and d

omer, I'll bet

d the stallio

the man in evident s

aid Jim, pointi

deuce did h

ve him up,' said Jim,

knew who s

on's

ey be?' ask

this district,' said Jim. 'I'd advise you to k

to mix up with a

s on that head, b

f a temper, but I have tamed him down a bit. He had one of the biggest hid

ut of Mermaid, and h

enthusiastically. 'I'd like to send a cou

I can do after all the trouble

mares,' said Jim, 'and I'll

standing by,

get hold of that blood. He's one of those pr

eg would like Jim Dennis, becau

is departure, Alec Beg

get hold of the Fisherman blood. You

r much, and, besides, he got the

ays he's a bad lot, and not to be trusted. He may

id Shaw. 'If he were one of the gang w

leaving Beg grum

?-oh, here it is, and he picked up a piece of paper-Barragong. I wonder if the worthy P.M. will think I have altered much during the last eight or nine years. Probably he will, most people about here think me changed, even Benj

er London. I think in a few years I'll sell out and go back again. And if I do return, that lady friend of mine will probably find m

an ugly laugh, a laugh that betrayed the baseness of the man,