"THE SQUATTERS' CUP."

Press, Volume L, Issue 8482, 13 May 1893, Page 2

" THE SQUATTERS' CUP."

An Australian Bush Stout.

Life on an Australian sheen atation It not overburthened with excitement—at least, it used not to be. lam speak ing of a quarter of a century since, let it be under--8 Just so long ago, there were three youngsters, myself of*the number, seeking and obtaining - colonial «-pe™«* R a «r sheep-atation on the Murrumbidgee River -Jack Mellish, Bobbie Royal, an*«J"el£ We had, at the time of which **'"*' fairly emerged from the Johnny-Rawjitage a condition expressive of excessive greenD Our boss, one Peregrlue Bell, was an old hand, who had been at the game foraoamher of years; so long indeed, aud so successfully, that his wealth in stock wa* almost beyond reckoning. He waa a rare good sort, and game for any amount of fun when wor_ was over, but a regular Tartar unless all his views on that point were carried out. He had a large run wherein he might have counted horses by tbe thousand, another, Mount Misery, where cattle ranged, also iv their thousands, and last of all, an immense tract of country exclusively devoted to sheep. Every man on the stations, except the shepherds, were privileged to run in and break lor for his own special use any of the horses he had a fancy for. These horse*, limited necessarily in number to half-a-dozen, were to enable each of the men to do the work of the year. Naturally a pleasant rivalry sprang up between us as to who should have the best mounts. This will be better appreciated when tho fact, that at the mining centre of Wantabadgeree, a racing meeting came off bi-annually. Our surprise was great when, one morning, Jack MelUsh over breakfast remarked, "I say, old chaps, there's something in the wind. Two cups of coffee were pushed aside and left untastwd, so great was the impressiveness with which Melhsh had spoken. Two pairs of eyes gleamed through two pairs of uplifted lids, and one and the same question burs', from two different pairs of lips. "What is it! Say."

Tbe reply came :— " You fellows will have to put on your best bibs and tuckers, una rub your manners up a bit. There's a woman coming here." A double-barrelled ejaculation, "a woman!" buret from Royal and myself, and our eye 9, if possible, " goggled" larger than before. "Yes it's quite correct. The boss's brother is coming to stay a while. He brings his better half with him. The boss isn't a chicken, and the visitor is an elder brother, so the hope that the lady may prove an acquisition to the community here had best be stifled ia Its birth."

" Oh, hang it all, what can we do with a woman at all ? A young 'an would have been bad enough, but an old party 1 Christopher Columbus! what's to be done ?" asked Robbie with a visible shudder.

To which Mellish replied," Done? Nothing can be done, except to grin and bear it."

I ventured to remark that "charming woman should always find a welcome." " ' Chaining woman,' forsooth 1 A nice old cup-o'-tea she'll be be, I'll bet 1 Corkscrew curls aud a floral edifice yclept a Ccip a-top of her deceitful old head!" snarled Robbie.

" Robbie, old boy, don't allow your evil passions to get the better of you—but there goes the buggy, aud see, the boss is going to bring em himself." " I hope they'll want to go to the races. If so, you bet the boss won't want to drive them. It's on the cards he'll want to run you in for that job, Ellis," remarked Mellish with a grin. I replied that in the event of that being so his want would very likely prove to be his master.

The race meeting referred to was an outing we bad all been eagerly anticipating for we had each of us entered our nags for the Squatters' Cup, which was the race of the meeting. On previous occusious it had been a fist race, but by very general consent It was agreed '.hat in making it a steeple-chase considerably more sport might be eujoyed, and so it was arranged to make the conversion. The three of us hud been busy seizing every opportunity for training our nags and exercising them over simlliar obstacles to tho ie whioh they would have to negotiate in the big race

The animitl I had entered was named Britomartf, a mare possessed of a max liidcent. turn of speed and .-ictive as a cat. The only doubt I had. about Iter was whether Hhe would stay or not. Latterly I had been rut her Inclined to bf Here in her. Jack Mellish had entered his horse. Whisky, a flue upstanding chestnut, while Robbie Rnyal. as he said, '' for the fun of the tiling " was going to let his nag Ragman spiv. There was an entry of about fifty horses, as huge a number of squatters and their assistants had entered horses many of which had not tho ghost of a chance, but th«*ir forfeirs swelled r h*> prize.

The great fun of the affair was that there was no getting a line as to the form of any of the anim-ils, except such as might be drawn from previous performances, and there were not many of them that had run befora.

"1 say, J„ck," whispered Royal in an underbreath, us we walked from our end of th« hou>e towards the dining-room ; " I say, I wonder what she's like?" "Don't let visions of beauty destroy your appetite, either of you fellows," I jokingly remarked iv a louder lone than was discreet.

The next Instant I saw how much discreeter it would have been to have remained sileut.

Full in the dooway stood, leaning on the bos.s's arm, a young girl about the middle height, her figure so accurately proportioned as at first sight to appear too slight. She was not a beauty judged by a strict standard, but there was a piquancy about her added to an expression ot esprit which renders it 'lifflcult to rightly describe bur. Her eyes Were large and full, of a melting brown, that at its darkest had a suspicion of violet haZa within their light, her nose-mull and tiptilted, a small mouth shaped like a Cupids bow in'miniature. Her h.*i<\ of a rich chestnut brown, had its llou-tawny manses brushed back from her face, and gathered behind, in, to mc. some most mysterious and woudcrful lash ion. Her attire was simplicity itself, except for tho rich colouring of the deep purple-coloured gown, the materia) of which whs of a diaphanous texture. Here and there a stray bow of oraugc-tluttd ribbm <tisSosedina marvellously cuuuing fishion, elped to create a grand effect. Truly a wondrous picture to be suddenly presented to the eyes of such a triumvirate as we were. The three of us pulled up short, feeling somewhat abashed.

The introduction our boss afforded did not alleviate our distress of mind. It was a general one couched after this style : "These are my three rowdies, Rita," accompanying hi-< words with an unceremonious wave of his band. A sunbeam of a smile, with the slightest inclination of her bead, was all the response she made in return fur our Chesterfleldian i-ck'iuwiedgments; so we con tinned our way i<> the breakfast table. I wai the l;nt to pass her, and was just able to catch the remark -he made. "Your boys, uncle. Bather old boya aren't they? And you. called thoiu 'rowdies'! thought rowdies were un-{ileasant-looking people, these of youre ookquite nice." "So " thought I, the bosVs brother must have married his niece. " Then I*' winked the other eye" and resolved to keep the discovery to myself. This resolution was no sooner made than it dawned upon mc that on the subject of the boss's brother's condition of life we had no reliable information. He mighc or mfaht not be a bachelor, or, for that matter, a widower. If the latter, the charming Rita must be Lis daughter.

During breakfast, by hook or by crook, the irrepressible Royal tnunaged to insinuate himself into a conversation going on between Rita and the boss.. Melliah had taken the boss's brother ia tow, aud waa giving him a full rehearsal of the programme of the coming race-meeting. I w_s left to my egrgs and bacon, and X may say that 1 did not fail in making good use of my opportunity. If*lrly look stock of Mt»s Rica, and it Is from observations t <ken ax, this time that I bare been able to supply tbe foregoing picture of the girl •who, for ibe first time ia my life, had Sivep mc a dose of '* spoons." It i* no use euying it now but "spoons'* It was. I am sure of it, because, when 1 saw Royal, af er breakfast, walking in the garden, and generally doing th_ T ' ahowmau " over the establishment, I felt that he. Royal, had more than one unpleasant trait in bis character, a fact I had hitherto completely overlooked. As seulor in charge, I almost felt constrained to remind him of some duty I suddenly conceived he had neglected, at some distant part of the ruo, but I forbore. I'afterwards rejoiced to think I bad been so magnamlnous; for, coming upon them suddenly down at the ebeep wash on the creek, whither I bad strolled to smoke my morning pipe under tho cool shade of the ske-calta, he took upon himself to make a formal introduce tion. •

"Ellis, Mrs Belt permits mc to present you to her." I bowed, but In doing so did not mlei the mischievous light that played in Mrs > Bell's eyes. I felt there wa* game afoot somewhere, aad resolved to find it out. Just at that moment a voice was heard calling for Royal. That gentleman, with ill-concealed regret made his excuses, and Rita and I were alone. She was the first to speak. " Mr Royal has just informed mc of the coming turf gala. He tells mo, Mr Kills, that you are the champion jockey of the« 0 parts, that you are, to quote his words, the ' horsey' man of the district, If so, I can sympathise with you, for I am very fond of riding. I hope uncle will be able to find mc a mount."

" I don't think your unolo knows very much about the character of any o! our mounts but his own. I say this with all due respect. I am glad to hear you say you are fond of riding, Mrs Bell. I laid particular stress on the word Missus, It was for a purpose, and it succeeded.

The lady broke into a merry laugh. As soon as she recovered her calm, she said—

"Bravo Mr Ellis. I'm glad you hate perception enough to jump at'the right conclusion."

"I am glad at having pleased you; but please tell me-- How?" " How ?" she said. " why, both Mr Mellish and Mr Royal have been dubbing mc. Missus, though why I cannot tell unless,"—here she smirked a bit—" unless they think lam my father's wife. h_i ha! ha!" *'

So the problem was solved, and T laughingly shouted, In my great deUaht— " Q.E.D. I Bravo 1 my side." * A fortnight had slipped away, and we were upon the eve of Wantabadgeree Races. Tbe previous fourteen days had proved them&lves a perfect oasis ia the lives of our triumvirate. Rita was indeed a veritable sumbeam with all of us. The matter-of-fact man of our party, Mslllsh, felt and admitted much, but there was no sentiment in him. The more mercurial Royal was continually on the move, and always to the front iv administering to tne pleasure of Rita. He made uo secret of bU passion: It was indeed with him a grand* passion. It never demeaned itself into maudlin nonsense. Still there was an exuberance about it that boded but a short life. Forraysolf—well, I was in fjr It. t knew it intuitively, und I bore myself accordingly. I would make a waiting race of it.

In her walks either Mellish or Royal was at her side, generally the latter* It fell to my lot to accompany her in her riding trips. I had schooled her mount, and, at a consequence, I must bo the best una to see that everything went well during her equestrian exercises. On this eve of the races we were out, mounted, she for the first time on a bright little flea-bitten grey mare, and a charming picture they made.

" Mr Royal tells mc," she said, •• that I am to back Phill's mount. I don't think I am likely to speculate. But, tell mc. Is Phil's mount likely to win ? I hope so." Seeing that I was—and for that matter still am—Phil, it is no wonder that I felt somewhat" thrllly " about the heart region as I said—

" Tbank you, Miss Rita. If your wishes and my trying are of avail, there's not much doubt. Britomorte can do it. [f she doesn't win, I fear the fault will be mine, not hers.

We had stopped our horses, and were looking out upon as glorious a sunset as ever painter sought to transfer to canvas. It seemed as if every glory-tint had set Its heart upon showing its most radiant dress* Rita hud apparently rolupned Into the trandsccndental, I was burning to make a clean breast of ray weakness, uud to learn. u»y fate. I broke the silence with a question. " The time for your departure i* f»r too rapidly approaching, Miss Rita, bare you. had a pleasant time here ?"

"A pleasant time? Oh, yes! indeed I have. One and all of you have seemed bent on out-doing each other to please rat.. How could I have failed to enjoy niynelf t "I hope you will think of us sometime*. I hope that you'll sometimes think ol me* apart from the others, you knot. I believe it would make mc feel just glorious it I could think you would." "Of course I shall think of you—sh»U think of Fairy," here she pitted the grey's neck, "thinkof brave Britomarte, who t do hope will carry you successfully tomorrow. Ob, yea, I shall think of you— all." That little word "all" worried m«. I could not be content. Like tho moths I wanted light, light, more light. "I thought of going home to England shortly, Rita. My father is very ailing and iv feeble health. It all depend* on you now Rlts." "On mc, Mr Ellis?" she repeated. " How can I be Influential iv the matter Of such an undertaking?" I fancy the animals ou which we wore mounted must had an inkling ot what was coming, for they whinnied aud drew closer togei her. I seized lite opportunity. "Miss Bell—Rita I I waut to see my father. He is au old man now. I do nob want to go back to him umpty-hHartcd. Now, my heart is full—full of love for you. Will you not give mo some hope? I anow —I know ir. Is very sudden, and all that, but—but I do love you very dearly." I had done it; and in a very ordinary fashion, 1 daresay. I laid my hand upon the grey's neck, and lsauing forward, pressed for a rep y. "Oh Mr Kills, this Is so nnvxproted. How could you think of such a tUlng 1 Let us go. Yes, we must go. See, there's Mr Royal coming."

And there, sure enough, cantering towards us was Robbie Royal. Did that account for the pleased look on her flushed faco could not conceal? I thought ho ; and inwardly cursing my luck turned brown Britomarte face about, and, as if by mutual couseut, started homeward. Royal, for ouce iv a way, was not In fall force, but no sooner had wo come within hail than he shouted. ,

"My luok is out; Ragman has gone dead lame!So Miss Rita, I shall have to stand down to-morrow. Never mind, you must promise mo tbe pleasure of your company. I shall be able to point you out * all our local celebrities and mark your - card for you. It will bo a solatium to Mt against my ill luck with Ragman." " Very well, Mr Royil. I promi«e to put myself In your bauds for to-morrow. " Whst a speech for a rebuffed lover to' hear hie inamorata pledge berself to. Is it to be wondered If I remained sulky far the rest of thee yon log. I did, aad refused to be comforted.

The eventful morning broke, the air ' clear and bright. A fresh "breese was blowing, not strongly, but ■ufllciently to , keep the air from becoming overladen with calorjc. No doubt the meet lug would be a big success. Arrived on the course, we there found , our anticipation* as ti a gallant cotnoany fully realised -tbe Rowes of Jugtong, the Bakerß of Tumut, the Macleods of D»r» • balara, and the representatives of tbe ' squatting interest of a hundred miles around. A grand stand h«d been ; Improvised, and the edifice stood np:m a rising ground, thus enabling th" occupimts to see the whole of the fun. After seeing ' that the members of our party were comf.irtably settled, I took myself off, not i» the best of moods; for bud I not left mf charmer to the tender mercies of Robbie Royal? That gentleman seemed quite , reconciled to the situation, even though his part In tbe grand ovent of i he! day had been nullified by the accident to RagraMf After one or two minor races had b*en dl»» posed of the bell rang lor saddling W* vnimals engaged iv the race (or the Squatter*' Cup. Preliminaries having been arf*nft*»t ' eighteen competitors found themselvesi at _ the post. For a race of three miles and « ; half, there is no need to worry abmt ««** tiug off well; so, having determluea to make a wailing race of it. I kept Bilto ■ marte in the rear, and enjoyed, us far as * my mood allowed mc, tho banter ana chaff indulged in by some of the riders. , many of whom, recognising snull Chances for success, took the huUnco out ; In creating as much amusement as the situation would a low. I found I had not much to do but sit still and look out for opening*. The pace wa» far from good, and although this was the case, there was a sufficiency of danger to give i» zeat. I Ills arose from the fact that «ome few of tne riders had overcharged themsoWes with "jumping powder." Brltoinar»e was going well and smoothly, junt like v bird. 1Q« antagonism I most feared was from Owett of Baugongo, who was riniug Ms red bay Villiktns. Before half the journey waa completed some half dosan had come to grief, among them Wallaby, Don Canoe, •cd Hobsou's Choice. Howe, upon Flareup, was making a splendid bid for victory, Baker on Wry-neck still keeping tho lead. After clearing a " post aud rails " the ex eitement became intvuHitled. Baker came to grief at the double, ah awkward jump.', a turf wall and a thick fence of cut acacia bush. Another p_»t and rail, which brought Flare-up down, and 1 felt Brlto> marte's heels strike as she took li. Bather more than half a mile before reaching home I put .on the pace, for I knew that Britomarte had plenty left in her. Baker kept Villlkins in hia place, and alshoughl took a feeler, I waa far from happy in finding that the red bay's noa»> Wa» but au inch or so behind mc. On w»

esme at a terrible rate. Owen's face —rearing a confident smile. Some six others were in our immediate rear, out I anticipated no dauber from either. The water-jump was looming some two hundred and fifty yards ahead, and the shouts from encouraging partisans came stirringly to our ears. The waterjamp was almost level with the stand, and as we drew near, thoughts of victory and Rita were indi«olubly commingled. Having my mare well iv hand as we drew near the stand, I venture to indulge in a search glance at Rita, feeling that it would act as an incentive, und possibly througii ice convey itself to my gallant mare. I look op, and —yes, there she was, her face beaming with excitement, and there, close btslde her, stood Royal, and—thandcr and lightning, what else did I see? No. no ! surely 1 must have been mistaken. I look again. No mistake. Too true! Rita's rand in his. and she was looking up into his face with an enthusiasm that could only be provoked by one condition of thngs. That one look was a finisher. With an oath, I rammed the spurs into Britomaite'a sides, and giving ber a vicious cut, lifted her for the jump about three feec too soon. For an Instant we were in mid-ai"- "the next we ere all of a heap on the far side. She strutted for a moment to regain ber lee, and I, losing my head, nulled violently at ihe reins. She lost her balance and fell back, crush.ng mc with her weight into uncousciou-meHs. 1 have no memory of what happened for some days. I only know that when I came again to consciousness the ugly face of Roboie Royal was the first object that greeted my Tl Dl_ed and weak beyond mens ire I must have been to have let my first inquiry be, "Where is Rita?'' . _ "She has gone away, old chap Her fathers business wouldn'cpermit a longer «t_r ** Tm not sorry she a cove I made lawful fool of myself, I'll tell you all about it some other lime. But don c fatuzu* yourself with talking. 111 go and get something nice and nourishing for So Rita had gone. Gone without a word of farewell. "So," thought I, "that romance is ended." Again weakness oppressed mc and I fell asleep. On awaking for the second time, I found Royal had been as good as his word, for on a table at ray bedside stood a basin of something nourishing, and by it lay a letter. That letter proved to be the tomething strengthening. Il proved to be a note from Rita, in which she made her gdieux. The following is an extract :— "I shall never forget that last ride of ours. I should so like to have the enjoyment all over again. You were so kind. Tour words conveyed more than I dared believe. Some day you must retell the story. I must now tell you my father has decided to return to Lhe old country. We leave in tbe Sobraou which sails on the twenty-sixth of next month. All the doctors in the universe could not have compounded an elixir so powerful as that simple note. Royal was astounded to find mc up and dressed. Before long he had recounted to mc the eventsuf the interval between my purl and the moment of speaking. I managed from the hurly-buriy of his statements to extract a comforting explanation of the scene that had so upset my equanimity at the water-jump. It appeared that Rita was—as Royal expressed it—"so cocksure of your puiliug it off," that in her delight she bad caught hold of his hand and had already begun to pour out a flood of congratulations on "the Cup" going to Mouut Misery. He had caught her enthusiasm, and, carried away by it, had urged his suit, only to meet with a rebuff that " fairly knocked Bis out of time." "Marry in haste and repent at leisure" Is an old adage, but one that up to the S resent has no application iv the case of Ita and yours truly,—Festus, in- the Illustrated Spoiling and JDramatic News.