HOW THEY HELPED

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 126, 23 November 1935, Page 24

HOW THEY HELPED

(A Story of a Drought and an Idea.) BAA-BAA. Through the dusk of. the evening, came the cry of thirsty and hungry sheep. A hundred yard? up'the waterless creek a disheartened 7i j *, n u womed woman sighed. "Why don't they stop their calling and let dad have a rest?" she said, throwing herself wearily upon the couch. , :< Nancy, with her hea'drin- her hands, thought over the situation. It was "Vi 16 midd)e of March, with a hot north wind blowing over the thirsty ?if ♦ No rain for months> and the sheep so weak from want of water that they could hardly last another ten days. And Nancy sighed at the thought of starting the week again with no rain. It was the water the sheep needed, and needed it desperately; for food they had been able to fallback on the dry stacks of lucerne. Now the creek had dried up and they were without, water except for the small dam which was used for household purposes. For a week now the creek had been dry, and the sheep, had to have, tneir nightly allowance from the house-dam, and the allowance was small. JNot enough to keep the sheep in even fair condition, and day by day they were weakening. -~■■•; Jim,, Nancy's brother, had ridden over to the neighbouring station for a canteen otwater. The. water left inthe bottom of the dam was now unsuitable for drinking, so Jim had offered to ride the seventeen miles to the next station to get some decent water. Nancy's eyes grew dim as she wate °f him rlding through the scorchin S "eat for that tiny canteen of To make matters worse, Nancy's father had fallen ill. It was not a serious illness, but the strain of the last few weeks on top of recent ill-health had confined him to his bed. With1 a. start, Nancy woke to the realisation tnat she had been dreaming for over half an hour, and that the tea things were still unwashed. With an angry exclamation at wasting so much time she sprang to her feet, making the dishes clatter in her desire to make up for Jost time. At that moment her mother entered with her hand raised for silence. "Is dad asleep?" asked Nancy in a low voice. ■ "Yes" replied Mrs. Grey. "He is very nervous and seems to think the sheep will not be able to last it out." ' . ■;'■ "If only it would rain," said Nancy, "he would get well in no time." It was late that night when Jim returned with the water. "What's for tea, mum??' he said, as he entered the kitchen. th* tfw 1- 3.." I!** an- d le^ce> J»m." his mother replied. "Here it is, ready on the table. After inquiring after his father, Jim sat down to tea, and as Mrs. nnt'L faiJ7 saw that he was thinking deeply of something, they did not interrupt him, for they were,used to Jim's thoughtful moments. tnirtA^ er ihe h *d fl u nished his tea and ■Nancy had removed the dishes,' Jim sorL S tV° i • -""W he begari' "d° you think we could make hisnmin^' C°Uld ' am SUre dad would start *? ** better with "What do you mean?" asked his mother and sister together rP M»rt ll en>"«- etT d Jim; "I thought about it coming home," and he pro'rrtwl* I °H 'T w- pla?S to them- Xt was late that niSht when the three .retired for the first time in weeks with peaceful minds ' **£ °^ clpck 'he following afternoon mysterious operations were going £m£ I homestead. Mother had closed the doors to make the air inside BUltry. .Every now or then Nancy or Jim would run inside with such statements as, Dad, it is quite sultry. I think it is going to rain," or "Dad, there are some clouds gathering in the east." A minute later Mrs. Grey ran into , the room saying "It is quite black now, and I'm sure it will start spitting \?^ nU £■• r' Grey looked better already at the mere thought. 4 ,M^ an _wiJ lle Jlm and Nancy were busy. • With shoes off they were on top itarwr 3? d *$% W| re armed with four tins perforated with holes and four kerosene tins full of water. At a given signal from mother, they Sfrbma^ Sr m% rai n/>f r dad' S ben6fit- They began P°urin§ a -t™ fcpouTof rain '' *" m°re and more' until « was like a* steady ■»h^t the I supPosed shower of rain Mr. Grey improved wonderfully, and when the real ram came four days later he was well enough to be allowed to Sit on the front verandah. One afternoon1 a traveller passing the home- ?£? ™™* r T ak t0 + l he farmer- "My word!" he Marked, '"hat rTS Itwlrf & Saye !u c i heep' Mr- Grey" "Go oli with you man," the <S w?l lS *\ U.™V he first rain that saved the bacon." The traveller -.^uS^^S^S^ "There W3S °nly °ne rain-" A«- that ,man^ eamswere f there 3?"^ Came * PU2Zled- "Mvm'' he queried' "how exnl'Zf'hnf^i Tm ' "t0 my J k"owled Se there was only one." Then father exploded but, seeing Nancy and Jim laughing together, soon knew there . was something in the wind. "What have you young beggars been ut, to'"