A GIRL, A MAN, AND SOME BUSHRANGERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2884, 30 June 1909, Page 90

A GIRL, A MAN, AND SOME BUSHRANGERS.

By Esther Glen. One evening the girl from the creepercovered house strolled down to the -camp, and was initiated by the bushrangers into the art of dumper-making. Soon they we** joined by the young man from the next Bungalow door. "Methinks the bread burns," be remarked 1 sniffing the air, - The. eldest bushranger, Starlight by name, threw him. a look of malice. "Don't bs -funny ! That's Dick's cap; it fell into the fire. 'We've" only just started to mix the damper." "I .have a' particular weakness for damper," hinted the young man. "No, • you Jiaven't!" • Bill Jhe Buster, the yonnge-st of the band, was essentially a truthful youngster. "Last- time we gave yoji jsome "yen "threw it ovei the fence, ami" I tabbed you, and you said j-our teeth weren't as young as they used to be." j, -TbS young man sat sad and a hamed. "It looks a bit messy.' observed the fir), "Do you need quits so much water, >ick? Aren't you going to sit down, Mr Kinloch? These tree stumps are more comfortable than they look." The young man obeyed. A lady bushranger uttered a yell of horror. -"You're sittin' on the toffee tins an' the toffee!" The, girl gazed interestedly at the glowing ashes. "I didn't ero'ect to find you •visiting a bushrangers' camp, Mr Kinloch.' "Oooh !*' Aeaan the Buster, the truthful Bustec. "I said this morning 'Old Kinny's coming dowc to see us this afternoon,' and you •said " A faint pink flushed the girl's cheeks ; then her eves met the eyes of the young man' from th 3 bunsralow, and her lips twitched, and she broke into a triW of h©lpk>33 laughter. The young man chansed his tree stump and took one a little nearer the girl. Tlje lady -bushranger, squatted'comfortably between trem. /^you Had t-wn brothers_ar.d one small M*.-." .said the g; rl tr ■vmvJiv. ''"-' I h- ( j't ' haven'! a sou] he- ' ■.- ■ ] .z—' r" It's jolly r "' rtomelim-e- I think I'd •' i'u' .'I ;V " — to!!'•.' lonys for h;^ own i-kjjL t-.i <A\.^jc-, come and fee us," ()!>^-.rvcJ fhs 'a--i,v bushTanger genially, "xn-a-other day Lai was saying we didn't hardly ever see you i Ov "I never. At least, Mj' Kinloch, we don't exnect you^ of course. Ycur time is naturally very muoh occupie-d." i "Ve —£*•" The young man nrazed hard at the fire : tha ' li?ht far>.d . from his eves; his faoe seem«d suddenly older. •, The girl strolled over to the youngest bushranger. "That douo-h looks dubious, Dick\r. i Does H' really require so much pummel-lina-5" - » .She sat down again —three stumps nearer the jfire, two stumps fai-thsr from th,? man. The 'ady bu^hrang'sr took up the conversation. - - "What's up. Ali-on? I say, Mr Kinloch, doesn't uhe look snapny—^like what efte'd. like to eat m, 'stead of the dampex." The- gii'l bit her lip. "A*™ you t;oniin' to the menic. Mr Kitfoch?"'— *tm the * lady bwhran-cr. Airaon's go:n', an' m*s, an' the boy>. Dad saidi you couldn't, but voy alwsiy> do. ''I can't. kid-dv-^Bo* this time. I'vp oot to work." Th?' man sazed str'aialil ahead. "I Wouldn't be hero ij',i s aftc), noon, I m^t in anjHftart on mv ''Alt' ini.^ ihju-tfr a' ' an' th 0 dampw-an 1--thx ,st«raxvf)-rry jam wbaf. Ln'il^ brought °^.. V^":i W<--B= comin' !" -—"rr' a sudden puick movement tbe - ks. -Oi tnt...... we Didn't think ' of_lwnnicf Mr Kinloch, Nan. We've deUir*d him too lone airendy. Good-bye."' Her bins eyes flafhed daneerously; th«-ia was a wsrm cplour in her cheeks. I «Mj, she was wonde-rfullv attractive just I tnen The rrin looked at her, and felt »•'* strength ylippintj from him. Good aff?moon." he said. "Good-bye!" Sli.ghtlv. very slightly she emphpw^d it. "I hope you get . throujfh plenty of wcrk this afternoon. "«: jT ia, C°°d aftern 'oon for working." Suddenly Pha turned from liim and- joined- I Hkj bwhraiia«a-s by the Ere. J Jl ■ j h V rnt tl ™ d^'P"' to a cinder." 7? ™*v' ", ac'i lt>s aIJ ?' black a" black. I *Lr¥ I)e fit to eat. Ob. Jimmy. <ammy,jyo v r,:ly, si ]Jy boy." She wiped «w »^ rs t c£, la»s*ter - f ™m fa. eye.s. • Weil put plenty of strawberrr jam on h M^- I:*T h? ps ~ws w»n ft-notice the— Oh ih •} b ;° u?ht the str»wbcrrv iam. "Are you going dotty?" The leader j W '£? ,lndl^ n%. "Don't see th* ! nnt^f^T'" 0, 1 b tlie middle—of course. ' ti»»h fSstf**- ■ Oh> Mr Kinloch- i~l thought yoSjd .gone !" j Tr,-« nntn°t «G in ""~vet-" Sai(J the man. 1 S»t *L ha?V«>w n his rejoin-, W^to the winded felt all the better. i< "WiH you "walk hv,far as the pine' nlant^tjon with me, iil^ Alison? We'll? be.back for tea, he addeVto the-protest- I ing bnsh rangers. ''Thcve^som&thmg I nntst aav to—^to your sister." "B«ally, Mv Kinloch !" Tht 2irl tihed Lor cWn. "As important as tha l,? What «bout the books?" ."The books can wait." "But i*«" /J-nT.^-.-Wrj'i T c . ';,T(Xj»:t_^

think of leaving the damper. If I wasn't ] Here \o oversee matters we mightn't have even the satisfaction of eating the ' pi^ce in t!ie middle which isn't burnt, [ you know." "Then you won't come:" "'I couldn't think of it.'' "Then I'll wait here until " I She looked at him f?om underneath ; damp eyelashes. "If you're so bent on ' staying — you do so change your mmd — you might take a tiree stump. Sitting's as chea-p as standing.'" ' The lady bushranger prepared to join them. "I feel like chocolates," remarked the man. "Some from Manning's. Could you get me some, Nan?" "M'annine's is half a. mile," obiected th« lady bushranger. "Jennings's is just as good, and the shop's just round th-s i corner. " • '"I don't fancy Jennings' s confectionery. I Manning's is better. A shilling's worth, j and as many for you -as you can eat." ! Half a minute later the lady bushranger [ had disappeared. \ . "Shs shouldn't run so much." remarked i the girl. "It's so bad for her' in this hot j weather." ~ j "Alison — — " , - I "Mother is so particular, you know, i Nan has never been strong, and- ever j since " "Alison, do you remember a month agowe- were- in the shrubbery together, by j the old boundary gate at the back of the. garden ?" "Oh, yes! You scratched yoni nose I on a lawyer. I hope it's all right now. You'd never notice it if it wasn't for the big fed scars." "I'd forgotten the lawyer. Alison, T meauL to ask you — that night — only Dick joined vr "' "Dear old Dick! Here he comes." Tho Buster sat down cheerfully in the place vacated by ths lady bushranger. I '•What aie you two gating about? , Say. the damper's doinir fine."' "I wish we had rome biscuits — the kind ;you buy at Manning's."' sighed the man. "Do you think you could cut down and get Feme, Dick?-" " Jennings's are just as good." \ "I don't faiicy Jennincrs's biscuits. Two ! shillings' worth — and, "by the way, you ■ must help me eat them. * I can't manage I many biscuits." j The Buster's long legs twinkled over • the grass. "He shouldn't run so much." said the j girl. "He's " ' ! •• Not strong ; bnt you wouldn't think I it." There was a twinkle in the man's j eve, Sonv-i'.ing Y.ko ,i wile cr^t rcrrd .the <~<<! Bei's of the guW -M-iUith. " Well, he isn't as stroi >: as Jim. anyway." " Isn't he? AlifOTi, dr;u "— his eyes -were pleading, — ''just listen — XT me this once, and then That night in the shrubbery, a month ago, I— l thought ** you cared a little, and I was going to ask you if you could care a great' deal' more. Dear, if you only knew " { The girl was silent. Down by the fire j the one remaining bushranger sampled uninviting damper. "But Dick- joined us, and then, you j remember, later in the eveniig, a telegram came for me." - "Yes." A • wild. undefined fear ' clutched at the girl's heart. j " I — my life will be a different thing i now, Alison. Once I could have offpred you so much — everything that yon cai^d Jor. We could have travelled, little »h-l, , and seen those countries — the «^reen ol i Old England, the greys of A'lstiaha. the , jewel islands of the Pacific, — all in? ! wonderful, far-away pin. p.-. that we have ; talked of, yon and I. and that you have ! never known." ' ! With .<n pffort he drew himself , together "That te^gram tumbled my ' aii cistles, Alison. T cannot offer you j even a home— not a four-roomed cottage I or .1 rJ'auty, not " " \Vhs»t about a bushrangers' camp?" , Her eyes were innocently questioning, , but, oh, the joy deep rlown in her heart, ' the nassing of the shadow which had , over her_Jife_l . — ~~^ - — 'JJi_ have. ?ost~myfortune. riglit _^to the ' last fartlfing. and I shall have , to start- , ■life again. lam young still, but I could ] not ask you to -wait for me. I meant to go away, and I hoped that you would , forget me. You are so young, and all , your life is' before you/ But th,is after- j noon, somehow, when I heard you were : coming "I couldn't keep away." | " Perhaps the jam drew you." Again , the girl's eyes flashed, but there was a i softness and a light in their deoths that j made them wonderfully beautiful. " And j you would have gone away and left -me?" I "I tried, but I -couldn't. ' I'm not so i strong as I thought I was. "Alison — little | girl " | "Oh " j "Dc you care enough foe- me? It is so much to ask— Alison " " Don't ! Please- stop ! J — Jimmy's ! turning round I'm certain — he's — he's ' c- — coming t — to — talk to us t — too." -i "Hullo"' The leader strolled upnatronisinjrly. " What's thp joke, Lai? j Funny as tha burnt danuser?" The young man eyed him pensively. " I feel like almond rrrk. Do you like almond rock. Starlight?" ! "Not much. It gives me toothache." "Oh ! I mean — cr — er ginger-nuts. I'd stake my life for a ginger-nut !" | " More fool you ! Horrid br-icky things. Gives you W4?rse jawache than j almonds 1 ." • - ; The bushranger seated himself com- j fortably. Over his head Blue eyes met j grey, red lips 'fashioned themselves bottle-shape. ' Light broke upon the ,yonng man fronv^ the bungalow. '" Come to think of it, I'm jolly thirsty."' '" Tea's nearly boiling." ••' Oh, not for tea — not at all Tor tea. I don't care for tea when I'm thirsty — lemonade or ginger ale."' The leader's face brighterled : his eyes gleamed anticipation. j " Will you cut down and get me some?"_ - ""Wnj'ye given me half a ciowfl."

"Never mind." The young man was keeping a tio;nt rein upon his feelings. " Don't bothar about the change : get more lemonade, more ginger ale, more anything you fancy, "^ly get it at orce.I— l m getting mo: o thirsty evciy minute." "Right oh!" Starlight sauntered leisurely across the grass, buL once outside the gate broke into a canter that struck terror into the hearts of the girl from the creeper-covered house and the young mnn from the bungalow. ' " His legs are long," observed the man sadly. The girl gazed demurely in frqgt of her. ■ "You never mentioned Manning's. "'" "Oh Lord!" " You needn't swear. If — if you've any more to say you'd better — say it. Jennings's is just round th-2 corner." "Yes." He blundered miserably. "I — you know, dear " It all came with a rash. "Will you wait for a worthless fellow, Lai? It won't bs long if work can make it shortei'. You do care a little ; I can s-e-e it in your eyes. You can't hide it, dear; — you do, you do. you do !" His face" had grown youthful again — such a young, young' man. - "Just say it once, dear." "j_l____" The girl drew herself up suddenly. "I — you "know — well. I do, Terry, but — oh, please stop! Get on to your .own stump ! Don't you see — Dick and Nan are coming in at the gate — and — and — Jim's following them with the lemonade."