A BUSH ORACLE

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13847, 6 November 1918, Page 6

A BUSH ORACLE

•Mr Wireadaiight, tile teacher ait. the bussh school, had some difficulty in maintaining an even attend anice. owing; Hkx tine number iof daiixymen's children on, the roll. Backed up by the regulations of the Education Department, he administered his tenth rebuke to Bill Ringbank, of Paddymelon Oreek, and 'sent ihdm. a sharp iiotte, remanding! him/ that • Johnny had nearly reached the sutatutoiy limit of notoi-attondance. i Bill, who, during the intervals I:>etweon the temi rebukes, had been •writing a rtoply, finiished th© screed at last, and sient Johnny off to deliver it. . [" The teacher 1 took the lettev, which 'had the;. iappearanoei \rf Egypitiaim Metrology, a.nd after school hoft^s siioeeedted in translaiting it. 'Leaivinqi in jusit a few of Bill's ■.phonetics -.vna oaliotquaaißslmisi 'to give /it tude, it ran) thus: — • I Dser Sir, — 1 ain't, no skollard, ami I don't want by boy Johnny to be |r.iano. So lotng as he can nggor otit the piric© of rabbit-skins, wo* as tilii? fixt pauce fer butterj wot wool is bringingl, . and when the Guiveirranen:r is goin' t«r pay^fea* its' wheat—-tihat'll do me, and I guessl it'll hare to do Johintny I don't go nap< on yetf hiV tery amd such like edderoation. Who tihe blaze® dares how many wives Hcfn.ry 8 hjadl? Gud luok to hdm., sa;ys I, if he cud keep 'eon. Wott do yeir want to fill kids' heads with stuff ■aibout the Romans? Ain't there trouble enuff? I miever did■■have lmicb. tiruck Vith the Roin'ans^—^bnt Mick Flanagan, who'has the selection next to nus, is as fine a man I eveir met, and I've met sum Talk aiboiut yer skbllards. Thfeire's o»H Paffiagoni Smith, whose place ia dawn the av^ok a milo or soi, maybe more. He's .got thiree sons as' w&re eddidiiited. They!l!^ clai'lcs in: Sydney., Old Paragon has begsard hisself for 'em 'ore boys, an* he'll go to a early gi-aiva without so much a's a funeral. i the Guremmeinit pays him his wheat money and he's sent part, of it to the boys, an' thes bank ha^s taken its shares, an' thtei rabbits theirsl, there ato't much left fen- Paragon but to start hard work oveir agaiin. U just leave my Johnny . ei-lone. I | want'■"hdm ter work for me, not me . feif him, and I'm going to keep him. at-home ■and'give himr aill the eiddieatiom he wants. I'm.about dew fer a liolid'ay. In two* years I've only been loekt up oniot'feir' dirunkenniess, wnd yer'll admit I want a littJe reclerea;tioto 1,. Johnny stays: at home fer. a fortniite if the whole 1 eddicaition $&- patrtment demands-my life.—Yours' truly, Bill Ringbark. P.S.—l'll sete the member in Sydney. Votes is votes in these tdmes.— Sydney Sunr.