ON AN AUSTRALIAN FARM.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 31 May 1910, Page 4

ON AN AUSTRALIAN FARM.

CHAPTER VII

OX THE TRAIN.

fHE train in full motion tore ■along on her course, rattling and roaring over bridges and culverts, calico tents, camps, iliomes, mountains, and timber land wero flung behind one upon anootlier, and ait every "gate" and every siding a whirlpool of dust and dead leaves rose in her wake. "By Jove, this is all right, eli, Father?" Peter, standing with a firm grip of tho carriage window, shouted joyfully. Mrs Dashwood began (to oxln'lut symptoms of fear. "I hope nothing goes wrong!" she cried nervously. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Peter yelled. "Mother thinks we'll go off the line I" "It mailt then," said old John, smiling blandly in the corner .that lie had appropriated to himself. "L waint be th' first tahme she went off on this lahne." "Oh, Father, how could it!" from Poll.v. "Of course it could go off!" Mrs Dasliwood assured her daughters, her eyes widening with increase:! alarm. "Well, it' she does," James remarked > philosophically, "there won't be many of us loft to toll the tale. "Oh, Oh," came from Mrs Dash wood in gasps, as the train made a bit of a lurch. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" from Peter. "Ho! Ho! .Ho!" laughed old John. "Doan't be frahtont fer a train., Elahser! Look theer ai Granny—she dersent mahn'd 'n.' Granny, contentedly munching biscuits, and gazing out on a vast stretch of rich plain land, that lay in view, looked as though she ha'', been reared in a train. At that moment the carriage rocked violently as she swung round a curve, and only old Jolm and Jamefr<?med to have been prepared fo: it. The others thought they iha:' reached the end of the world, an:' tlmrfc their time had come. Seve ral short sonams escaped the wo men, and they clutched at each other for support and salvation. I'eter, who lost all his balance, was 'thrown sid'eways iinto old Joilm's lap. "Oh dear! Oh dear!" Mrs Dashwood moaned 011 realising that al: was yet well, "I thought we were g<ne!" Tho girls and Marin, recovering, laughed hysterically at their own foolishness. Petor gathered himself (together, and with a forced "Ha! Ha! Ma!'' courageously took his place at the window again. "By Jove!" he cried, "it's greal sport trying to hang on here." The two commercials who had ex iled themselves and their belonging. l ' to the furthermost part of itihe carriage lay quietly smiling at ill! t>be fuss and fears of their travelling companions. Occasionally thoy lifted a magazine and appeared to b:deeply engrossed in its contents. But they wero frauds and shams, those commercials. They road not a line. Thoy used the magazines •ns barricades, behind which tihey closely observed the actions of Polly and Tilly and tihe rest—-but more especially Polly and Tilly. At intervals they would say tilings Ito each other and smile. "They haven't seem many trains. Monty?" 0110 said. " The old man has seen some ' brass,' thougli," the other answered. " Hoiw do yo ulike itShe fair one?'' (meaning Tilly) the former remarked further. "Good style, isn't she?" was the answer. They both pretended to road some more. "Ha! Ha! Ha Look, Father! Look at the coves drawing wood with a team of goats!" Peter 'broke out in a burst of ec^tncy. "Oh, look!" the girls ecbo<xl,and Mrs Dashwood grippe:! Andy by the leg to prevent him failing through the window in ibis eagerness to get a, full view of the curiosity. "See the goats, Granny?" Maria cried, nudging the old lady hard in tho ribs. "A 'beat, is it?" said Granny. "All wer' in a boat one tahme, an' it turned rahfc over an'——" Granny's irrelevant discourse was cut short hv the excitable Peter. "Ha! Ha'! Ha!" lie yelled.. "Did von see the whiskers 011 the leader, Father? As long as an old : man's." "Ah thinks lie wer' n ol' man, thet cove," the parent replied, "he th' look ou him." "Are they good pullers?" Peter questioned. Peter was travelling now, and ben ton gathering useful information. "Good pullers?" said old John., raising his voice to make himself heard, "soomota,limes they be an' sometnlnres they baimt." "Oh, they always pull," James vouchsafed for Peter's information, "if they's put in a good paddock." Peter. stared wonderingly at James, and asked: "Why in a good paddock?" "Weil," James drawled with a grin, "if there is good grass in it." Peter saw the loko, and laughed hard. "What wer' that?" inquired old John, curiously. "James says they'll pull grass, Father," Peter shouted. "Ali-h, they will tint," said tho pa>ent, "an' they gets their owners pulled somotalnnes." Peter's restless eye discovered a new curiosity. "Look at tli'i sthough," he called. "Look 1i ere! F'm jiggered. Ha! Ha! Ha!" The others loked hurriedly, and Raw the humble homestead of a struggling selector scattered a .bout. The lanky youths in charge of a dreary looking horse fastened in some -way to a fork-stick on which a water cask was being conveyed in the direction of the home. One of the voutlis was pu'lli.nig the quadruped along by the rein ; another was astride it wielding a big .'it:dc on its ribs; the third was en°l,isjed in the dual capacity of conductor and driver. He balanced the cask with one hand and threw stou'es and things at the animal with the oth dr. "Poor things!" Mrs Dashwood said, feelingly. "An irrigation plant!" James drawled. ( ' 'Ha.! Ha. !Ha!" Peter exploded. ' Look at the bloke on th<> moke's back—look at him, FaMvnr! Look at him." Tilly was begin ni 117 t"' feel ■ps'hamed oif Peter. Tilly felt th«t 'tho eves of those commercials were up-n a,nd she was inclined to he sensitive. "Peter, don't te such, a silly I" she said. "Do you everyone to bo laughing at von?" * Polly and Maria glance:! round, and discovered the two st rangers half stranding themselves with suppressed mirth. "I declare.'' Ithev said, "thrse men are laughing at u^l" "No wonder!" Tillv snowed indignantly. "The wnv he's urine 011. would make a fool rf ("~ But Peter didn't hear his sister's reprimand. His mind was all on the water carriers.

A SERIAL STORY

By "Steele Rudd."

"Ha! Ha!" ho stinted .again, hut suddenly checked himself. Then like a track of lightning lie went off.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! It's capsized! Ha! Hn! Ha!" There was another rusih for window space. Even, the placid commercials sat up 'and looked 011,t! "Surely it haunt!" said old John, sharing a window with James for a glimpse of the catas.iopca » "Poor People! whnl .1 sh;i:i ■' ' murmured Mrs Das .j.ki. Hut the train !>iiii.;';ig mi" a deep eiutting excluded everything hut memories of that selection scene from view. "That's farming under difficulties for you, if you like!" Jamas, with a sympathetic shake of the .head remarked as he settled aiglain in, his seat. "All doan't know if i't be Fannin', lad," old John answered. "Hut Ah knows itliet Ali'd sooner go to gaol than go on th' land that way." "Do you thing there's any excuse for that scut of thing nowadsiys?" James asked. "Well," the pam it replied thoughtfully, "not fer ridin' th' th' horse, Ah don't expect. Theer be a lot o' bal management aba lit that lot. no dia'lit, but there Ml alez lie peapk> faghtin' up hill, lad. as long as they go 011 th' lanl wi' 110 capital. It itakes a heap o' money —-inore'n people think—to take oop land an'make head,way. Ah knows what it means. Ah've been through it all, an' so have your modtlier. A loit 0.11 'em think so long as they get hold 011 th' land theey're raht. whereas most tahnies ibheey're all W'l Ollg." "Well, people struggling like these we just passed," James suggested, "would bo much better off working ou wages?" "Far an' awav better off," the parent said. "They'd have no worry, for one thing, an' they'd Juave •a' shellin' or two to spend soomtabmes." After a silence. "I sec wiliiere tho Minister ror Lands said the other day," James remarked, "that he knew of eases where men went 011 the land wilth only half-a-crown in .their ptxsket. anul becaino well off." "He sez soome queer .things, do the Minister for Lands," old John reiplied, "soome very queer things! Hut what you never do hear on 'ini sayiiii', lad, is that his own faith or spent coiulreds 0' pah 11s sondin' liini awiay to be edercated fer a barrister, an' that art-er all his edercation he could,n't nwik' a livin' ait it. Ho wer' a. t'ail'e!" "So \ belivc!" James said, "ant! Judge Smith wilth .scarcely any .■..'pooling made his way from the carpenter's shop to the Bench." "Ah-li. aiii*' theey're you have it," e.vpi!,lined the parent. "Tliot wer' jufilfc th' difference atween he ail' Judge Smith; an' so wi' men 011 the laivd. Hut for all tliot it dersent stand at all, lad, an' .Judge Smith, Ah knows, would itell the same, tliet the surest way to reach the Bench baint be ball neglect in' school, or stantin' from a carpenter's .shop I" Tho roar of MlO locoinotivo nov. made it almost impossible to hear their own voices. "I can't hear!" James shouted, leaning over towards his parent. Old Jolui lea,ned over, too, and bellowed out something which sounded like « gramophone in distress. ".Just so," James answered speculatively. "Only a fool," was James caught next. "Yes," he ventured nodding his head in approval, but of what lie hadn't the slightest idea. Old John gesticulated vehemently, and his eloquence seemed to increase under tho disadvantages "or -d noise.

" .... land . . N'o. .. . how could ixe . . . seasons . . . slightest change . . . .all til' sem," fell from him in distorted fragments. "I dare say," James shout-eel. .Seeming satisfied with the iinprcssi: ii; his words were milking, ok John, using his large, ler.ltben* finger to emphasise hi.s discourse, pro t-uedt'tl vigorously : "... forty bushels . . could . . . dry seasons . . . 'horses . . s-ttlonimt . . . do y' thenk?" Then pausing, he .seamed to ex [k>(it in, reply. "Oh, I think you're right," Jamo.' replied with a grin. Old John shook hi.s head in a dis siitisficd sort of way, and waggim bis finger more, repeated the obser ration : "... dairying ... no man . . land .... close settlement . . . could anyone .... twenty years,' lie said. "Oh, 110 doubt," James yelled with another grin. "What?" old John roared. James desired to end the joke aiwl tapped himself 011 Hie car am shook his head. Hut old Jcihm was a persistent ok man, and never liked >to give inii'ot even to the noise of a ■train. " . ploughed land . . . mile, and miles . . . their fault . . . . ; great country . . people . . . 11' ah, lV.l'lo-ws day . . . millions . . . Miwil thefc." "Do you think so?" James yelled talcing up the joke again. "What!" old John howled. "Millions of people," J'a men said "Certainly—why not " roared,' th parent. Just then everything ivas throw 1 into darkness, and the noise in emus ed twofold. 'Sharp, nervous scream came from women, and they hud died into each other for protection I land from Peter came a loud. "Ha Ha! Hal" They were passini through a tunnel, hut it seemed a: though they were passing into eter nity. Just as suddenly the ligli rushed in again, as the tunnel cairn to an en l. and heavy sighs cf relie fell from Mrs Dasiawood and Maria The deafening noise had ended too and once nvore they could cowversi freely. Peter leaned out and stared -bad in astonishment at the mouth o; that 111 tunel, .while Poly iand Til 1 a desired, to know the name of it. Maria said she "had heard whaJ ilb was called, hut couldn't think q tho name of it." "Ah-li dersent know at all," .ok John candidly adimitted, and sup posed that it "went 'haih sor.aiu namo or other." One of the commercials who hac moved into a seat that brought liiir nearer -the family, and was evincing a deeper interest in passing objects sunolied the information: "That's the Royal tunimel," lit said, addressing old John. Polly and. Tilly stele gkuices at th'i sample Wmvker. "Ah-li, it he the Tv'iy vT tumnel," ©sljoecl old John, for the inforatolti'di of hi". dauuiY/'vs. "Oh, tOiB Rov. o l tunnel," tJiey murmured together. "Yes, that's it," Maria exealmea, wi-vi.".n: it bo baby a shake up, "Hie Royal. I remember tthe niame now.'' "Really, Maria!" Tilly said witl) a mischievous smile. Ma ria went crimson. Slue wont off the handle, ten: but tihe bnby starting .to cry saved the situ."it km "It's the longest tunnel in the State,' 'the commercial further acquainted old John. "It's the longest tunnel there be,"

old John, promptly informed (bis relations without aekwawledging hus source of distorted information.

"Nearly a mile long,'' tho other commercial, who had shifted nearer too, called out. "Just fancy—nearly a mile long!" Mrs Daslnrood said, addressing her daughters. "It didn't seem half tihat." "Tunnels are not what they seem, mother," Tilly answered, playfully parodying some of the "Psalm ol Life." Both commercials shifted tilieir eyes to Tilly, and one more learned than the other said egotisioally: "And the grave is not its goal.' Tilly looked away and smiled. The commercials nudged eaoh other. James - was curious to kn/tw wiho the contractors were tha t constructed t)he line, and interrogated the coanmercials. They stared. It was out ol their line. "Contractors?" they said, with puzzled airs, "goodness knows." ( "W'ilks, I suppose it woud be?" James suggested, turning to his parent. "Aih-h, All tiliinik it would the," old John answered. The commercial men eyed .James curiously. They seemed to regard him as a waste of time. Bint James paid no further attention to tlieni, and t'liey took mp their magazines and continued reading between the lines. Polly and Tilly, however, Would occasionally steal glances at the backs of the magazines, and tihen whisper things to each other and titter. "Tilly!" Mrs Dashwt'od said sharply, "what is the matter with you ?" "I'm amused'at granny, mother," Tilly answered diplomatically. Mrs Dash,wood turned and saw Granny with her head well back againsit the cushion, and her mouth open in deep slunnber. "Poor granny!" she said, "is tired out!" And taking a lace lirndkereh'ief from (her pocket placd it over the aged one's face to keel) the flies from disturbing her. And, with lier long, lean hands hanging lifelessly beside her, granny looked like a corpse out in a chair.