From Squire to Squatter: A Tale of the Old Land and the New
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stay in the Bush, and his services were ofgreat value to the young squatters. The improvements he suggested weremany and various, and he was careful to see them carried out.
Dams were made, and huge reservoirs were dug; for, as Winslow said,their trials were all before them, and a droughty season might meanfinancial ruin to them.
"Nevertheless," he added one day, addressing Bob, "I feel sure of you;and to prove this I don't mind knocking down a cheque or two to the tuneof a thou or three or five if you want them.
"I'll take bank interest," he added, "not a penny more."
Bob thanked him, and consulted the others that evening. True, Archie'saristocratic pride popped up every now and then, but it was kept wellunder by the others.
"Besides, don't you see, Johnnie," said Harry, "this isn't a gift.Winslow is a business man, and he knows well what he is about."
"And," added Bob, "the fencing isn't finished yet. We have all thoseworkmen's mouths to fill, and the sooner the work is done the better."
"Then the sheep are to come in a year or so, and it all runs away withmoney, Johnnie. Our fortunes are to be made. There is money on theground to be gathered up, and all that Winslow proposes is holding thecandle to us till we fill our pockets."
"It is very kind of him," said Archie, "but--"
"Well," said Bob, "I know where your `huts' will end if you are notcareful. You will give offence to Mr Winslow, and he'll just turn onhis heel and never see us again."
"Do you think so?"
"Think so? Yes, Archie, I'm sure of it. A better-hearted man doesn'tlive, rough and all as he is; and he has set his mind to doing the rightthing for us all for your sake, lad, and so I say, think twice beforeyou throw cold water over that big, warm heart of his."
"Well," said Archie, "when you put it in that light, I can see mattersclearly. I wouldn't offend my good old Uncle Ramsay's friend for allthe world. I'm sorry I ever appeared bluff with him. So you can lethim do as he pleases."
And so Winslow did to a great extent.
Nor do I blame Bob and Harry for accepting his friendly assistance.Better far to be beholden to a private individual, who is both earnestand sincere, than to a money-lending company, who will charge doubleinterest, and make you feel that your soul is not your own.
Better still, I grant you, to wait and work and plod; but this life isalmost too short for much waiting, and after all, one half of the worldhangs on to the skirts of the other half, and that other half is all themore evenly balanced in consequence.
I would not, however, have my young readers misunderstand me. What Imaintain is this, that although a poor man cannot leave this country inthe expectation that anybody or any company will be found to advance theneedful to set him up in the business of a squatter, still, when he hasworked hard for a time, beginning at the lowermost ring of the ladder,and saved enough to get a selection, and a few cattle and sheep, then,if he needs assistance to heave ahead a bit, he will--if everything isright and square--have no difficulty in finding it.
So things went cheerily on at Burley New Farm. And at last Winslow andEtheldene took their departure, promising to come again.
"So far, lads," said Winslow, as he mounted his horse, "there hasn'tbeen a hitch nowheres. But mind keep two hands at the wheel."
Mr Winslow's grammar was not of the best, and his sentences generallyhad a smack of the briny about them, which, however, did not detractfrom their graphicness.
"Tip us your flippers, boys," he added, "and let us be off. But I'mjust as happy as if I were a father to the lot of you."
Gentleman Craig shook hands with Mr Winslow. He had already helpedEtheldene into her saddle.
Archie was standing by her, the bridle of his own nag Tell throwncarelessly over his arm; for good-byes were being said quite a mile fromthe farm.
"I'll count the days, Etheldene, till you come again," said Archie."The place will not seem the same without you."
Craig stood respectfully aside till Archie had bade her adieu, then,with his broad hat down by his side, he advanced. He took her hand andkissed it.
"Good-bye, Baby," he said.
There were tears in Etheldene's eyes as she rode away. Big Winslow tookoff his hat, waved it over his head, and gave voice to a splendidspecimen of a British cheer, which, I daresay, relieved his feelings asmuch as it startled the lories. The "boys" were not slow in returningthat cheer. Then away rode the Winslows, and presently the grey-stemmedgum trees swallowed them up.
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Two whole years passed by. So quickly, too, because they had not beenidle years. Quite the reverse of that, for every day brought its ownduties with it, and there was always something new to be thought aboutor done.
One event had taken place which, in Bob's eyes, eclipsed all theothers--a little baby squatter saw the light of day. But I should nothave used the word eclipsed. Little "Putty-face," as Harry mostirreverently called her, did not eclipse anything; on the contrary,everything grew brighter on her arrival, and she was hailed queen of thestation. The news spread abroad like wildfire, and people came from farand near to look at the wee thing, just as if a baby had never been bornin the Bush before.
Findlayson dug the child with his forefinger in the cheek, and noddedand "a-goo-ed" to it, and it smiled back, and slobbered and grinned andjumped. Findlayson then declared it to be the wisest "wee vision o' athing the warld ever saw." Sarah was delighted, so was the nurse--ayoung sonsy Scotch lass brought to the station on purpose to attend tobaby.
"But," said Findlayson, "what about bapteezin' the blessed wee vision."
"Oh," said Bob, "I've thought of that! Craig and I are going toBrisbane with stock, and we'll import a parson."
It so happened that a young missionary was on his way to spread the gladtidings among the blacks, and it did not need much coaxing on Bob's partto get him to make a detour, and spend a week at Burley New Farm. Sothis was the imported parson.
But being in Brisbane, Bob thought he must import something else, whichshowed what a mindful father he was.
He had a look round, and a glance in at all the shop windows in QueenStreet, finally he entered an emporium that took his fancy.
"Ahem!" said Bob. "I want a few toys."
"Yes, sir. About what age, sir?"
"The newest and best you have."
"I didn't refer to the age of the toys," said the urbane shopkeeper,with the ghost of a smile in his eye. "I should have said, Toyssuitable for what age?"
"For every age," replied Bob boldly.
The shopkeeper then took the liberty of remarking that his visitor mustsurely be blessed with a quiverful.
"I've only the one little girl," said Bob. "She fills the book as yet.But, you see, we're far away in the Bush, and baby will grow out ofgum-rings and rattles, won't she, into dolls and dung-carts? D'ye see?D'ye understand?"
"Perfectly."
It ended in Bob importing not only the parson in a dray, but a box oftoys as big as a sea-chest, and only Bob himself could have told you allthat was in it. That box would have stocked a toyshop itself and Harryand Archie had the grandest of fun unpacking it, and both laughed tillthey had to elevate their arms in the air to get the stitches out oftheir sides.
The amusing part of it was that innocent Bob had bought such a lot ofeach species.
A brown paper parcel, for example, was marked "1 gross: gum-rings."
"That was a job lot," said Bob, explaining. "I got them at a reduction,as the fellow said. Besides, if she has one in each hand, and anotherin her mouth, it will keep her out of mischief for a month or two tobegin with."
There was no mistake about it, baby was set up; for a time, at allevents.
Not only did visitors--rough and smooth, but mostly rough--come fromafar, but letters of congratulation also. Winslow said in a letter thatEtheldene was dying to come and see "the vision," and so was he, thoughnot quite so bad. "Only," he added, "as soon
Eth is finished we'll bothrun up. Eth is going to Melbourne to be finished, and I think a yearwill do the job."
"Whatever does he mean," said stalwart Bob, "by finishing Eth, and doingthe job?"
"Why, you great big brush turkey," said Sarah, "he means finishing heredication, in coorse!"
"Oh, I see now!" said Bob. "To be sure; quite right. I say, Sarah,we'll have to send `the vision' to a slap-up lady's school one of thesedays, won't us?"
"Bob," replied Sarah severely, "tell that lazy black chap, Jumper,