South of Capricorn

by Anne Hampson

  ‘Not here - not anywhere in the Outback. But,’ continued Kane with a swift glance in Gail’s direction, ‘this man went to England to visit relatives. This was after he had been working on a sheep station and had obviously been able to save some money in spite of his drinking habits. You will realize that these relatives would also be my relatives - although several times removed.’ Heads nodded, but impatiently. For by now everyone was eager for the story to continue. As far as Gail was concerned it was almost completed; the pieces had fallen into place rapidly and only a few were still missing. She did not need to hear Kane’s added information that the visit of this man had taken place about five and a half years go. ‘During this holiday he met a girl named Sandra Stafford. She fell in love with him and, some months after Farrell had deserted her - coming back here on his own - this girl had a child whom she called Leta—’

  ‘Leta!’ The one word came as a chorus, but almost immediately a deep hush fell upon the room again, every eye turned to Gail.

  ‘Before I continue,’ said Kane, not without a hint of anger, ‘I want you to discard the idea that Sandra and Gail are one and the same girl.’

  ‘Oh...’ That spoke for itself, and Gail found herself blushing hotly.

  ‘About four and a half years ago a letter arrived addressed to Kane Farrell and I naturally opened it. It told of the birth of the child, and the writer - Sandra Stafford - was asking for help as she wished to keep the child rather than have it adopted or put into care.’ He stopped, for now there was an angry murmuring and he was not prepared to raise his voice.

  ‘You mean,’ interrupted Simon, ‘that this man had told the girl that he owned this property?’

  ‘That is exactly what I mean,’ Kane answered, and Gail instantly thought of her impression that Leta’s father was a boaster. Here, she thought, was another irksome little matter cleared up, for since coming here and getting to know Kane, she could not for one moment believe that he would boast of his possessions.

  ‘You realized that it was this man Kenneth who was the father?’ Simon put the question, a deep frown on his brown and rugged countenance.

  ‘Yes, I did, but as I didn’t know where the man was I tossed the letter into the waste-paper basket,’ he said, and Gail flinched. Poor Sandra!

  ‘Naturally you put it into the waste-paper basket! It wasn’t your affair, much as the poor girl might be suffering hardship!’ This time it was Mary Drayford who spoke. She was about Gail’s age and the wife of a station manager. ‘All the same,’ she added with a sudden frown, ‘it was a pity you didn’t know where this scoundrel was living.’

  ‘When the second letter arrived I did make it my business to have inquiries set afoot, and on the success of these inquiries I sent the letter on to Farrell, informing him that a previous one whose contents were similar had been destroyed by me. I heard nothing ...’ His voice trailed off as Dave made a movement with his hand. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Kenneth Farrell was killed by a scrub,’ came the information, falling on astounded ears. ‘It was just over three years ago - wait...’ Dave’s brow furrowed in concentration. ‘It might have been a little before that.’

  Kane looked inquiringly at him.

  ‘How do you know this, Dave? You weren’t here when Farrell worked for my father.’

  Dave, colouring slightly, asked if he might leave his answer until he could speak privately to Kane. Gail stared, had been staring since Dave’s unexpected interruption. She heard Kane say quietly,

  ‘Of course, Dave. Perhaps you’ll see me later tonight?’

  ‘If that’s what you wish.’ Dave looked away as Gail continued to stare at him interrogatingly. All the others in the room were plainly disappointed at this part of the story being denied them, but as Kane was beginning to speak again the murmurings came to a stop.

  He explained that nothing more had been heard either of the girl or Farrell, but had not progressed very far when someone interrupted to ask if Farrell had married the girl.

  ‘It’s not possible at present to say. Gail is Sandra’s cousin and it was she who went through her things when she died. No marriage certificate was found and my own opinion is that there never was a marriage—’

  ‘But Sandra always maintained that there had been a marriage,’ broke in Gail impulsively, and then apologized for doing so,

  ‘Yes, dear, but personally I feel that she said this merely because she hated the disgrace. She never used the name Farrell either for herself or for her child, you said.’

  ‘Yes, that’s quite right.’ She paused. ‘Shall we ever know?’

  ‘That’s what we shall discuss later. There’ll be a very simple way of finding out,’ he added with a smile, and Gail lapsed once more into silence. However, within a couple of minutes she was making another interruption, asking in the same impulsive way if Kane had been in England at that particular time. Adding that he must have been away from Vernay Downs or otherwise he would not have been able to tell his friends that he was married, in England, at that particular time.

  ‘I was touring Europe,’ he answered briefly, and there were several murmured agreements about this.

  ‘You showed us your excellent slides,’ said Simon, then added, ‘I expect we all took it for granted that you’d visited England - but you didn’t, apparently?’

  Kane shook his head, and then continued with his narrative, his description of the scene when he had been presented with his daughter - in front of some of his stockmen - producing hoots of laughter and cries of regret from the ladies at not being present to witness such an entertaining scene. Gail, blushing furiously, was asked how she came to have the courage and she replied unthinkingly,

  ‘I didn’t know him then. I was so intent on not letting him get away with it that I just marched up to him and said I’d like to present him with his daughter.’ Again there was laughter, and because of it no one seemed to bother much about Kane’s confession of what transpired later, as a result of Gail’s bringing the child to him. When some comments were eventually made they did not condemn. On the contrary, as everyone present knew what trouble he had had with his stepmother he was not blamed at all.

  ‘It was a splendid idea!’ exclaimed one young grazier. ‘But has it worked?’

  ‘No,’ came a booming female voice as Mrs. Farrell swept into the room, all her tiredness appearing to have disappeared. ‘Ertha and I have been standing outside the door and we’ve heard every word. That woman—’ she pointed to Gail, her eyes dark with fury, ‘is not staying in this house! Nor is that unmanageable brat with the unknown father—’

  ‘Stop!’ To everyone’s amazement it was Dave who intervened, his face white with fury. ‘Leave Leta’s name out of it, damn you!’

  ‘Dave,’ admonished Kane softly, ‘what on earth’s wrong with you, man?’

  Everyone was stirring excitedly. Here in the Outback they were used to making their own entertainments, and each grazier would try out something novel at times. But never had an entertainment like this been presented to them!

  ‘Never mind him,’ snapped Mrs. Farrell, who was now supported by the presence of her daughter. ‘The story was entertaining, Kane, but the end might be disappointing both to some of your friends who haven’t said anything very complimentary about me, and to you yourself. You see,’ she added, coming close and looking up at him with a triumphant expression, ‘I am mistress here and that’s the way it stays! You can’t bring in a girl you scarcely know and put her in my place—’

  ‘Be quiet, Rachel,’ intervened Kane with a pained expression. ‘I’ve said before that you talk without thinking. I am the one who will tell the end of the story, not you!’ A hush descended once more at this and with a gentle little tug Kane had Gail on her feet, one hand tightly clasped in his. ‘My friends,’ he said, and now his voice was more husky than usual for he was clearly affected by emotion, ‘Gail has tonight consented to be my wife—’

  ‘Your wife? Bravo, Gail! It’s time he was caught!’

>   ‘Congratulations to you both!’

  ‘But what wonderful news!’

  ‘Did you choose her for her beauty or her courage?’

  It went on for a few seconds more, with Dave the only one making no comment and with Mrs Farrell and Ertha sidling through the door, hoping to get away unseen. But Kane cut round and said,

  ‘Well, Rachel, are you now going to accept my offer of a house?’

  The woman maintained an obstinate silence, but her daughter, taking her arm, said quietly,

  ‘Yes, Kane, Mother will accept your offer.’

  Gail and Kane were sitting on the front verandah, having come out a few minutes earlier for a sundowner. Into their line of vision appeared two young people, Dave and Georgina, strolling hand in hand. But on seeing the two on the verandah they waved happily and, turning to her fiance, Gail smiled and gave a small contented sigh.

  ‘Hasn’t it all worked out well?’ she said dreamily. ‘Dave marrying Georgina and their adopting Leta.’

  ‘It’s worked out very well,’ he agreed. ‘But how strange that Dave should have pieced so many scraps together and produced a picture that none of us knew of.’

  ‘He knew we weren’t married, of course, he told you that on the night you told your story.’ Kane nodded at this unnecessary statement and Gail continued, ‘He hadn’t connected his second cousin, Kenneth Farrell, with this business until you began talking. And then it all came to him.’

  ‘But he did appear troubled about something even before I began to relate everything, if you remember?’

  ‘It could have been because he knew instinctively that he was going to have to admit that he’s known almost from the first that you and I weren’t married.’

  ‘Yes, it could,’ agreed Kane, and then, changing the subject somewhat, ‘It was a good idea to ask Leta what she wanted - before telling Dave and Georgina that they could have her.’ Kane paused a moment. ‘I had promised to keep her, and as I said when you later asked me - after we were engaged - she could have made her home with us. But for her own happiness it’s better that she goes to Dave. He wants her and she chose to live with him when she was offered a choice.’

  ‘So I have nothing to reproach myself for where my promise to Sandra is concerned. I couldn’t bring her to her father, but I’ve brought her to another relative.’

  ‘You do realize that from all this has emerged the fact that Dave and I are cousins several times removed?’

  She nodded, but said nothing. She and Kane had talked a great deal during the past three weeks and everything had been carefully straightened out. They were to be married in a week’s time and Gail’s parents would be here to give her and Kane their blessing.

  ‘Look at the sunset!’ she exclaimed suddenly. ‘Oh, Kane, I’m going to love being here.’

  He smiled tenderly at her and, rising to his feet, he pulled her up too, and into the protection of his arms. The sun, falling quickly behind the mountains, was painting the sky with bronze and crimson and gold. The summits were on fire. But over the endless bush- lands the glow was softer, burnishing the casuarina trees growing along the watercourse; and away where the billabong shone like a pool of gold the clustered Red River gums cast gentle shadows as their branches were stirred by the breeze blowing down from the mountains. All was silent; ail was still over this infinite void which for Gail had such charm and character.

  ‘My darling Gail ...’ The tenderly-spoken words brought her from the delights of nature to the even greater delight of her lover’s kiss. ‘How glad I am that you came to me.’

  She said nothing, because of the deep emotion within her heart. It was enough that she drew closer to him, content to be there as, together, they watched the glory of the sunset as it sprayed the endless plains with gold.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten