An Outback Marriage

ght on its wings a heavy depressing moisture. In the streets people walked listlessly, perspired, mopped themselves, and abused their much-vaunted c

The gong had sounded, and in ones and twos members shuffled out of the smoking-room, and went in to dinner. At last only three were lef

solicitor; the third man was an English globe-trotter, a colourless sort of person, of whom no one took any particular notice until they learnt that he was the eldest son of a big Scotch whisky manufacturer, and had ￡10,000 a year of his own. Then they suddenly discovered that he was a much smarter fellow t

a new chum. Just listen to this: 'Young Carew, friend of mine, on Carthaginia. Will you meet him and show him round; oblige me-W. G. Grant.' I met the old fellow once or twi

House young man the first week, Coffee Palace at two shillings a night the second week, boiler on the wharf

he telegram into his

rinciple I object to. Country people are always at this sort of thing. They'd ask me to meet an Alderney bull and entertain him till they send for

t his 'Varsity-triple blue, or something of the sort. He can row and run and fight and play football, and all that kind of thing. Very quiet-spoken sort of chap-rather pretends to be a simple sort o

y of his sort, worse luck; he'll be borrowing fivers

changed the subject. "What's old Grant like-t

ything doesn't go exactly to suit him; sort of chap who thinks that everyone who doesn't agree with him ought to be put to death at once. He had

ew is the Carew I mean, he and the old fellow will be well me

hum to dinner to-night, and Charlie Gordon's coming too. He was in my o

. "Anything like the gentleman t

y all his life. He was out in the Gulf-country in the early days-got starved out in droughts, swept away in floods, lost in the bush, speared by blacks, and

illespie. "He's awfully well off, isn't he? Sta

um Scotchman with no money, but a demon for hard work, and the most headstrong, bad-tempered man that ever lived-hard to hold at any time. After he'd

for a man to have his o

p, and all Gordon's stations went wrong, and Grant's went right. It never seemed to rain on Gordon's stations, while Grant's had floods. So G

rew! What did h

adicted him or something, so he sold

ordon do after

ordon's widow a station to live on, and fixed the two sons up managing his st

children? Was h

a cigarette a

re's a story that before he made his money he married a bush girl up on the station, but no one believes that. The daughter in Engl

ut it," said th

ttony boy came u

you, sir," he said

e doesn't kill a waiter or two on the way up. Not but what he'd be welcome to do it, for all the good they are here," he added,

honest eyes and a firm-set mouth. As he stood at the door he adopted the wooden expression that a University man always wears in the presence of strangers. He said nothing on being introduced to Pinnock; and when the globe-trotter came up and cla

me about you," he said. "I supp

deeper than usual. "I left her at Adelaide. I'm out for some bush experience, don't yo

etic, and he seemed anxious to g

. "I'll have you made an honorary me

od of you. Thanks

r than where you're going with old Grant. He's a regular demon to

d me, what I heard of it, don't you know. Still, I

e can tell you all about it. Here he is now," he added, as the

with his white shirt-front. So did his hands. He had thin straight hair, high cheek-bones, and a drooping black moustache. But the eyes were the most remarkable feature. Very keen and piercing they were, deep-set in the head; even when he was looking straight at anyone he

lry in mufti; but when he spoke he used the curious nasal drawl of the far-out bushman, the slow deliberate speech that comes to men who are used to passing months with the same companions in the unhurrie

mething better for you than that. I want a mate for my next trip, and a rough lonely hot trip it'll be. But don't you make an

tter see Mr.

nywhere else for that matter-can't you oblige me, and take him and keep him out of mischief for a while?" And if the old man had had about a bottle of champagne, he'd say, "Yes, I'll take him-for a premium," or if he'd had two bottles, he'd say, "Sen

glishman was spared the pain of making any comments on his own unimportan