"Might A Bullock-Puncher Have The Privilege Of Shaking Hands With A
Lady?" The Irish Mac Asked, Extending An Honest, Horny Hand; And The
Privilege, If It Were One, Was Granted.
Finally all was ready, and the
waggons, one behind the other, each with its long swaying line of
bullocks before it, slid away from the Warloch Ponds and crept into the
forest, looking like three huge snails with shells on their backs,
Bertie's Nellie watching, wreathed in smiles.
Nellie had brought to the homestead her bosom friend and crony, Biddy,
and the staff had increased to five. It would have numbered six, only
Maudie, discovering that the house was infested with debbil-debbils, had
resigned and "gone bush." The debbil-debbils were supposed to haunt the
Maluka's telescope, for Maudie, on putting her eye to the sight opening,
to find out what interested the Maluka so often, had found the trees on
the distant plain leaping towards her.
"Debbil-debbil, sit down," she screamed, as, flinging the telescope from
her in a frenzy of fear, she found the distance still and composed,
"No more touch him, missus!" she shrieked, as I stooped to pick up the
telescope. "'Spose you touch him, all about there come on quick fellow.
Me bin see him! My word him race!"
After many assurances, I was allowed to pick it up, Maudie crouching in a
shuddering heap the while behind the office, to guard against surprises.
Next morning she applied for leave of absence and "went bush." Jimmy's
Nellie, however, was not so easily scared, and after careful
investigation treated herself to a pleasant half hour with the telescope.
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