"Now,
missus," he said - and then followed my first lesson in "handling," until
the soft brown muzzle was resting contentedly in my hand. "She'll soon
follow you," Jack said eagerly, "you ought to come up every day "; and
looking up at the glowing, boyish face, I said quietly:
"Just a year to-day, Jack, since you met us by the roadside," and the
strong young giant looked down with an amused light in his eyes. "Just a
year," he said, with that quiet smile of his; and that quiet smile, and
that amused "Just a year" were more eloquent than volumes of words, and
set Dan "reckoning" that somebody else's been learning a thing or two
besides book learning.
But the Dandy was waiting for some tools from the office, and as we went
with him he, too, spoke of the anniversaries. "Just a year since you
first put foot on this verandah," he said, and that reminiscence brought
into the Maluka's eyes that deep look of bush comradeship, as he added:
"And became just One of Us."
Before long Mac was reminding us that a year ago she was wrestling with
the servant question, and Cheon coming by, we indulged in a negative
anniversary. "A year ago, Cheon," we said "there was no Cheon in our
lives," and Cheon pitied our former forlorn condition as only Cheon
could, at the same time asking us what could be expected of one of Sam's
ways and caste.
