The Book Of The Bush, George Dunderdale [thriller novels to read .txt] 📗

With You I Can Bear Him

No Ill Will. Besides,  Doesn't His Attitude Seem Natural? You

Mustn't Forget That No Man In This Country Has Fought His Class

More Than You. That Hurts--Especially Coming From An _Acquired_

Relative.

 

White. Yes; That Aggravates The Offense. And I'll Tell You

Something You May Not Know. (_Bitterly_) Whenever I've Spoken

Against Privilege And Wealth It's Been His Pudgy,  Comfortable

Face I've Shaken My Fist At. He's Been So Damned Comfortable All

His Life.

 

Hilda. (_She Looks At Him In Surprise._) Why,  Will,  You Surely

Don't Envy Him His Comfort,  Do You? I Can't Make You Out. What's

Come Over You These Last Weeks? You've Always Been Above Such

Personal Bitterness; Even When You Were Most Condemned And

Ridiculed. If It Were Anybody But You I'd Think You Had Done

Something You Were Ashamed Of.

 

White. What Do You Mean?

 

Hilda. Haven't You Sometimes Noticed That Is What Bitterness To

Another Means: A Failure Within Oneself? (_He Goes Over To Chair

And Sits Without Answering._) I Can Think Of You Beaten By Outside

Things--That Sort Of Failure We All Meet; But Somehow I Can Never

Think Of You Failing Yourself. You've Been So Brave And

Self-Reliant: You've Fought So Hard For The Truth.

 

White (_Tapping Letter_). But He Thinks He Knows The Truth,  Too.

 

Story 5 ( A Bush Hermit.) Pg 93

Hilda. He's Also An Intense Nature.

 

White (_Thoughtfully After A Pause_). Yet There Is _Some_

Truth In What He Says.

 

Hilda (_Smiling_). But You Didn't Like It--Coming From Him?

 

White. It Will Be Different With You And Me Now That America's

Gone In.

 

Hilda. Yes. It Will Be Harder For Us Here; For Hate Is Always

Farthest From The Trenches. But You And I Are Not The Sort Who

Would Compromise To Escape The Persecution Which Is The Resource

Of The Non-Combatant.

 

(_The Phone Rings: He Looks At His Watch._)

 

White. That's For Me.

 

Hilda. Let Me. (_She Goes._) It May Be Wallace. (_At Phone_) Yes:

This Is 116 Chelsea. Long Distance? (_He Starts As She Says To

Him_) It Must Be Our Boy. (_At Phone_) Who? Oh--Mr. William White?

Yes: He'll Be Here. (_She Hangs Up Receiver._) She'll Ring When She

Gets The Connection Through.

 

White (_Turning Away_). It Takes So Long These Days.

 

Hilda. Funny He Didn't Ask For Me.

 

White. What Made You Think It Was Wallace?

 

Hilda. I Took It For Granted. He Must Be Having A Hard Time At

College With All The Boys Full Of War Fever.

 

White. And A Father With My Record.

 

Hilda. He Should Be Proud Of The Example. He Has More Than Other

Boys To Cling To These Days When Everybody Is Losing His Head As

The Band Plays And The Flag Is Waved. He Won't Be Carried Away By

It. He'll Remember All We Taught Him. Ah,  Will,  When I Think We

Now Have Conscription--As They Have In Germany--I Thank God Every

Night Our Boy Is Too Young For The Draft.

 

White. But When His Time Comes What Will He Do?

 

Hilda (_Calmly_). He Will Do It With Courage.

 

White (_Referring To Her BrKe Had Entered.  It Was So

Small That He Could Scarcely Believe That A Snake Had Gone Through

It,  But No Other Hole Was Anywhere Visible.  Philip Said,  "If The

Beast Comes Out It Shall Be Through Fire," So He Picked Up A Few

Pieces Of Bark Which He Placed Over The Hole,  And Set On Fire.  The

Straw Inside Was Soon In A Blaze,  And The Snake Was Lively.  His

Story 5 ( A Bush Hermit.) Pg 94

Situation Was Desperate,  And His Movements Could Be Traced By The

Rising And Falling Of The Ticking.  Philip Said,  "My Friend,  You Are

Looking For A Hole,  But When You Find It It Will Be A Hot One."  The

Snake At Last Made A Dash For Life Through The Fire,  And Actually

Came Out Into The Open Air.  But He Was Dazed And Blinded,  And His

Skin Was Wet And Shining With Oil,  Or Perspiration,  Or Something.

 

Philip Gave Him A Finishing Stroke With His Stick,  And Tossed Him

Back Into The Fire.  Of Course A New Mattress Was Necessary,  And A

Keen Eye For Snakes Ever Afterwards.

 

The Teaching In The School Went On With Regularity And Success.

There Was,  However,  An Occasional Interruption.  Once A Furious

Squall Came Over The Lake,  And Shook The Frail Building So Much That

Philip Threw Open The Door And Sent Out All The Children,  The Little

Ones And Girls First,  And Then The Boys,  Remaining Himself To The

Last Like The Captain Of A Sinking Ship; But He Was Not So Much Of A

Fool To Stay Inside And Brave Destruction; He Went Out To A Safe

Distance Until The Squall Was Over.

 

Sometimes A Visitor Interfered With The Work Of The School,  And

Philip For That Reason Hated Visitors; But It Was His Duty To Be

Civil And Patient.  Two Inspectors Called On Two Different Occasions

To Examine The Scholars.  One Of Them Was Scarcely Sober,  And He

Behaved In A Manner So Eccentric That The Master Had A Strong

Temptation To Kick Him Out.  However,  He At Last Succeeded In Seeing

The Inspector Outside The Door Peaceably,  And Soon Afterwards The

Department Dispensed With That Gentleman's Services.

 

He Had Obtained His Office By Favour Of A Minister At Home For

Services Rendered At An Election.  His Salary Was 900 Pounds Per

Annum.  The Next Inspector Received The Same Salary.  He Was Brother

Or Brother-In-Law To A Bishop,  And Had Many Ancestors And Relatives

Of High Degree.  Philip Foolishly Showed Him A Few Nuggets Which He

Had Picked Up In Picaninny Gully,  And The Inspector Showed Philip The

Letter By Which He Had Obtained His Appointment And 900 Pounds A

Year.  It Was Only A Couple Of Lines Written And Signed By A Certain

Lord In London,  But It Was Equivalent To An Order For A Billet On The

Government Of Victoria.  Then The Inspector Said He Would Feel

Extremely Obliged To Philip If He Would Give Him One Of His Little

Nuggets That He Might Send It To My Lord As A Present,  And Philip At

Once Handed Over His Biggest Nugget.  Little Amenities Of This Kind

Make Life So Pleasant.  My Lord Would Be Pleased To Receive The

Nugget,  The Inspector Was Pleased To Send It,  And Philip Said "It

Cannot Be Bribery And Corruption,  But This Inspector Being A

Gentleman Will Be Friendly.  When He Mentions Me And My School In His

Report He Cannot Possibly Forget The Nugget."

 

Barney,  The Boozer,  One Day Visited The School.  He Opened The Door

And Stood On The Threshold.  His Eyes Seemed Close Together,  And

There Was A Long Red Scar On His Bare Neck,  Where He Had On A Former

Occasion Cut His Throat.  All The Scholars Were Afraid Of Barney,  And

The Girls Climbed Up On The Benches And Began To Scream.

 

Story 5 ( A Bush Hermit.) Pg 95

Philip Went Up To The Boozer And Said:

 

"Well,  My Friend,  What Do You Want Here?"

 

"The Devil Knows," Replied Barney.

 

"Very Likely,  But He Is Not Here,  He Has Gone Down The Road."

 

Then Taking Barney By The Arm He Turned Him Round And Guided Him To

The Road.  Barney Went About Twenty Yards Until He Came To A Pool Of

Water.  He Stepped On To The Fence And Sat On The Top Rail Gazing

Into The Pool.  At Last He Threw His Hat Into It,  Then His Boots,

Coat,  Shirt,  And Trousers.  When He Was Quite Naked,  He Stamped On

His Clothes Until They Were Thoroughly Soaked And Buried In Mud.

Barney Then Resumed His Search For The Devil,  Swinging His Arms To

And Fro In A Free And Defiant Manner.

 

The School Was Also Visited By A Bishop,  A Priest,  A Squatter,  And A

Judge.  The Dress And Demeanour Of The Judge Were Very Impressive At

So Great A Distance From Any Centre Of Civilization,  For He Wore A

Tall Beaver Hat,  A Suit Of Black Broadcloth,  And A White Necktie.

Philip Received Him With Reverence,  Thinking He Could Not Be Anything

Less Than A Lord Spiritual,  Such Is The Power Of Broadcloth And Fine

Linen.  Nosey,  The Shepherd,  Was Then Living At Nyalong,  Having

Murdered The Other Shepherd,  Baldy,  About Six Months Before,  And This

Judge Sent Nosey To The Gallows Seventeen Years Afterwards; But

Neither Nosey Nor The Judge Knew What Was To Happen After Seventeen

Years.  This Is The Story Of Nosey And Baldy.

 

 

Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 96

By The Men On The Run They Were Known As Nosey And Baldy,  But In A

Former Stage Of Their Existence,  In The Days Of The Emperor Augustus

Caesar,  They Were Known As Naso And Balbus.  They Were Then Rivals In

Love And Song,  And Accused Each Other Of Doing Things That Were Mean.

And Now,  After Undergoing For Their Sins Various Transmigrations Into

The Forms Of Inferior Animals,  During Two Thousand Years,  As Soon As

Shepherds Are Required In Australia Felix,  They Appear Once More

Following Their Flocks And Herds.  But They Are Entirely Forgetful Of

All Greek And Roman Civilization; Their Morals Have Not Improved,  And

Their Quarrels Are More Bitter Than Ever.  In The Old Times They

Tootled On The Tuneful Reed,  And Sang In Purest Latin The Sweetest

Ditties Ever Heard,  In Praise Of Galatea And Amyntas,  Delia And

Iolla.  But They Never Tootle Now,  And Never Sing,  And When They

Speak,  Their Tongue Is That Of The Unmusical Barbarians.  In Their

Pagan Days They Stained Their Rustic Altars With The Blood Of A Kid,

A Sacrifice To Jupiter,  And Poured Out Libations Of Generous Wine;

But They Offer Up Neither Prayer Nor Sacrifice Now,  And They Pour

Libations Of Gin Down Their Throats.

 

The Italian Rustic Is Yet