Page 115 - A Little Bush Maid

THE LAST DAY

"Now then, Harry, are you ready?"

"Coming," said Harry’s cheerful voice. He appeared on the verandah,

endeavouring to cram a gigantic apple into his pocket.

"Norah’s," he said, in response to Jim’s lifted eyebrows. "Don’t know if she

means to eat it in sections or not--it certainly doesn’t mean to go into my
pocket as it is." He desisted from his efforts. "Try it in the crown of your

hat, old man."

"Thanks--my hat’s got all it knows to hold my brains," retorted Jim. "You

can’t take that thing. Here, Norah," as that damsel appeared on the step,
"how do you imagine Harry’s going to cart this apple?"

"Quite simple," said Norah airily. "Cut it in four, and we’ll each take a bit."

"That’s the judgment of Solomon," said Wally, who was lying full length
on the lawn--recovering, as Jim unkindly suggested, from dinner.

"Well, come along," Jim said impatiently--"you’re an awfully hard crowd to
get started. We want to reach the falls in fair time, to see the sunlight on

them--it’s awfully pretty. After about three or four o’clock the trees shade
the water, and it’s quite ordinary."

"Just plain, wet water," murmured Wally. Jim rolled him over and over
down the sloping lawn, and then fled, pursued by Wally with dishevelled

attire and much grass in his mouth. The others followed more steadily, and
all four struck across the paddock to the creek.

Tt was a rather hot afternoon, and they were glad to reach the shade of the
bank and to follow the cattle track that led close to the water. Great fat

bullocks lay about under the huge gum trees, scarcely raising their eyes to