Page 122 - A Little Bush Maid

"T did abominate that woman," said Norah reflectively.

"T don’t wonder," replied Jim. "You certainly were a downtrodden little
nipper as ever was. D’you remember the time we went canoeing in the

flood on your old p’rambulator?"

"Not likely to forget it."

"What was it?" Wally asked. "Tell us, Jim."

"Norah had a pram--like most kids," Jim began.

"Well, T like that," said Norah, in great indignation. "Tt was yours first!"

"Never said it wasn’t," said Jim somewhat abashed by the laughter that
ensued. "But that was ages ago. Tt was yours at this time, anyhow. But only
the lower storey was left--just the floor of the pram on three wheels. Norah

used to sit on this thing and push herself along with two sticks, like rowing
on dry land."

"Tt was no end of fun," said Norah. "You could go!"

"You could," grinned Jim. "T’ll never forget the day T saw you start from the
top of the hill near the house. The pram got a rate on of a mile a minute,

and the sticks weren’t needed. About half-way down it struck a root, and
turned three double somersaults in the air. T don’t know how many Norah
turned--but when Dad and T got to the spot she was sitting on a thick mat of

grass, laughing like one o’clock, and the pram was about half a mile away
on the flat with its wheels in the air! We quite reckoned you were killed."

"Yes, and Dad made me promise not to go down that hill again," said
Norah ruefully. "Tt was a horrid nuisance!"

"Well, there was a flood," said Jim. "Not very much of a one. We’d had a

good bit of rain, and the water-hole in the home paddock overflowed and
covered all the flat about two feet deep. At first it was a bit too deep for