Page 125 - A Little Bush Maid

"Well, after consultation we got up near the house, planting the pram in
some trees. We dodged through the shrubbery until we reached that old

summer-house, and there T left Norah and scooted over to the stables, and
borrowed an overcoat belonging to a boy we had working and a pair of his

boots. Dad was away, or T might have gone straight to him. T put on the
borrowed things over my wet togs (and very nice T looked!) and trotted off
to the side of the house. No one seemed about, so T slipped into my room

through the window and then into Norah’s, and got a bundle of clothes, and
back T scooted to the summer-house, left Norah’s things there, and found a

dressing-room for myself among some shrubs close by.

"Well, do you know, that old cat, Mrs. Lister, had seen us all the time?

She’d actually spotted us coming up the paddock, dripping, and had
deliberately planted herself to see what we’d do. She knew all about my

expedition after clothes; then she followed us to the shrubbery, and
descended upon us like an avalanche, just as we got half-dressed!"

"’May T ask what you naughty little children are doing?’ she said.

"Well, you know, that put my back up a bit--’cause T was nearly twelve, and
Dad didn’t make a little kid of me. However, T tried to keep civil, and tell
her what had happened; but she told me to hold my tongue. She grabbed

Norah by the shoulder, and called her all the names under the sun, and
shook her. Then she said, ’You’ll come to bed at once, miss!’ and caught

hold of her wrist to drag her in.

"Now Norah had sprained her wrist not long before, and she had to be a bit

careful of it. We all knew that. She didn’t cry out when Mrs. Lister jerked
her wrist, but T saw her turn white, and knew it was the bad one."

"So he chucked himself on top of old Mrs. Lister, and pounded her as hard
as he could," put in Norah, "and she was so astonished she let me go. She

turned her attention to Jim then, and gave him a terrible whack over the
head that sent him flying. And just then we heard a voice that was so angry

we hardly recognised it for Dad’s, saying--