Page 138 - A Little Bush Maid

"Well, there was two ol’ men livin’ together in a little hut a mile or so from
the Winfield township. Prospectors, they said they were--an’ there was an

idea that they’d done pretty well at the game, an’ had a bit of gold hidden
somewhere about their camp. They kept very much to themselves, an’ never

mixed with anyone--when one o’ them came into the township for stores
he’d get his business done an’ clear out as quick as possible.

"Well, about a month ago two fellows called Bowen was riding along a
bush track between Winfield an’ their camp when they came across one o’

the ol’ mates peggin’ along the track for all he was worth. They was
surprised to see that he was carryin’ a big swag, an’ was apparently on a
move.

"’Hullo, Harris!’ they says--’leavin’ the district?’ He was a civil spoken ol’

chap as a rule, so they was rather surprised when he on’y give a sort o’
grunt, an’ hurried on.

"They was after cattle, and pretty late the same day they found themselves
near the hut where the two ol’ chaps lived, an’ as they was hungry an’

thirsty, they reckoned they’d call in an’ see if they could get a feed. So they
rode up and tied their horses to a tree and walked up to the hut. No one
answered their knock, so they opened the door, an’ walked in. There, lyin’

on his bunk, was ol’ Waters. They spoke to him, but he didn’t answer. You
see, missy, he couldn’t, bein’ dead."

"Dead!" said Norah, her eyes dilating.

Blake nodded.

"Stone dead," he said. "They thought at first he’d just died natural, as there
was no mark o’ violence on ’im, but when they got a doctor to examine ’im
he soon found out very different. The poor ol’ feller ’ad been poisoned,

missy; the doctor said ’e must a’ bin dead twelve hours when the Bowens
found ’im. Everything of value was gone from the hut along with his mate,

old Harris--the black-hearted villain he must be!"