Page 33 - A Little Bush Maid

"Pooh!--that won’t take me any time. Mrs. Brown’s up, Jim, and she says
breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."

"Good old Brownie!" Jim ejaculated. "Can’t beat her, can you? D’you know

if she’s got the swag packed?"

"Everything’s packed, and she’s given it all to Billy, and it’s on old Polly by

now." Polly was the packhorse. "Such a jolly, big bundle--and everything
covered over with cabbage leaves to keep it cool."

"Hooroo for Casey! Well, scurry and get dressed, old girl. T bet you keep us
waiting at the last."

"T’m sure T won’t," was the indignant answer, as Norah ran off through the

hail. "Think of how much longer you take over your breakfast!"

Ten minutes later breakfast smoked on the wide kitchen table, Mrs. Brown,

like a presiding goddess, flourishing a big spoon by a frying-pan that sent
up a savoury odour.

"T’m sure T hope you’ll all kindly excuse having it in here," she said in
pained tones. "No use to think of those lazy hussies of girls having the

breakfast-room ready at this hour. So T thought as how you wouldn’t mind."

"Mind!--not much, Mrs. Brown," Jim laughed. "You’re too good to us
altogether. Eggs and bacon! Well, you are a brick! Cold tucker would have
done splendidly for us."

"Cold, indeed!--not if T know it--and you precious lambs off for such a ride,

and going to be hot weather and all," said the breathless Mrs. Brown
indignantly. "Now, you just eat a good breakfast, Miss Norah, my love. T’ve
doughnuts here, nearly done, nice and puffy and brown, just as you like

them, so hurry up and don’t let your bacon get cold."

There was not, indeed, much chance for the bacon, which disappeared in a
manner truly alarming, while its fate was speedily shared by the huge pile