Page 52 - A Little Bush Maid

beast till evening. About the middle of the day this chap turned up and
asked for tucker.

"Mrs. Brown gave him bread and flour and tea and some cake--a real good

haul for any swaggie. Tt was too good for this fellow, for he immediately
turned up his proud nose and said he wanted meat. Mrs. Brown explained
that she hadn’t any to give him; but he evidently didn’t believe her, said it

was our darned meanness and, seeing no men about, got pretty insulting. At
last be tried to force his way past Mrs. Brown into the kitchen."

"Did he get in?" asked Wally.

"Nearly--not quite, though. Dad and Norah and T had been out riding, and
we came home, past the back yard, in the nick of time. We couldn’t hear

what the fellow was saying to Mrs. Brown, but his attitude was enough to
make us pull up, and as we did so we saw him try to shove her aside. She
was plucky enough and banged the door in his face, but he got his foot in

the crack, so that it couldn’t shut, and began to push it open.

"Dad slipped off his horse gently. He made a sign to us to keep quiet and
went across the yard, and we saw him shake the lash of his stockwhip
loose. You can just fancy how Norah and T were dancing with joy!

"Dad was just near the verandah when we saw the door give. Poor old

Brownie was getting the worst of it. We heard the fellow call out
something-- a threat--and Dad’s arm went up, and the stockwhip came down
like a flash across the man’s shoulder He gave one yell! You never heard

such an amazed and terrified roar in your life!" and Jim chuckled with joy
at the recollection.

"He turned on Dad and jumped at him, but he got another one with the
whip that made him pause, and then Dad caught him and shook him like a

rat. Mr. Swaggie was limp enough when it was over.

"’T’ve a very good mind to give you in charge!’ Dad said--he was simply
furious. Tt made a fellow feel pretty bad to see poor old Brownie’s white