The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-07-08
THE BREAKING OF THE DROUGHT.

we want DIT OF ram, sure enough. -
said the old droyer, as he sat on a gate
overlooking lot of sheep that were pas
tured in the fields beyond, resting on
their way to Colnbrook Fair. A thin and
why man is the drover, weathered and
Eunburnt, with the eye ola warrior under
his old pith helmet. He carries bed and
baggage IN the shape of an old waterproof
slung round mis- shoulders; and. from a
short clay in his mouth he emits every
now and then, thoughtfnlly, puff of
smoke-smoke which hangs about him
IKE a mist for want OF a breath Of air to
carry 1t away. Dry is the narrow drove
way; dry as dust the fields, where the
sheep as they move about raise the dust
in little clouds.
But there's no rain coming just yet"
continued the drover, scanning the gray,
not sky, land sheep won't fetch much at
the lar tomorrow, Pm thinking. But
what s hundred or so Of sheep''-con-
temptously waving his hand towards
the fock-"when you come to think of
the thousands Ive druv? And what sort
OF drought do you call this? Why, rve
broke worse drought than this in my
time"
You broke drought, master?" said a
Sussex locker slowly, opening his eyes
very wide.
That did l." repeated the drover
firmly,
And the story of his breaking the
drought shall be told as nearly as possible
IN the droVer's own words, emitting the
CALCULATIONS and comments that were
drawn from his audience.
In the year OF the CURT drought | was
stockman and drover along with John
VINE OF Cudworth, as proper a young
gentleman as ever was seen. But | was
Sussex bred, being herd boy to Farmer
Grey, and might have stopped there all
my life and have been no better than a
locker at the end oft only for my young
mistress, Miss DulCie Grey, being fallen
IN love with and welded by MIR. Vine.
Sne was proper, sweet young lady was
Miss Dulcle, and like a young chap [
Worshlped the very ground she trod on,
ana there was nothing l wouldn't have
gone through for her. And proud | was
when she made her John, as she called
MN, take ne on, as Ive told you, as
slockman, with thirteen shillings a week
standing money and half-a-crown a night
when driving northways of London, and
snullng more Tor our own country.
such as Sussex and Hamsheer-a differ
ehce could see no reason in then, and
never could since to this day. But it was
luck Tor me as | thought at the time, and
very well pleased my master, so that
after bit 1t was not only driving l did,
put buying and selling too. And many
hundred pound l brought him home,
and might have been Knocked on the
mead Tor 1t II anybody had expected me
OF having so.much about me. And there
wasn't handsolner couple in the coun-
try than my master and mistress; and
happy! l should Just think they We're as
happy as the day is long. When it WASH t,
huntlng-and she'd a beautiful figure on
horseback had Miss Dulcie-and dinner
parties and card-parties, why, it was
steeplechasing, and racing, and all the
diversions you can think of And that
was how it went on for wear or more
and then little lass came along and Miss
DuIcie, as | shall always call her, didn't
get her health quite strong again, ana it
was Mr.. J Ohm as had TO 60 out by him
sell and enjoy himself, as he didn't forget
to do.
zone of Mr.. Johns great friends at the
time was Mr.. Sandon of Bulpits, who
was the Dukes agent and the man that
was most considered about there, and
quite contrast to Mr.. John, for he was
small and wizened, with a club foot, 50
that he always seemed to me ridiculous
sort Of figure to be stumping about and
making eyes at all the pretty girls he met
But be was terrible BAD 'un, surely, and
yet with such pleasant tongue in his
head that he might have talked the stone
ugureS of the monuments If he had set
his heart on them. But he couldD't talk
over Miss Dulcie, that | know. Clever as
he was, he didn't see that she was making
sport with him. And one day, when |
expect he made his plan little bit too
plain, the mistress gave him such dress
ing that he went of looking like the very
tiend himself, and cussing and blasphem-
ing in way that was awful To hear. And
when the master came home, which was
good many days atterward, there was a
nice TODD between him and Sandon, and
words were said between them that
neither could ever forgive
But from that time it was noticed that
things began to go wrong with John
Vine. First there was the lung disease
with the cattle, that lost him some
beautiful stock worth thousands Of
pounds, you may say. And then there
was his betting, that he had won money
by when he didn't want it; but when
things turned against him that turned
too. 1t was just as it Squire Sandon had
cast a spell against Cudworth, and where
there had been plenty and happiness
there was now nothing but trouble and
quarrels. And then there come the
drought. Pm not for saying that Squire
Sandon was at the bottom OF that; but it
looked as if he knew something about it,
for he had sold all his stock in the
autumn and given up his upland grazing,
that Mr.. John had snapped up eagerly
enough. All! he had a sight of pasture
had Mr.. John, and for hocks there was
none to match him in these parts; and as
long as the sheep were all right there was
nothing much amiss with John Vine
And then, as l said, there come the
drought.
We hadn't had drop OF rain from be-
fore Christmas, and now twas May. The
dust was as thick on the fields as it was
on the roads, and the downs and the
pastures were just a sickiy kind OF vel
low, without blade OF green grass to be
seen anywhere. And the leaves We're
dropping OFT the trees, and the big trees
in the woods were turning yellow and
dying of, and the big ponds were baked
mud, and the brooks all dried up, and
even the deepest wells were running dry.
And the sheep were dying all round: you
might have known where they lay by the
swarms OF flies about and the crows
tapped rOund-the only creatures that
looked fat and comfortable.
As If there wasn't misfortune enough
at Cudworth, one day as master was rid
ing over the downs his horse slipped on
the turf-that was like glass. that hard
and SHpDery-and down came the horse
and master underneath. We fetched him
home, and there he lay like a log for
weeks and weeks, without a morseI of
sense III his NOODLE. But then it was that
Miss Dulcie showed her mettle She was
but tiinsy in health, but there she was at
the head OF everything, riding round the
farms with an eye to all that was doing,
and keeping us all hearty and cheerful
with the very sound of her voice But
what could she do-just bit of girl.
with her one little babe, against the ruin
that was coming with the drought? We
kept the stock alive with roots and old
hay; but IS was like feeding 'em with
gold, for hay was eight pounds ton and