The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-11-20


Crawling with heavily-ledened bull
lock wagons across plains and never
ending scrubs would not appear to be
an existence possessed of many
charms, and yet | believe there is no
case on record of man or woman
who, having once served his or her ap-
premiership to the trade, has ever re.
turned to a civilized life again.
In the Queenland Bush carrying
trade, you must understand, there are
three main arteries, the townships of
Hughenden, Longreach and Charlie
vile, and from each of these places
there flows continually stream of
enormous table-topped wagons, bound
for stations in the Great West, all
more or less remote from what is
generally supposed to make life worth
living.
The existence of the carrier is rough
to terrible degree, and must in no
way be confounded with that of the
respectable, jog-trot class who ply
their trade in English rural districts.
Small wonder that the women grow to
be hard and rough, consorting, as they
do, with none but the sternest of the
opposite sex, and daily doing work
that would test the patience and en-
durance of the strongest man. These
are some OF the folk who in reality do
the building up of our colonies, al
though the credit goes to another
noisier, uglier and far less useful class.
But to get back to my story.
As 1 have said at the beginning, she
was tall, angular and peculiarly plain,
and, in spite of the glaring incongruity
of it, it must be recorded that her
baptismal name was Daphne. Her
husband was a carrier on the Hid
geree- Kalaba track, and she was at
once the brain and the mainstay OF his
business.
My first acquaintance with them
occurred on the edge of Boree scrub,
a dismal place, and more than hun.
dred miles removed from either OF the
above townships. They were camped
beside big water hole, and on dis
mounting from my horse was intro
duced by the carrier, with becoming
ceremony, to his wife. Great iwere
the proofs of friendship they showed
to me, and long will I cherish the
memory of that rough but hearty hos
pitality. Next morning l went my
way, they theirs, and it was not for
nearly year that we met again.
When next heard.o them, Daphne
was in the township hospital, recover
ing from serious accident occasioned
by fall from the wagon; and her
husband, an enormously built man,
with a rough manner, which, by those
unskilled in such matters, might easily
have been mistaken for insolence, had
that very day returned with loading
from the west BY inquiring after his
wife, whose illness L was aware of, l
touched the right string; for his eyes
lit up, his voice softened and he an
swered my questions with surprising
meekness.
"She was getting on WELL" he said,
"but all the same, it was terrible slow
work.
Now, it must be known here that
although the Kalaba Hospital occupies
the best position in the township, even
then it is, II anything, little less
cheerful than an undeItaker's show
room. Great gray plains surround it
on three sides the township, with it's
ugly whitewashed roofs, stares at it
from the fourth; aud it would be im-
possible to say which view would be
likely to have the most depressing
effect upon an invalid. am told that
Kalaba was only designed as a,depot
for the Great West, and 1 console my
self with the reflection that in the
very near future the Overland Railway
will obviate that necessity, and then
it will be scattered to the four winds
OF heaven. At present it is the Deca-
loguo turned backward.
When my business was finished /
rode up TO the hospital and left some
newspapers. Daphne being the only
patient, l found her occupying the
best bed in the only ward. Her wiry
black hair struggled in rank confusion
about the pillow, while her complex
ion harmonized, as we'll as we'll
tanned skin would permit, with the
dingy whitenezs OF the couQterolue.