The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-02
PART I.

Halo, Jack. Look live there. The
manager wants ye"
Bother the manager" was the
prompt reply, given in no very amlable
tone. 1 was Jack. Tom, our new store
keeper, owned the stentorian voice
which had just summoned me; and the
fact that was at the moment seated
in our hut, trying to drink a pannikin
of rather hot tea for breakfast, eX-
plains the tone of my reply.
Station managers, however, are nee
essary evils in Australia, and as long
as you are on a station 1t is quite as
well to keep in with them as not, so
finished my tea and walked across to
the store, some fifty yards away.
THAT you, Jack?" The voice came
from the end of the sation storehouse
that was divided off for an office, and it
was that of Macallister, the manager.
Yes, sir; did you want me?"
"Yes. Come here youngster." I
opened the door and found the manager
standing beside the open safe with
small leather bag in his hand.
Look here, Jack" he said, this has
got to go to Maroona to-day, and since
Bob has gone and twisted his blasted
ankle, you're the only hand I've got
that 1 can trust to take 1t, so you'll
have to go. You've been to Maroona,
haven't you?"
Yes, sir. know the road all right
enough, but / don't think l could get
there in one day"
No. But you can get to 'Hutchen's'
tonight, and you'll be there before two
o'clock tomorrow. daresay the hands
will have done shearing by that time,
and they'll be wanting to move on"
IT'S money, is it" 1 said, looking a
little doubtfully at the bag.
Money? 1 should rather say it was
twelve hundred and fifty pounds in
notes and gold, and twenty in silver,
that's all, so you'll have to look out you
don't lose IT,"
/ looked at 1t doubtfully. Hadn't
I better take revolver?" l asketd.
The manager laughed. "a revolver"
he repeated, bless your heart, young
ster, that sort of things played out
years ago. Do you fancy you're back
in the old bushranging times? No.
Take a good horse-hitch this on to
your belt underneath your coat, and
I'll warrant you safe enough from all
the bushrangers you'll meet between
here and Maroona."
''All right SIR" 1 said, unfastening
loop on the bag, which was sealed up.
Let me see." he said, what horse
are you riding now?"
"Firefly, this last fortnight, but his
off foot's bit tender"
'All right, then, take Cossack: he's
doing nothing, and If he's a bit lively,
all the better-ninety-five miles'I take
that out of him. Now, youngster," he
added, you be off, and mind yourself.
I'll look for you back on Saturday"
AS I stepped out of the Office 1 felt
just little proud. Only eight months
on the station, and trusted with a job
like this. There was nothing, of course,
in riding to Maroona; anybody but q
rerV new hand could do that; but there
was a good deal in being trusted with
nearly thirteen hundred pounds for the
shearers' wages. Cossack was in the
stable, and in five minutes 1 had sad
died him and started across country at
a smart canter. 1t was early spring
the only season when Australia is to
be seen at her best. The rains had been
plentiful, and now the weather had set
in warm. The country, as far as the
eye could reach, was green-the strange
metallic bronze green of the native
grassland it stretched before me to
the far horizon line in long, softly-tint-
ed billows, sleeping under the haze OF
the golden sunshine. l kept the track
for on both sides the grass rose tall
and rank, as high as my horses girth
its heavy dropping masses lighted here
and there at the edges by bright
splashes of color where gorgeous wild
flowers peeped through the tangIe and
sWayed gently in the morning breeze.
The air was full of the life of the
spring. Myriads OF Insects filed the
atmosphere with their musical hum OF
whirred past me in their headlons
flight. Even the dim recesses of the
forest, through patch of which hat
to pass, were cheerful for once with the
chatter of parrots and the loud ex
ultant screams of golden crested cock
atoos. Cossack had been lively enough
at first as the manager had expected
but when he saw that real bushes
was meant he settled down to the long
stretching canter with which the Aus
tralian horse will cover seven miles al
hour through the broiling heat of
long summers day.
Hour after hour he kept II up witt
the steady endurance of his race. Tn
ride was lonely one, but eight month
of station life had made solitude seer
To me like second nature. / coudn'
miss my way, for 1 was steering for a.
outlying spur Of the Australian Alp
which now rose rugged and gray befor
me. / knew had to round the end @
the spur just where the CHINA gull
creek comes out into the open. and
should be within about twenty miles G
Hutchens' accommodation house on tn
dividing range, where l was to put u
for the night. On, and on--oVer tn