Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-10-12
CHAPTER VII
THE FoREsHADowING OF MoMENTol


EVENTS
I The first thing the squatter did on
arriving at the station was to write
some letters and send them to Burke
town, some 325 miles distant, with q
trustworthy messenger, who was to re-
turn again with any mail that had been
sent after our party. 1t was too uncer-
tain work to wait until the boat came
round to the Macarthur river with sup
plies and general stores from Norman
ton. And now Gibson, the drover, had
handed over the cattle and taken his
departure, three of his men going with
him. They, like all the rest of nomadic
Australians at the time, intended to
have a look at the new goldfields IN
Western Australia. Chilcot with two
or three others remained to look after
the cattle. Contrary to our hopes. how
ever, DAILY did not go. He had seen the
fresh fair face of Elsie Gordon and had
made mp his mind to stay. Elsie, who
was rather a simple minded, good ma
tured girl, received the overtures of this
scamp at first with n GOODNESS which
only served to heighten his regard for
! her, and made him go more warily to
work His manner when he came in
contact with her was respectful and
propriety itself. Altogether his be-
havior ana general bearing seemed al
tered for the better. At last she began
TO tolerate his worthless presence, and,
it was plainly evident, to see in him
what no others could see-attributes
which lie did not possess, even betray-
ing certain amount OF qualification
when in his company.
That's q cold bloodcd villain, take
my word for it, - said Jack to me one
day, land some harm viii come of his
being here yet. He's q schooner, ana
how any girl can like that crocodfle's
smile Of his gets over me. wonder how
poor Savile takes it. | thought be would
cut up rough seeing we all supposed
him 70 be rather sweet upon Elsie. But
either he doesn't care or he's a much
deeper man than we take him for, de
spite his faith il Sa nson and weakness
FOR paper snakes.
81 never did think SaYile was fool.
/ replied. However. ! believe y ith
you that Savile worth Il doom such
chaps rs Daily It's pity Elsie >Goczn't
seem 10 see it, though At first il Gp-
peared 10 me She humored Savilc and
his foibles, but now she laughs at him
openly. l suppose time will show which
is to prove the better man Of the two.
+ Perhaps the few weeks that followed
wele among some Of the happiest ones
we .ipent, for we were busy from morn
ing till sundown We put up large
stockyard with a ''V, branding, a
killing yard and also some cGthouses.
Jack staid with the cattle; Chilcot
and l assisted the squatter and some Of
the others to put up a rough but COM
Portable house, somewhat apart from
the other buildings and overlooking the
lagoon Chilcot was native born Aus
tralian and, as l have said before, a
quiet, gentlemanly, smart fellow and,
like all Australians, a born horseman.
When evening came and the cattle had
been yarded-for we still kept them
well in hand-we generally found cur
way over to the squatter's house, for
Mackenzie was fond of quiet rubber
at whist, and, as he had known Chill
cots people down south, he was glad
to have it in his power to show him
some attention. As for Jack and my
self, he insisted, with that genuine
whole heartedness of his, that we should
always join the party; a privilege Of
which in our uneventful existence /
was only too glad to avail myself.
And it had come to this after ALL
that |, who had been in my old coun-
try palmy days a man about town and
versed in the ways of the world, had
gone careiessly on with false sense of
security and allowed my interest to be
awakened for this beautiful and uncom
mon type of womanhood, until it had
deepened into admiration, then that
which made me her veriest slave That
I, penniless rolling stone, with only
my birth and education to recommend
me, should think of aspiring to the
hand Of Mackenzie of Tarragong's
daughter, who would yet be a great
heiress, was too presumptuous con-
tingency to be entertained
And now, beginning to get my eyes
opened to the true state Of affairs, i
was not little alarmed at the probable
ending of my day dreams, foreseeing
NDlioAttl dblC llOublc III MY StIl III lilt
future unless l could reason myself in
to more sensible state of mind
would endeavor to see her in another
light, would note her crudities of man
ner and, if possible detect in her want
of conventionalism and impetuosity
only the tickleness of a shallow mind
To run away would be to confess my
weakness; surely it were possible to
cure myself Of this folly. But like many
more 1 reckoned without my host. As
for the author of all this mischief, her
manner toward me had never changed.
Perhaps she was now a little less i'm
pulsive and little more womanly, but
she was still the strange and unconven
tional creature l had seen kill n snake
with a stock whip and flick poor Yarry
with it when lie had interfered with
Ter chances of so doing.
Still many were the pleasant even
ings we spent together. AS for DAILY,
with his handsome, cold blooded and
supercilious face, all this probably suit
ed his purpose, for he became positive
ly civil TO Jack and me, seeing it was
the maid and not the mistress that had
captivated his fancy. He seemed con
tent to overlook the fact that we were |
welcome guests where he knew he |
might not enter, but still | knew that |
with his naturally ambitious views and |
aspirations it gave him sane little |
thought now and again. | knew that |
though he had taken a violent fancy TO |
the fair, blue eyed, comely Elsie Cor
don the position she occupied as "A de |
pendent was not quite to his liking. 1t |
was perhaps this that always took him |
over toward the squatter's $ house when |
there were but few present to see him. |
He seldom by any chance went boldly |
up in the light of day as any honest |
suitOr would have done. 1t was strange |
to see the struggle between false pride |
and natural sentiment in this scamp. |
As for Elsie, ! could see that her eyes |
were blind to Days real self But it !
was Savile who came in for the natural |
overflow of Daly's mean nature, for he |
no sooner found out the cooks weak |
ness for the person he had honored with |
his addresses than he seized every OPP |
portunity of turning his harmless fads |
into open ridicule | never met with a |
man who could keep his temper under |
such peculiarly trying circumstances as !
well as Savile. only at times ne would !
flush slightly under some particularly !
pointed remark of Daly's and look at