The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-05

and strongest and least morbid specimen
Of mankind.
They are very unhappy songs. They
should be sung by undertakers or, con
sumptives. but they are not. They arr
favored Of q class Of men who have know
no illness and have no knowledge o
m~elancholia.
He came chanting his lugubrious BALLAD
Town the track, and when he rode near Il
where n waited by the horses he ceased
as he spurred his horse into the boggy
border Of the tank. Only when thai
emaciated sufferer had drunk a long Al
and was ioundering out OF the sticky mud
did the song end, Then came a greeting
been mournful and depressing.
Morning. Fine day. Coin fur? Coo.
namblel Som l."
There was nothing in the wording OF his
hail that was not OF the Bush, common
place, but in the manne OF IL were a mul
titude OF the indefinable things that give
a greeting value. He dismounted and
stood with the reins over his crooked left
elbow, while he critically inspected the
horses and cut himself a fill Of tobacco.
young manhood that are good to look upon,
Six feet two, long Of limb, clean built,
erect, strong backed, wide ohested-he
carried himself with the careless grace OF
one who does not know his own strength
and energy save as quite ordinary and
Steady gray eyes-laughing eyes-looked
out from a strong, square,, humorous,
clean ehaven face that was AIMED and
sunburnt to- a reddish brown, The wide
brimmed soft felt hat cast a black shadow
over its upper part.
A blue cotton shirt, open at the musou-
lar throat, and with sleeves rolled up over
bare forearms. half hid the fine lines of
his body. Dirty white molesRdn riding
breaches clothed his long legs. Wrinkled
encased his calves, n he was spurTed
prodigiously, 80 that he clanked as he
walked.
He squatted down on a heel after the
manner of the Bush and laughed up at me
as he fred in his questions. His pack
horse came jingling out OF the timber be-
hind and went to drink In the tank;
'You come far? Bourkel Well, that
amt in tn, mex paddock Roads pretty
dry rgv out .b.. that t1.osI Tay' Ny wOrd-d0n't I
Down til Darlin' T. Brewarina, then
acrost. Maria Creek dry
Thought 80; Maoquarie's all dryin' up.
FThese artesian bores are what stick
to a Teller in dry times. You Twin in
Coonamble2 No-nside. Ell? Inever been
inside-no, never seen Sydney side yet.
-GOin IN one OF LneSe Gays Wnen IN
rain comes. Amt this q hell Of a drought?
Why. there amt a sheep between here an
tn border.
Rabbits all gone, too Amt seen a
hundred between here In tn Queensland
side. Pretty bad when they can't find
"a hvin' IT'S L real old man drought, right
enough
He hardly waited for replies to his ques-
tions. All he asked and said was spoken
with such CHEEKY good humor that one was
glad to leave most Of the conversation to
him. We filed our water bags from the
dam Ut looked like cold weak tea, as il
poured from the pannihns into the canvas)
and mounted and rode eastward.
An through the long hot, dy ridden fore
noon hours we rode side by side, he beaming
cheerful appreciation OF oompanionship
which was Elum enough drinking in the
gladnees Of his chatter. When you have rid
den and oamped more than a week by your
self IL Is rather more than heavenly to listen
TO q human voice that wastes no time. His
wasted one.
'Yairs,' he would keep on, syairs, I amt
had what I'd call a soft time lately. Started
down from t'other side tn Paroo with tn last
Of ole Johnsou's iumbuoks, about 5000,
of shears.
Lost 1000 in the first loo miles. johnson
he sold III rest TO q Teller from WanaarinR
for thrvppencs G bead. They were dyinr.