Part 16 (1/2)

Well, what could we say? Tell her we'd never go away at all if we could help it--only she s, for mother's sake? When had she seen father last?

'Oh! he ay a good while once; that time you and Jim were at Mr

Falkland's back country You ood clothes and look so smartened up like He comes every now and then, just like he used We never knohat's become of hio He said he ht be here about Christmas; but he wasn't sure And so you saved Miss Falkland fro killed off her horse, Jiood boy, and what sort of a looking young lady is she?'

'All right,' said Jih; there's a lot in there yet; but I want to look at you and hear you talk just no's George Storefield?'

'Oh! he's just the sa fellow he alas,'

says she 'I don't knoe should do without him when you're away

He coot into Bargo pound, and he went and released them for us Then a storm blew off best part of the roof of the barn, and the bit of wheat would have been spoiled only for him He's the best friend we have'

'You'd better ood and all,' I said 'I suppose he's pretty well-to-do noith that new farht the other day'

'Oh! you saw that,' she said 'Yes; he bought out the cuh the land was so good

He's going to lay it all down in lucerne, he says'

'And then he'll so over, and live in it,' says Ji she couldn't do'

'I don't know,' she said 'Poor George, I wish I was fonder of him

There never was a better man, I believe; but I cannot leave ot up and went in

'That's the way of the world,' says Jiround she treads on, and she can't make herself care two straws about him Perhaps she will in time She'll have the best home and the best chap in the whole district if she does'

'There's a deal of ”if” in this world,' I said; 'and ”if” we're ”copped”

on account of that last job, I'd like to think she and ood weather and bad'

'We ht have done that, and not killed ourselves ork either,'

said Jim, rather sulkily for him; and he lit his pipe and walked off into the bush without saying another word

I thought, too, hoe ht have been ten ti-dong work, like George Storefield, having patience and seeing ourselves get better off--even a little--year by year What had he coh ere that fond of poorin the world for theiven our lives for them any day--yet we had left them--father, Jim, and I--to lead this miserable, lonesoood enough to tie their shoes, and obliged to a neighbour for help in every little distress

Jiht we'd chance a few days at home, no matter what risk we ran; but still we knew that if warrants were out the old home would be atched, and that it was the first place the police would come to

So we o away every night to an old deserted shepherd's hut, a couple of ully, that we used to play in ere boys It had been strongly built at first; ties to speak of, so that it was a good shelter The weather was that hot, too, it was just as pleasant sleeping under a tree as anywhere else So we didn't show at home more than one at a time, and took care to be ready for a bolt at any tiht show the clear all round now, and it was hard for any one on horseback to get near it without warning; and if we could once reach the gully we knee could run faster than any ht, latish, just as alking off to our hut there was a scratching at the door; e opened it there was old Crib! He ran up to both of us and ss for a minute to satisfy hiht he ought to do the civil thing, wagged his stump of a tail, and laid hi way We could see that, and that he was footsore too We knew that father wasn't so very far off, and would soon be in If there'd been anybody strange there Crib would have run back fast enough; then father'd have dropped there was so as right and asn't He could tell every sort of a man a mile off, I believe He knew the very walk of the police troopers' horses, and would growl, father said, if he heard their hoofs rattle on the stones of the road

About a quarter of an hour after father walks in, quiet as usual