Part 30 (1/2)

'What do you say, Maddie? We'll be able to lish here in swar and his troopers more than ever'

'Oh! come, now! that would be mean,' says Maddie 'I wouldn't be drove away from my own part of the country, if I was awas here the other day, and tried to pick out so from father and us about the lot of you'

'Ha!' says Starlight, his face growing dark, and different-looking about the eyes from what I'd ever seen him, 'did he? He'd better beware He may follow up my trail once too often And what did you tell hiirl; 'but I aet much out of us, nor wouldn't if he was to coirls are sh There's no e out of you I' the cat out of the bag; he's such an old duffer to blow'

'He was nearly telling the sergeant he'd seen a better horse lately here than his fah, only Bella trod on his toe, and told hi would have dropped it was Rainbow, or so lately'

'You're a regular pearl of discretion, ht, 'and it's a pity, like some other folks, you haven't a better field for the exercise of your talents However, that's very often the way in this world, as you'll perhaps find out when you're old and ugly, and the knowledge can't do you any good Tell us all you heard about the coach accident'

'My word! it was the greatest lark out,' says Maddie She'd twice the fun in her the other had, and was that good-te seemed to put her out 'Everybody as co else to talk about Those that was going to the diggings, too, took itaway'

'Hoas that?'

'Well, the chaps that coold They showed us soets, I can tell you They see stuck up and robbed of it, and they'd heard yarns oftied to trees in the bush and left there to die'

'Tell theht and Coers; ours is a wholesale business--eh, dick? We leave the retail robbery to meaner villains'

We had the horses that quiet by this time that we could drive them the rest of the way to the Turon by ourselves We didn't want to be too big a ht coet spread about So after supper Warrigal was sent back; we didn't want his help any ht draw attention The ere to take in the horses, and sell them, was all put up

Jies to the Turon Barnes was to put us on a track he knew that would take us in all right, and yet keep away froht was to stay another day at Barnes's, keeping very quiet, and entleman from Port Phillip that wasn't very well

He'd coer, and never set eyes on us before

'My word!' said Barnes, who just cah for all the countryside with that mail coach racket of yours

Every man, woman, and child that looks in here's sure to say, ”Did you hear about the Goulburn ,” I says, and out it all coht; where they're gone to that the police can't get 'e lady as to give her neatch back, and whether Captain Starlight was as handsoet her watch back with the big reward the Government offered More than that, whether they'll stick up more coaches or fly the country'

'I'd like to have been there and see how Bill Webster looked,' says Maddie 'He was here one day since, and kept gassin' about it all as if he wouldn't let none of you do only what he liked I didn't think he was that game, and told him so He said I'd better take a seat some day and see how I liked it I asked hiht was genteel-lookin', but there was one great, big, rough-lookin' feller--that was you, Jih to turn a cask of beer sour'

'I'll give hirumbles old Jim 'My word, he was that shaky and blue-lookin' he didn't knohether I hite or black'

We had a great spree that night in a quiet way, and got all the fun as was to be had under the circuood hich Starlight shouted for all round The old woirls sit down to and soh before the evening was out Bella Barnes played the pianofirst-rate, and all of theht showing Maddie what he called aon the sofa as grave as owls

Anyhoe all enjoyed ourselves It was a grand change after being so long alone The girls rohed and pretended to be offended every now and then, but we had a regular good lark of it, and didn't feel any the worse at daylight next

Jiot on the road that Jonathan showed us we got on well enough We were dressed just like co cattle and horses to the diggings It ell known that high prices were going there and that everybody paid in cash No credit was given, of course

We had on blue serge shi+rts, aiters that came up to the knee, with ponchos strapped on in front; inside them was a spare shi+rt or te had oldish felt hats, as if we'd co and worn; the horses were the only things that were a little too good, andthe police to suspect us We had to think of a yarn about theed six-foot natives with our beards and hair pretty wild--neither better nor worse

As soon as Starlight caular swell, and gaoldfields He could do that part wonderfully well We would have backed hioldfields police, if Sergeant Goring wasn't about