An Outback Marriage

After breakfast next morning Mary decided to spend the day in the

company of the children, who were having holidays.

"Just as well for you to learn the house firsts" said Hugh, "before

you tackle the property. The youngsters know where everything

is--within four miles, anyhow."

Two little girls were impressed, and were told to take Miss Grant

round and show her the way about the place; and they set off together

in the bright morning sunlight, on a trip of exploration.

Now, no true Australian, young or old, ever takes any trouble or

undergoes any exertion or goes anywhere without an object in view.

So the children considered it the height of stupidity to walk simply

for the sake of walking, and kept asking where they were to walk

to.

"What shall we see if we go along this road?" asked Miss Grant,

pointing with her dainty parasol along the wheel-track that meandered

across the open flat and lost itself in the timber.

"Nothing," said both children together.

"Then, what is there up that way?" she asked, waving her hand up

towards the foothills and the blue mountains. "There must be some

pretty flowers to look at up there?"

"No, there isn't," said the children.

"Well, let us go into the woods and see if we can't find something,"

she said determinedly; and with her reluctant guides she set off,

trudging across the open forest through an interminable vista of

gum trees.

After a while one of the girls said, "Hello, there's Poss!"

Miss Grant looked up, and saw through the trees a large and very

frightened bay horse, with a white face. On further inspection, a

youth of about eighteen or twenty was noticed on the horse's back,

but he seemed so much a part of the animal that one might easily

overlook him at a first glance. The horse had stopped at the sight

of them, and was visibly affected with terror.

They advanced slowly, and the animal began snorting and sidling

away among the timber, its rider meanwhile urging it forward. Then

Emily cried, "Hello, Poss!" and the horse gave a snort, wheeled round, jumped

a huge fallen tree, and fled through the timber like a wild thing,

with its rider still apparently glued to its back. In half a second

they were out of sight.

"Who is it? and why does he go away?" asked Miss Grant.

"That's Poss," said Emily carelessly. "He and Binjie live over at

Dunderalligo. He often comes here. They and their father live over

there That's a colt he's breaking in. He's very nice. So is Binjie."

"Well, here he comes again," said Miss Grant, as the horseman

reappeared, riding slowly round them in ever-lessening circles;

the colt meanwhile eyeing them with every aspect of intense dislike

and hatred, and snorting between whiles like a locomotive.