Five Little Bush Girls

This Book was Printed in Australia by BRUCE & Co., 434 Bourke St., and the Blocks were made by Patterson, Shugg & Co., 21 Burns Lane, Melbourne.

CONTENTS.

Chapter. Page. I. THE CONSULTATION 7 II. "GILLGONG" 20 III. THE LETTER 29 IV. "TEDDO" 36 V. THE REPLY 42 VI. A SURPRISE 51 VII. FRANK 61 VIII. THE STORM 67 IX. ANTICIPATION 71 X. MOSMAN 77 XI. HOME AGAIN 88 XII. WILLIE 95 XIII. A SYNDICATE 102 XIV. LESSONS 110 XV. EILEEN'S RETURN 118 XVI. CONVERSATIONS 126 XVII. THE GOVERNESS 133 XVIII. THE SUBSCRIPTION 141 XIX. POETS 154 XX. GOOD-BYE TO "TEDDO" 162 XXI. INTERCESSION 169 XXII. A HERO 175 XXIII. LETTERS 180 XXIV. A NEW ARRIVAL 186 XXV. NEW PEOPLE 193 XXVI. SOME MERRY MEETINGS 202 XXVII. THE INVITATION 209 XXVIII. THE PARTY 219 XXIX. A WEEK ON THE RIVER 225 CONCLUSION 234

CHAPTER I. THE CONSULTATION.

"I'm just about sick of it all," said Eileen.

"So am I," murmured Mollie, almost under her breath.

"Me, too," said Eva.

"An' me, too," agreed Doris. "I'm weal sick of it."

"Me tick, too," cried Baby, looking round at the disconsolate faces, and, putting two fat hands to her eyes, she cried lustily.

"Stop that, Baby," cried Eileen, severely. "Stop at once."

But Baby only cried the louder.

"Wait a bit, Baby. Here's a nice piece of bread and jam," said Mollie, and the cries ceased instantly.

"I'm goin' to ask Mum to let's all have bread and jam for tea," said Doris. "I'm sick o' old drippin'--weal sick!"

"So am I," agreed Eileen. "Other people can have butter and jam together, while we're scraping along with old dripping. I'm just sick of everything."

"So am I."

"And so am I."

"And so am I."

"And so am I."

And then five very disconsolate little girls swung five pairs of very disconsolate legs vigorously as they sat in a row on the wooden verandah. At least, Baby tried to swing hers in unison with the others, but she only succeeded in giving a rather weak kick now and again, as she watched the other legs and tried to munch her bread and jam at the same time.

"Let's count up all the bad luck we've had this year," said Eileen.

"Oh, yes, let's count," they all cried excitedly, and instantly they sat erect, all except Baby, who still solemnly swung one leg and then the other, and hung tenaciously on to the last piece of crust.

"Go on, Eileen. Speak up."

"First the two cows died, and one of the calves, and didn't we have trouble with the other one?" she said with a sigh.

"And then the big horse died," chimed in another.

"So it did, and then----"

"Old Star's foal died," said Mollie.

"So it did," cried Eileen. "Old Star's beautiful foal died."

"Me want Tar's foal," cried Baby.

"Oh, stop that noise, Baby! You never let us have a nice quiet talk," said Eileen. "What next?"

"The sheep got poisoned weed," said Eva.

"And the dingoes came," answered Doris.

"So they did," cried Eileen, ticking off the events on her fingers. "That's six. Can't we make twelve?"

"Say that lot over again," said Doris, "and we might think of more." She sat down and prepared to enjoy herself listening to their bad luck.

"Yes," answered Eileen, with hands in the air. "There's the two cows and the calf--oh! by the way, I didn't count the calf last time; that's three, and the horse--that's four; and old S-t-a-r-'s f-o-a-l" (spelling it aloud, so that Baby would not go into a fresh paroxysm of grief) "makes five, and there's the poisoned weed and the dingoes. That makes seven. We nearly have twelve--we might think of more by night," she went on hopefully.

"Oh! I know another--one you haven't thought of--very near the biggest of them all," shouted Doris.

"Oh! Doris, darling, tell us!"

"What about the haystack being burnt down?" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"Oh, yes!" they shouted; "very near the worst of all, because if the wind was blowing the other way and the house was a lot nearer the stack, it would have been burnt, too."

"Fancy me thinkin' of it, and you not, and me very near the youngest," said Doris proudly, as she folded her hands complacently, with a look of self-satisfaction.

"That's eight!" shrieked Eileen. "I knew more would come. We'll get the twelve yet."