Joe Wilson and His Mates [88]
the maps rolled and tied,
the desks and blackboards stacked against the wall outside.
Tea was over, and the trestles and boards, whereon had been spread
better things than had been provided for the unfortunate youngsters,
had been taken outside to keep the desks and blackboards company.
On stools running end to end along one side of the room sat about twenty
more or less blooming country girls of from fifteen to twenty odd.
On the rest of the stools, running end to end along the other wall,
sat about twenty more or less blooming chaps.
It was evident that something was seriously wrong. None of the girls
spoke above a hushed whisper. None of the men spoke above a hushed oath.
Now and again two or three sidled out, and if you had followed them
you would have found that they went outside to listen hard into the darkness
and to swear.
`Tap, tap, tap.'
The rows moved uneasily, and some of the girls turned pale faces nervously
towards the side-door, in the direction of the sound.
`Tap -- tap.'
The tapping came from the kitchen at the rear of the teacher's residence,
and was uncomfortably suggestive of a coffin being made:
it was also accompanied by a sickly, indescribable odour --
more like that of warm cheap glue than anything else.
In the schoolroom was a painful scene of strained listening.
Whenever one of the men returned from outside, or put his head in at the door,
all eyes were fastened on him in the flash of a single eye,
and then withdrawn hopelessly. At the sound of a horse's step
all eyes and ears were on the door, till some one muttered,
`It's only the horses in the paddock.'
Some of the girls' eyes began to glisten suspiciously,
and at last the belle of the party -- a great, dark-haired,
pink-and-white Blue Mountain girl, who had been sitting for a full minute
staring before her, with blue eyes unnaturally bright, suddenly covered
her face with her hands, rose, and started blindly from the room,
from which she was steered in a hurry by two sympathetic and rather `upset'
girl friends, and as she passed out she was heard sobbing hysterically --
`Oh, I can't help it! I did want to dance! It's a sh-shame!
I can't help it! I -- I want to dance! I rode twenty miles to dance --
and -- and I want to dance!'
A tall, strapping young Bushman rose, without disguise, and followed
the girl out. The rest began to talk loudly of stock, dogs, and horses,
and other Bush things; but above their voices rang out that of the girl
from the outside -- being man comforted --
`I can't help it, Jack! I did want to dance! I -- I had such --
such -- a job -- to get mother -- and -- and father to let me come --
and -- and now!'
The two girl friends came back. `He sez to leave her to him,' they whispered,
in reply to an interrogatory glance from the schoolmistress.
`It's -- it's no use, Jack!' came the voice of grief. `You don't know what --
what father and mother -- is. I -- I won't -- be able -- to ge-get away --
again -- for -- for -- not till I'm married, perhaps.'
The schoolmistress glanced uneasily along the row of girls. `I'll take her
into my room and make her lie down,' she whispered to her sister,
who was staying with her. `She'll start some of the other girls presently --
it's just the weather for it,' and she passed out quietly.
That schoolmistress was a woman of penetration.
A final `tap-tap' from the kitchen; then a sound like the squawk
of a hurt or frightened child, and the faces in the room
turned quickly in that direction and brightened. But there came a bang
and a sound like `damn!' and hopelessness settled down.
A shout from the outer darkness, and most of the men and some of the girls
rose and hurried out. Fragments of conversation heard in the darkness --
`It's two horses, I tell you!'
`It's three, you ----!'
`Lay you ----!'
`Put the stuff up!'
A clack of gate thrown open.
`Who is it, Tom?'
Voices from gatewards, yelling, `Johnny Mears! They've got Johnny Mears!'
Then rose yells, and a cheer
the desks and blackboards stacked against the wall outside.
Tea was over, and the trestles and boards, whereon had been spread
better things than had been provided for the unfortunate youngsters,
had been taken outside to keep the desks and blackboards company.
On stools running end to end along one side of the room sat about twenty
more or less blooming country girls of from fifteen to twenty odd.
On the rest of the stools, running end to end along the other wall,
sat about twenty more or less blooming chaps.
It was evident that something was seriously wrong. None of the girls
spoke above a hushed whisper. None of the men spoke above a hushed oath.
Now and again two or three sidled out, and if you had followed them
you would have found that they went outside to listen hard into the darkness
and to swear.
`Tap, tap, tap.'
The rows moved uneasily, and some of the girls turned pale faces nervously
towards the side-door, in the direction of the sound.
`Tap -- tap.'
The tapping came from the kitchen at the rear of the teacher's residence,
and was uncomfortably suggestive of a coffin being made:
it was also accompanied by a sickly, indescribable odour --
more like that of warm cheap glue than anything else.
In the schoolroom was a painful scene of strained listening.
Whenever one of the men returned from outside, or put his head in at the door,
all eyes were fastened on him in the flash of a single eye,
and then withdrawn hopelessly. At the sound of a horse's step
all eyes and ears were on the door, till some one muttered,
`It's only the horses in the paddock.'
Some of the girls' eyes began to glisten suspiciously,
and at last the belle of the party -- a great, dark-haired,
pink-and-white Blue Mountain girl, who had been sitting for a full minute
staring before her, with blue eyes unnaturally bright, suddenly covered
her face with her hands, rose, and started blindly from the room,
from which she was steered in a hurry by two sympathetic and rather `upset'
girl friends, and as she passed out she was heard sobbing hysterically --
`Oh, I can't help it! I did want to dance! It's a sh-shame!
I can't help it! I -- I want to dance! I rode twenty miles to dance --
and -- and I want to dance!'
A tall, strapping young Bushman rose, without disguise, and followed
the girl out. The rest began to talk loudly of stock, dogs, and horses,
and other Bush things; but above their voices rang out that of the girl
from the outside -- being man comforted --
`I can't help it, Jack! I did want to dance! I -- I had such --
such -- a job -- to get mother -- and -- and father to let me come --
and -- and now!'
The two girl friends came back. `He sez to leave her to him,' they whispered,
in reply to an interrogatory glance from the schoolmistress.
`It's -- it's no use, Jack!' came the voice of grief. `You don't know what --
what father and mother -- is. I -- I won't -- be able -- to ge-get away --
again -- for -- for -- not till I'm married, perhaps.'
The schoolmistress glanced uneasily along the row of girls. `I'll take her
into my room and make her lie down,' she whispered to her sister,
who was staying with her. `She'll start some of the other girls presently --
it's just the weather for it,' and she passed out quietly.
That schoolmistress was a woman of penetration.
A final `tap-tap' from the kitchen; then a sound like the squawk
of a hurt or frightened child, and the faces in the room
turned quickly in that direction and brightened. But there came a bang
and a sound like `damn!' and hopelessness settled down.
A shout from the outer darkness, and most of the men and some of the girls
rose and hurried out. Fragments of conversation heard in the darkness --
`It's two horses, I tell you!'
`It's three, you ----!'
`Lay you ----!'
`Put the stuff up!'
A clack of gate thrown open.
`Who is it, Tom?'
Voices from gatewards, yelling, `Johnny Mears! They've got Johnny Mears!'
Then rose yells, and a cheer