A lot of good to decorate a dead conscript
withhonour and glory. Indeed, Father, Im no less of a man for tryingto look and
behave like a gentleman.
James protested, his high, smooth voice
slightlymincing after Cabells. A couple of days later a posse of mountedinfantry and
police went by. They told me down Pykes Crossing youwere here.
I aint going to start chucking mud at a manwho was
my mate.
There wont be no republic or rise inwages or
nothing.
Cabell spoke quietly, with a note almost of
entreaty in his voice. The sound of snoringcame from the open French
lights.
Shell have to sit on the steps till the coach comes
and bega ride to Brisbane.
If you could understand you wouldnt be the kind of
smugbastard who talks about forgiveness. Its only an excusefor poling on your mates
when theres danger. On the bench in front of the Judge laythe body of his mother
with her face smashed in. He sat down again, breathingheavily, and there was a long
pause.
Larry went round to the frontof the house and found
Coyle sitting on the steps.
I know what youre after, carrying tittle-tattle
here. This kind of talk distressed James more than straight out
cursing.
And shell come in here and beg me toforgive
her.
In his despair he dragged Coyle down and
theyfought, and he strangled Coyle, got free, and escaped.
Hes an old brute, Julia said, and Im not going to
live underthe same roof with him.
JACK BERRYLarry was in an agonizing frame of
mind.
The work of the pioneeris done, and we have now
entered the epoch of politics and culture. Thats about how long youll need to get
the guts, Coyle sneered. There you are, thats all the thanks a bloke gets. With his
hand onthe knob he paused to look around and listen. The stiff set of his jaw made
them thinktwice about it. The cowdung plasteredCabells back and the strikers ran
along the side of the roadbooing. He sat down again, breathingheavily, and there was
a long pause.
Also to disabuse you of any feelings against
Mother.
I offered tomake you manager before, didnt
I?
Then hewent into the barn where Coyle was
sleeping.
He stayed at the farm for the night and had fierce
arguments withBerry.
Its only an excusefor poling on your mates when
theres danger. Of course it did not work out that way at all. Half a minute
passedbefore he managed to mumble, You heard about your mother,
Isuppose.
So really he was not sorry to have James in the
house once more. A faint perfumestruggled through the rooms stench of horse
medicines and greasyold harness.