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DAD BUYS A CAR.
(By R. F. L. Glover.)
Simon Milh struggled vainly with an
unaccustomed* shirt button. "Why the
blue parallel, men have to stick these
things on just to take a trip int« town,
is beyond me," he muttered wrathfully.
Then' raising Iiis voice, shouted "Bill!"
?Bill, the eldest son of four, poked
a careful hdad around the door.
."Yeh, Dad?" he inquired politely.
The button came off in 'Simon's fingers.
Ile threw it down in. disgust.
"Tell your ina to come here!" he bel-
lowed. "And have you got Che sulky
harnessed?"
But Bill was beyond reply.
Mrs. Mill came in quietly. Her -arms
were full of ironing which she deposited
carefully on the bed. Stepping leisure-
ly back, she trod, inadvertently, on
Simon's groping 'fingers.
Simon had never practised vocal re-
pression where his physical hurts were
concerned. He did not think ut neces-
sary now. He ripped, tore and sweat-
ed through his entire vocabulary with
expert accuracy.
âlra. Mill listened patiently. "I see
you're put out," she said at the close,
''birt if you don't hurry, you'll never
get there."
"Get there!" roared Simon. "It
takes three hours with old Trot-and
three hours back. He rests two hours
and I tear around doing my business.
Three hours-"
"I reckon we ought to have a car,"
began Mrs. Mill.
Simon snorted. "'Car! When I haven't
even got 'a decent drill on the place;
That's all you country women think
about these days-cars and golf. (Lord,
golf! The women in my youth-"
"'Were anid-iVictorian," chipped in a
voice at the door. "Come on, Mums,
and let the old bear growl minus his
non-appreoktive audience. We'll get a
car, if I have to save up for one my-
self."
:And June, (Simon's eldest daughter
delightfully fresh from college, led her
mother from Une room.
"If I had five minutes to spare I'd
tan that young hide oï. yours.", roared
her father, but a little gleam ia his
eyes belied his words.
"Your father's worried," said her
mother when they were out of hearing.
"Them export boats. The first three
are all rigpt, but they only pay ex
Íteases, file's staked his whole year's
ming and profit on the last boat. Petal«
on it. Ano pears are auch risky things,
The storage temperature « trifle wrong
one way <or the other and it's all up wita
them. I wonder how those boys ¿re
getting on with the harnessing?"
*\A dar would be oiice," «aid June
meditatively.
Mrs. Mill /sighed. *TeV «he said,
"it would. 11 haven't seen that new
building yet in town, nor the new
church. And Mrs. Bit's youngest must
bo nigh on twelve months. II ought to
.go and see old Mrs. Oibbs, too. ©ut
I eam't ifaee that journey into town with
old Trot. I really can't. It (knocks me
up-" she ended vaguely in thought.
June kissed Iher. I believe you're
worrying over those old pears, too," ehe
* 6aid. 'Wow, look here, Mums, you've
had eough. worrying-and sticking home,
^pad, too. He's lived all his life in the
bush and he's got into an old-fashioned,
non-spending groove. The pears are ill
right. Old Pete of the 'Go-op. told me
yesterday. But Dad won't believe me.
No, he must go im 'himself. He thinks
I know nothing about export-and I've
beeni brought]-up on the thing! (Now.
^ tell me honestly. Mums', hones'tif. Ir
. ~ that export were all right, could we
afford à car?"
Mrs. MUH hesitated, then admitted
slowly, "Tes-a cheaper one, you know.
But, yes, I really think we could. (But
it's no use talking-your father wants a
new drill."
"?'New drill be Wowed!" said June
inelegantly. "We'll lhave a car-tell Aus-
tralia! _I'll just go land see how those
boys' are getting on."
In due course, the sulky with old Trot,
looking very resigned, but apparently
correctly harnessed, stood at the gate.
<As IDad took his seat, he saw June
take thc "five-barred gate-leading to the
road-on Gipsy, the young filly.
"That girl will break her neck one
Îf these days," he observed natiher proud
y. Then mundane afflairs drew him
back: "How many dozen eggs' did-you
say, Mum? Oh! Amid that cheque! "It's
been in the house six weeks-you never
reminded me last -Ifiriê, .'you . know. The
old g-eyser'H wonder why I haven't pre-
sented it--. *Well,. $o. long!, You'll
see me when it's. dark,"T suppose-."
The boys giggled: ; «Simon .glared lat
them suspiciously, gave Trot a flick and
set off to town at an ambling trot.
Tlie household turned and with an
involuntary sigh of relief, settled to the
customary duties. (Getting Dad off to
town was an arduous affair.
"Wfe'U see him when it's, dark!" mut-
tered Jeff to himself, with a grin and
- kicked Billy's shim .as . he passed him.
Billy caught the mutter, and anstead
of retaliating, as usual, griuned in
reply.
But it was long before dark that they
were destined to see 'Simon again.
Mrs. Mill «.was preserving - the last_ of
the preserve -pears. "June was artisti-
cally writing tíie labels when suddenly
she ceased, put her head up and listen-
ed. Mrs. Mill, observing her, put down
her preserving spoon and imitated her
daughter. Bill, Axing a broken chair on
the verandah: caught, sight of the im-
mobile pair through ¿me door, cuffed his
atrociously whistling brother into, silence
and stood straihèd, to. attention. Jaok,
understand!tug, diflithlfaanie.'?
"'What's .up?" -Makid Jeff, coming
ro'und the oornerj.' ? *\ .
"Car!" burst forth ,the listening,
quartette-'and leaving ih$r work, with
one accord, they hastened, out into the
yard.
There, sure enough, a beautiful, new,
dove grey car purred softly up the drive
towards them. ? ? .
Old Ranger, the house dog< well past
his youth, woke up1 And barked. A
chorus of "«»-shs!" downed him.
"Now, who'll that be?" asked Mrs.
Mill.
Thc boys clicked their tongues, but
did not answer. Bill went as
as far as to wink et June. But
June's . face expressed ' only calm
innocence and the correct amount ot
maidenly curiosity, '?? *
The oar poUediiBö at\the-gale. Mrr
Mill jumped-íifMytfeut.^ 1
"Well,'.' mfotétfd sfe*. Mill; "look at
that, now! I ido^Jiope^ nothing's hap-
pened."
Î i.i iv ï.i » . . ^
Simon, Mill was foljowed by a man
smartly dressed iu. grey. Together they
walked towards the house.
"No, nothing's thc matter." called out
Simon as he saw the worried look on hie
wife's face. "But the darnedest things
have happened this morning. However,
let me introduce you, mum. This is
Mr. Beens, agent for ears, by the way.
This is my daughter, Mr. Beens."
Mr. Beens acknowledged the intro
ductiou suitabjy, smiled at the boys-not.
introduced-and turned to his host.
"Yes, you certainly did have a remark-
able chapter of accidents," he said, "be-
fore I picked you up." He glanced at
June. Mum "registered" that il was
rather a humorous glance, hut did not
think about it till afterwards.
"Accidents?" she said.
''Now, don't you go and get excited,"
Simon admonished. "You women fly off.
It was this way-" And he warmed
to the task.
"I noticed Trot looking somewhat de-
jected when I got on the road, so I de-
cided to take the brute steady-he's not
too young, you know. But he kept get-
ting more dejected than ever till I begun
to think he'd gqt souie poison in him.
(Nearing «Billings he began to get wobbly,
so I turned in and thought I'd get the loan
of old Bob's pony. What's the matter
with you kids? Nothing? Well, stop
gawkin' round."
"Old Bob lent him, willing. But no
Boonei* had we got him in than flop! up
goes one of the shalves! The cussed
thing broke where we. had it mended be-
fore. We -fixed that: then, bless me. if
-the breochin' strap itself didn't break.
knew the harness waa old, but I never
dreamt it was that old-" - '?
"Those there parts-" began Billy
quickly* ? |
"Who's telling this, you or I?" de-
manded his father. <He«.waited for the
answer Jie didn't expect. Then went on.
"We no sooner got that fixed up than
old Bob's pony started to dance and
career round as if something was biting
it" Jeff nudged Bill quietly. "He
jerked - his head around and
tried to - bite and acted that
-queer we had to unloose and go all over
the harness. Bob teekoned it was the
horse's hair coming put of «the collar
never knew that was so worn; neither,
till to-day. We strapped a bit of heshing
on his neck and tried, again.
"He was just starting to plunge
.around again when a 'phone message
comes through, «nd Mts: Bob comes out
into the yard, wiping her hands on her
apron, and tells ns there's a message for
me. Me! (How they got'to know I was
there, beats me. (Rumours certainly do
fly in the Bush, ("As well as June,"
murmured Jeff.) I passed old Celt, on
the road. Perhaps he- But any-
way-1
"The message was from the Co-op. My
pears had all reached home in excellent
condition, been shipped to Germany, and
there topped the market with 30 marks
per case!
"How much is a roark?" asked Jeff
commercially.
"¿Little under a hob," replied dad me-
chanically. He ceased a nianient, then
burst forth
"And I've gol eight hundred cases.
Eight hundred! Do you hear that,
mum?" 1
"Gee! I came out of Bob's 'phone
room quicker thBB I went in. I didn't
know .if I stood on my hands or my
knees-what are you sniggering at ?"
"Bob's horsè was t~ 8tlfl plunging up
and down. But È flies't care. I didn't
care anything.", i - . , ^
" 'Take that old boss out, Bob,' I said j
by way of a joice-. 'I feel -twenty years
younger. I feel like walking.' "
'"What about motoringV asked n
chap I'd never seen before stepping from
behind the barn.
" 'I'll take you at your word, young
anau,* I says. 'But where's your car?' "
"'Bight hero,' lie says, and nips back
behind tho barn. In two ups he has this
here car in front of me. I hops'in and
leaves old Bob taking off (he harness
again. Some car, eh?"
'"'Lovely!" said mum.
"It's yours!" said Dad.
"What?" cried «Mum. *'
"I've bought it," said -Dad. "Always
said I wanted a car. What are you kids
grinning at? Yes, always said the first
bit of good luck I'd have a car. A few i
fc'olf sticks now, eh? and we're set!"
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