“And I’ve promised to marry Ned Gunliffe,” she continued, “although I’d rather it wasn’t spoken of just yet.”
Scottie sat in silence turning over the two items, and trying to find a possible reason for them.
“I’ll no ask questions, Ess,” he said at last, “but I hope ye’re no just goin’ on hearsay, or on tales ye may have heard. Whiles things get sair distorted, an’ it’s hard tae judge. I’m loathe to think Steve wad hae gie’n ye cause——”
“No more loathe than I was,” she said bitterly. “But I’m not acting on hearsay. I’ve seen him, and—everything is ended. Let us say no more, please.”
Scottie was a good deal worried by all this, but he wisely decided to let things take their course, and wait for what turned up. He had other worries enough on his hands at that time too, and for the next few days Ess was left a good deal to herself.
The work of keeping the sheep together, and of protecting them from dingoes and foxes, and at the same time letting them have a chance to find feed enough to let them live, was keeping all the hands of Coolongolong hard at work.
The hills were about burnt and eaten bare, and pool after pool was drying up, while the heat and the “dry spell” showed no signs of breaking. Everyone still spoke of it as “the dry spell,” and none were willing to call it “the drought.”
That had been spoken of and warned against often enough before, but for years now it had always broken in time, and the rains had come to turn the hills and plains into plentiful pastures and an abundance of feed. There had been good season after good season, and many of the places out back had stocked and stocked till now, when the pinch came, owners began to wonder if they had not overstocked, and if it would not have paid better not to have eaten the pastures out so bare.
Sinclair, the boss, drove often up to Thunder Ridge, and as far into the hills as his sulky and trotters would take him.
He stayed often at the Ridge for the night, and Ess was always glad to see him and listen to the cheery word he still had, in spite of the black disaster that was creeping near him again.