that crop.

And how we worked! Joe was the only one who played. I remember him
finding something on a chain one day. He had never seen anything like
it before. Dad told him it was a steel-trap and explained the working
of it. Joe was entranced--an invaluable possession! A treasure, he
felt, that the Lord must specially have sent him to catch things with.
He caught many things with it--willie-wagtails, laughing-jackasses,
fowls, and mostly the dog. Joe was a born naturalist--a perfect
McCooey in his way, and a close observer of the habits and customs of
animals and living things. He observed that whenever Jacob Lipp came
to our place he always, when going home, ran along the fence and
touched the top of every post with his hand. The Lipps had newly
arrived from Germany, and their selection adjoined ours. Jacob was
their "eldest", about fourteen, and a fat, jabbering, jolly-faced youth
he was. He often came to our place and followed Joe about. Joe never
cared much for the company of anyone younger than himself, and
therefore fiercely resented the indignity. Jacob could speak only
German--Joe understood only pure unadulterated Australian. Still Jacob
insisted on talking and telling Joe his private affairs.

This day, Mrs. Lipp accompanied Jacob. She came to have a "yarn" with
Mother. They did n't understand each other either; but it did n't
matter much to them--it never does matter much to women whether they
understand or not; anyway, they laughed most of the time and seemed to
enjoy themselves greatly. Outside Jacob and Joe mixed up in an
argument. Jacob shoved his face close to Joe's and gesticulated and
talked German at the rate of two hundred words a minute. Joe thought
he understood him and said: "You want to fight?" Jacob seemed to have
a nightmare in German.

"Orright, then," Joe said, and knocked him down.

Jacob seemed to understand Australian better when he got up, for he ran
inside, and Joe put his ear to a crack, but did n't hear him tell
Mother.

Joe had an idea. He would set the steel-trap on a wire-post and catch
Jacob. He set it. Jacob started home. One, two, three posts he hit.
Then he hit the trap. It grabbed him faithfully by three fingers.

Angels of Love! did ever a boy of fourteen yell like it before! He
sprang in the air--threw himself on the ground like a roped
brumby--jumped up again and ran all he knew, frantically wringing the
hand the trap clung to. What Jacob re