ems of our
dietary--treacle, bread, oatmeal, tea, and corned beef--could of course
be bought much more cheaply.

Father O'Malley did most of the purchasing for the Orphanage, and
audited its accounts, I believe. Sister Catharine and the
Sister-in-charge, between them, did all the collecting throughout the
countryside for the Orphanage funds. And I have heard it said they
were singularly adept in this work. I have heard a Myall Creek farmer
tell how the sisters 'fairly got over' him, though, as he told the
story, it seemed to me that in this particular case he had been the
victor. They were selling tickets at the time for a 'social' in aid of
the Orphanage funds. The farmer flatly refused to purchase, saying he
could not attend the function.

'Ah, well, but ye'll buy a ticket, Misther Jones; sure ye will now,
f'r the Orphanage.' But Mr. Jones was obdurate. Well, then, he would
give a few pounds of tea and sugar? But he was right out of both
commodities. Some of his fine eggs, or, maybe, a young pig? Mr. Jones
continued in his obduracy. He was a poor man, he said, and could not
afford to give.

'May we pick a basket av y'r beautiful oranges thin, Misther Jones?'
They might not, for he had sold them on the trees.

'Ah, well, can ye let us have a whip, just a common whip, Misther
Jones, for we've come out without one, an' the horse is gettin' old,
an' needs persuasion.' Mr. Jones would not give a whip, as he had but
the one.

'Ah, thin, just a loan of it, Misther Jones, till this evening?' No,
the farmer wanted to use the whip himself.

'Well, well, thin, Misther Jones, I see we'll have to be gettin'
along; so I'll wish ye good-morning--if ye'll just let us have a cup
o' milk each, for 'tis powerful warm this morning, an' I'm thirsty.'
At this the farmer forgot his manners, in his wrath, and said
explosively:

'The milk's all settin', an' the water tank's near empty, so I'll wish
ye good-morning, _anyhow_, mum!' And this valiant man moved to the
door.

But I am well assured that such a defeat was a rare thing in the
sisters' experience. Indeed, Mr. Jones made it his boast that he was
the only man in that district--'Prodesdun or Papish'--who ever
received a visit from the Orphanage sisters without paying for it. On
the other hand, it was very generally admitted that no farm in that
countryside was more profitable than ours; and that no one turned out
products of higher quality, or obtained better prices. These sm