hildren break an' lose 'em till I'm ashamed
to ask Christians ter sit down ter the table.'

She had many Bush yarns, some of them very funny, some of them rather
ghastly, but all interesting, and with a grim sort of humour about them.
But the effect was often spoilt by her screaming at the children to
'Drive out them fowls, karnt yer,' or 'Take yer maulies [hands] outer
the sugar,' or 'Don't touch Mrs Wilson's baby with them dirty maulies,'
or 'Don't stand starin' at Mrs Wilson with yer mouth an' ears in that
vulgar way.'

Poor woman! she seemed everlastingly nagging at the children. It was
a habit, but they didn't seem to mind. Most Bushwomen get the nagging
habit. I remember one, who had the prettiest, dearest, sweetest, most
willing, and affectionate little girl I think I ever saw, and she nagged
that child from daylight till dark--and after it. Taking it all round,
I think that the nagging habit in a mother is often worse on ordinary
children, and more deadly on sensitive youngsters, than the drinking
habit in a father.

One of the yarns Mrs Spicer told us was about a squatter she knew who
used to go wrong in his head every now and again, and try to commit
suicide. Once, when the station-hand, who was watching him, had his eye
off him for a minute, he hanged himself to a beam in the stable. The
men ran in and found him hanging and kicking. 'They let him hang for
a while,' said Mrs Spicer, 'till he went black in the face and stopped
kicking. Then they cut him down and threw a bucket of water over him.'

'Why! what on earth did they let the man hang for?' asked Mary.

'To give him a good bellyful of it: they thought it would cure him of
tryin' to hang himself again.'

'Well, that's the coolest thing I ever heard of,' said Mary.

'That's jist what the magistrate said, Mrs Wilson,' said Mrs Spicer.

'One morning,' said Mrs Spicer, 'Spicer had gone off on his horse
somewhere, and I was alone with the children, when a man came to the
door and said--

'"For God's sake, woman, give me a drink!"

'Lord only knows where he came from! He was dressed like a new chum--his
clothes was good, but he looked as if he'd been sleepin' in them in the
Bush for a month. He was very shaky. I had some coffee that mornin',
so I gave him some in a pint pot; he drank it, and then he stood on his
head till he tumbled over, and then he stood up on his feet and said,
"Thenk yer, mum."

'I was so surprised that I didn't know what to s