The mountain that went to the sea (22 page)

'Yes, I'll tell her,' Jeckie said quickly, anxious to make her peace. 'And thank you, Aunt Isobel, for not being bothered about quarrels. I'm specially glad about that. I'll tell you why in the morning.'

She reached up and kissed her aunt's cheek, then ran out to the veranda again.

'Something has happened to that child's spirits tonight,' Aunt Isobel reflected as she turned the handle of her door. 'I sincerely hope it is not a ripening affair with that Jason Bassett. Most unsuitable. Worse than the Navy man. Politics and parties! What a life! I will have to speak to Andrew about it. Of course Barton was paying too much attention to Sheila late in the evening. It might have upset Jeckie, and she is really only covering up. But then everyone pays attention to Sheila! Barton wasn't the only one.'

The little bell ringing in Jeckie's heart was because Jason had danced with her, and that gave her comfort - but Andrew had nearly danced with her. That was something to daydream about.

So, altogether it was a wonderful night!

Days passed and the Morilla week-end party became for Jeckie no more than an enchanted but lively memory. It was something to be part-forgotten for another year. Could she invite herself to Mallibee again this time next year? Wouldn't it be wonderful if Aunt Isobel did the inviting in advance.

But another year was a long time away. Just now she had to live with the anti-climax.

Suddenly there was no one left in the homestead but Aunt Isobel, Jane, Cassie, one of the girls, and herself. The two other girls — homestead helpers — had gone home for their half-yearly holiday.

The men had all gone boundary-wise to the cut-out of the clean-skins. Andrew, Barton, Neil Cameron, and most of the stockmen had all gone. They had taken a camp cook, and camping gear. They were — Jeckie guessed a little enviously — having a wonderful time out there. She didn't know which she missed most in the homestead — Andrew's quiet tread as he came in at sundown, or the friendly bickering she and Barton kept up, just for the fun of it. She quite looked forward to Sheila coming over from Nana Bindi when the cut-out was finished, but half dreaded it too. Sheila would shine so brightly in the homestead. Jeckie felt that she herself would probably look very dim indeed beside her vivacious cousin.

Even outside the homestead everything seemed so still and quiet. Only the yardman and one of the older stockmen were left at home to keep watch over the stock in the home paddocks.

It was now all but a world of women in the Mallibee homestead.

Ten days later, Sheila Bowen was brought over from Nana Bindi in Frank Carson's plane. Frank, too, was en route for the cut-out.

Aunt Isobel and Jane, nodding their heads together,

agreed there was now company for Jeckie. They seemed to sit back and watch, Jeckie thought, for Sheila to be animated and entertaining all over again. They weren't disappointed. The homestead seemed to ring with Sheila's light-hearted voice.

For the first few days everyone was bright and cheerful. Sheila's presence certainly gave much pleasure to Aunt Isobel and Jane.

Now that the men had gone the season of 'spring-cleaning' was on. It didn't matter there was no such thing as `spring' nor even 'autumn' north of Twenty-six. There was only the 'Wet' and the 'Dry'. The grass sprang when the rains came — which was midsummer except for areas near the coast. As often as not, it was the cyclones coming later that gave new life to the dried-out areas. But at Mallibee they still used the term `spring-cleaning'.

Sheila was full of what she would do, if she had a hand in running Mallibee.

`Look, Jeckie,' she said one day when they were out riding. 'When I live at Mallibee, I'll grow a wind-break along the north east boundary of the Number Two paddock. It's a positively hideous disaster area. Sheer barren acreage.'

Jeckie had not missed that 'when I live at Mallibee'. Had Andrew already asked the fateful question that really — to Aunt Isobel and Jane — meant wedding another Mallibee share to the Ashenden name again?

`Mm . . .' she said thoughtfully. 'But don't you think Andrew the First, Second, and Third would have thought all that out — if it was likely to work?'

`Oh, they were — and are — an old-fashioned lot. Except for Bart. He's really with-it. Look at darling Aunt Isobel! She's still living in Ashenden folk-lore time. That dress she wore to the barbecue! It was positively Victorian.'

`So it was, but it was lovely — for Aunt Isobel. It's sort-of part of her personality. I thought she looked marvellous in it. She's very gracious and dignified. Everyone respects her for it.'

Sheila looked across the short distance between them at Jeckie.

`Well, you ought to know,' she said with a laugh. `You're a bit old-fashioned yourself, Jeckie. It's like calling to like, isn't it? Those long confabs with Jane! Always

calling her "Jane-dear". What's got into you, Jeckie? You used to be really with-it. Not getting Mallibee-itis, by any chance?'

'Maybe ... a bit. I wish I hadn't been so stubborn about not coming up here years ago. I'd like to come quite often now — if only I'm invited.'

'Invited? I'd just come. After all we do ha
ve some claim. Both of us! Some
day we'll both own one share in this jolly place.'

'I wish to goodness there was no such thing as that one share,' Jeckie said abruptly.

They had reined in their horses under the shade of a whitetrunked tree near the creek.

'You wish what?' Sheila demanded. 'You must be insane. Those shares are worth a small fortune. Besides —'

'Yes? Besides what?' Jeckie looked at her cousin curiously. Sheila tossed her head. Then steadied her mount.

'Well . . . it gives one an extra personal asset, don't you think? Like permanently shining hair and nice teeth. It's an added bonus to one's natural charms. You know jolly well what I mean, Jeckie.'

'You mean you are of special material value to Mallibee?'

'Phew! You do put things bluntly, don't you?'

Jeckie screwed up her eyes and looked out over the paddock.

'I can't really see Andrew adding up a person's assets — be they nice teeth or shares. He's too honourable and too dignified even to think of such things.'

Sheila threw back her head. 'So that's what you think, is it?' She burst out laughing. 'Oh Jeckie! You are a nut.'

'No, I'm not. And since we're being personal with one another — as cousins will be — I don't think you are being exactly honest with Andrew, anyway. It's fun joking and teasing with Barton the way you did at Morilla. But I don't think it's exactly sporting to try making a man jealous. That's what you were doing, wasn't it? You were really knocking Andrew—'

Sheila stared at Jeckie. 'My, oh my!' she said. 'What strange thoughts you do harbour in that head of yours, Jeckie. And all the time I thought I was the neglected one. The way you look round the table. And sparkle your

eyes. And toss that stupid little lock of hair out of

your eyes. Why don't you cut the jolly thing off, anyway?'

Jeckie's eyes opened so wide they all but watered. She hadn't even heard the bit about the lock of hair.

'I . . . me . . . sparkle my eyes? I wouldn't even know how!'

`Yes you do, Jeckie darling. Be a wise pet and take a bit of advice from one who knows a lot about this wicked world of love affairs. I've had lots, so I know all the answers. I'd settle for Jason and be done with it if were you. He has a softy for you, as most people know and which was very apparent at Morilla.'

'It was?' Jeckie was startled. 'Jason?'

'Of course it was obvious. Besides — I'm pretty sure he's been forgiven his sins for selling Mallibee Mountain. I've twice overheard Andrew talking to him on the two-way. That was when went out with Andrew in the ute to turn off the outer boundary bores. Do you know when the furthest bores are turned off the sheep feed inwards to the next lot of bores — for water? They're that much nearer the muster paddocks. Self-mustering, Andrew calls it. Cunning, don't you think? Cut off their water and the sheep work homewards to get in somewhere nearer.'

Jeckie said nothing. The wonders of mustering by the simple device of cutting off the outer water bores had already amazed her by the sheer simplicity of the idea. When there was enough underground water brought to the surface the aeroplane mustering could come to an end.

Sheila lifted her reins and slapped them down on her mount's neck. He started forward : and she was away. She looked very exciting and very lovely, Jeckie thought, as she followed at a canter. It was easier riding this way when one's thoughts were preoccupied with subjects like 'water-mustering' and the puzzles of who loved who on Mallibee, and why. She had had a more and more curious feeling that the sudden change in Jane had something to do with the arrival of that cattleman with the faintly Scottish accent, Neil Cameron. Jane had become more and more interested in the exotic needs and habits of the Santa Gertrudis and Brahmin cattle. She had been reading up all the papers on Andrew's table about the growing of seed sorghum — the feed those cattle need.

Perhaps Jane had a little investment in that prized cattle herd. Such things did happen on stations, specially the stations where mining claims were being pegged. The applicants for those claims became sort-of syndicates with everyone on the station — employees and employers — all in. The drovers, too, took out a minor investment in the herd they were to drove across hundreds and hundreds of miles of bush. That way they had a vested interest in seeing the herd got to market in the best condition. If the drovers, why not Jane-dear?

Jeckie reflected she'd learned an awful lot about life in the outback since she'd put her first aeroplane-mile over Twenty-six.

Of course! An investment for Jane! It was the sort of thing Andrew and Aunt Isobel would do. Barton too. No wonder they had all welcomed Neil Cameron back. Something for everyone in a new venture!

Jeckie felt a lot better since now she had solved that little puzzle. Yet one more riddle remained. Why the sudden and apparent forgiveness of Jason Bassett? And that, at the same time as Neil Cameron returned to Mallibee?

Everything had come all of a sudden. Her own visit and Sheila's arrival! Well, cyclones and cock-eyed bobs sometimes happened all at once too!

Jeckie reined her horse to a standstill under the shade of a tree. She felt a little bit mean about being so curious. It was just that she had become attached to Mallibee. She had begun to feel she belonged. She was no longer the reluctant visitor. She wished with all her heart she hadn't felt that way before.

But what had Sheila said about her? If I were you I'd settle for Jason and be done with it!

Oh dear!

They — all of them — weren't thinking in their collective hearts that if she — Jeckie Bennett — married Jason Bassett then that one share she would one day inherit would go out of the immediate family into Jason's investment account — And so — 'better get on with Jason'. Was that it? Could it possibly be?

Barton would be quite open, and teasing about such an idea! But Andrew! She couldn't bear it if Andrew was party to such a thought. He was honourable and upright:

and her heart turned over every time she saw him, or listened to his voice. Or heard his footsteps on the veranda as he came in from the run at night. Yet he was as distant from her as the stars.

Not Andrew!

Even Jane-dear, if you like. Barton, of course. Probably Aunt Isobel who cared mostly for Mallibee, and for human beings afterwards.

Sheila — yes. Because Sheila, in her frivolous way, was really hiding strong-mindedness. Specially when she made up her mind about the material advantages of social position plus a pampered way of life.

What a wonderful cushion for Sheila Mallibee would be! The annual barbecue would then be held at Mallibee instead of Morilla. Sheila would see to that. Maybe they would build another story on top of Mallibee homestead because that way they could have a staircase. And Sheila — born to it by inclination and manner — would stand at the head of that staircase.

Jeckie brushed her hand across her eyes.

I'm making all this up, she thought sadly. I'm a nut, after all. I think horrid thoughts and I only hurt myself.

She turned her horse and began to walk him back to the saddling paddock. She didn't even look to see where Sheila had gone. Sheila would follow in her own good time anyway. She'd probably ridden off to meet Andrew. He was due in very soon now.

The next day a light plane landed at the bottom of the home paddock.

The sun hadn't stopped shining and the earth still revolved on its axis.

Jason Bassett had come to Mallibee homestead!

Aunt Isobel, with Jane hovering nearby, was waiting at the head of the veranda steps. Teapots, new-made scones, fine-cut sandwiches and fruit cake were all at the ready.

Jeckie just could not believe what she was seeing.

She caught Sheila's eye. Yesterday's 'tiff' was out of sight, if not forgotten and forgiven. Today's thunderous events drove everything else out of sight and mind.

'So the prodigal comes home!' Sheila said. Even she marvelled. 'And they didn't tell us a thing about it!'