Brightens Sister-In-Law or, The Carriers Story

At a point where the old road crosses     The river, and turns to the right,     Id camped with the team; and the hosses     Was all fixed up for the night.     Id been to the town to carry     A load to the Cudgegong;     And Id taken the youngster, Harry,     On a trip as Id promisd him long.     I had seven more, and another     That died at the age of three;     But they all took arter the mother,     And Harry took arter me.     And from the tiniest laddie     Twas always his fondest dream     To go on the roads with his daddy,     And help him to drive the team.     He was bright at the school and clever,     The best of the youngsters there;     And the teacher said there was never     A lad that promised so fair.     And I half forgot lifes battle,     An its long, hard-beaten road,     In the sound of the youngsters prattle     From his perch on top o the load.     An when he was tired o ridin     Id lift him down for a walk,     And hed say, at my silence chidin,     Now, daddy tell me some talk.     And oft by the camp-fire sittin,     When the bush was round us wild,     Id yarn by the hour, forgittin     That Harry was only a child.     But to-day hed been strange and quiet,     An lay on the chaff-bags still;     An though hed bravely deny it,     I knowd as the boy was ill.     He said he was only dosey,     In his queer old-fashioned way;     And I fixed him up warm an cosey     In the hammock under the dray.     I fried him some eggs and some bakin     Which I couldnt git him to touch;     And it set my heart a-achin     For hed always eaten so much.     I wandered about half silly,     And thought that my heart would stop;     And the tea got cold in the billy,     For I couldnt a tasted a drop.     Id seen the same sickness ofen;     An my spirits began to droop,     For as soon as he started coughin     I knowd as hed got the croup.     Twas fifteen mile to the river;     An Gulgong was twenty-five;     An I thought twas a chance if ever     I got him back home alive.     The thought of the loss was horrid     If the young un was taken away;     And I went and leaned my forehead     Against the tire o the dray.     And sudden I started cryin,     And sobbed like a woman too;     For I felt that the boy was dyin,     And I didnt know what to do.     All helpless I was, and lonely;     But I thought twas a cowards cry     To call on the Saviour only     When trouble or death was nigh.     But after a while I lifted     My eyes to the steely blue     Of the sky where somethin drifted     Like a great white cockatoo.     An nearer it came, and nearer,     Right down to the branch of the tree;     And it seemed when its shape grew clearer,     Like the form of a woman to me.     For a moment it seemed to tarry,     An pint away up the road,     An then seemed pintin at Harry,     A-coughin beneath the load.     I dont want ter arger; theres chances     The vision was only the sky,     Or the smoke outlind on the branches,     Or a lonely cloud on high.     But I says twas a message from glory;     I sees as yer goin to chaff;     Just wait till I done my story,     An laugh if yer want to laugh.     Away went the vision flyin;     Up into the blue it went;     And I stood for a minute tryin     To think what its comin meant.     When it flashed on my brain like lightnin;     An arter I thought it strange     Id almost forgotten old Brighten     Who lived on the top of the range.     He lived on a small selection,     Or used ter live there I knowd;     An it lay in a west direction,     Bout five miles back from the road.     I harnessed the horses quicker     Than ever Id taken em out;     An they must a thought me in liquor,     For the way as I shovd em about.     Id allers bin fond o sneerin     An laughin at womens ways;     I could see in their lives, Im fearin,     But little as called for praise;     But now when I thought hed smother     With croup in the lonely wild,     Good God, how I longed for a mother     To save the life of my child!     I seed in a vision each minit     The youngster nursed back into life;     An the hand of a woman was in it;     An the woman was Brightens wife.     Theres times when not knowin a bliss is,     As Harrys school-teacher ud say:     And I didnt know Brightens missis     Had gone to the town that day.     In a moment Id lifted Harry     To the bags on top of the load;     And I flogged the weary horses     Along on the dusty road.     But evrything seemd to hinder     My hopes when I reached the hut;     For there wasnt a light in the winder;     And both o the doors was shut.     That moment my heart got hurted;     An I felt it for many a day;     For I thought that the place was deserted,     An Brighten had gone away.     But I called; and the door was opened,     An I saw that the hut was alight;     It hadnt shone in the winders;     For the moon was shinin bright.     An there in the door, with a candle,     I saw old Brighten stand,     With his fingers grasping the handle     Of a pistol he held in his hand.     If any one moves, he shouted,     Ill fire if Ive got to hang!     For the moment he never doubted     Twas a visit from Gardners gang.     I didnt move in a hurry;     For a man in a fright shoots quick.     But I told him he neednt flurry,     Twas only a youngster sick.     Stan back, said old Brighten, snatchin     An shuttin the door in his fright;     Its typhoid, maybe, hes catchin:     An I cant have him here to-night.     But a womans voice shouted, What is it?     Id never seen her before;     She was only there on a visit;     Twas Brightens sister-in-law.     An nothin seemed able to frighten     This woman so pale an thin;     She pushed from the door old Brighten,     An carried the youngster in.     Shed bin hospital nurse in the city,     I heard, and had got the sack     For havin a little pity,     An exposin a doctor quack;     Some trumped-up stories agin her     All over the town was belled;     An in spite of the fightin in her     They got her at last expelled.     An, talkin o fight, Im fearin     Theres sudden fightin in store     For the first as speaks in my hearin     Gin Brightens sister-in-law;     For, in spite of old Brightens cussin,     She got the youngster to bed;     And arter a weeks good nussin     She won him back from the dead.     And then I began to hanker     For a speech to tell her the joy     I felt in my heart, and to thank her     For givin me back my boy.     The mornin I left old Brightens,     While puttin the horses to,     I puzzled my brains to make up     A speech as I thought would do.     She lifted the youngster and kissed him,     And helped him into the dray;     An I thought of how Id a missed him,     If hed only been taken away.     An, Mum, I sez; I oughter,     An to finish the speech I tries;     But all on a sudden the water     Kem bubblin up to my eyes.     An downard, like water-courses,     The tears began to tear;     An I had to swear at the horses     To hide my weakness from her.     But the tears was only human     An they seemd to ha done some good;     For she pressed my hand like a woman,     An said that she understood.