The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Finger, by Mary Gaunt

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Title: The Moving Finger
A Trotting
Christmas Eve at Warwingie
Lost!
The Loss of the "Vanity"
Dick Stanesby's Hutkeeper
The Yanyilla Steeplechase
A Digger's Christmas

Author: Mary Gaunt

Release Date: May 5, 2007 [EBook #21335]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOVING FINGER ***

Produced by David Widger

THE MOVING FINGER

BY

MARY GAUNT

"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on; nor all your
piety and wit Shall lore it back to cancel half a line, Nor all your
tears wash out a word of it."

METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET, W.C. LONDON 1895

CONTENTS

A Trotting
Christmas Eve at Warwingie
Lost!
The Loss of the "Vanity"
Dick Stanesby's Hutkeeper
The Yanyilla Steeplechase
A Digger's Christmas

TROTTING COB

"Hi--hey--hold up there, mare, will you? What did you say, mister? A
light? Yes. That 's Trotting Cob, that is. The missus 'll give us a cup
of tea, but that's about all. Devil fly away with the mare. What is it?
Something white in the road? Water by ----. Thank the Lord, they Ve had
plenty of rain this year. But they do say there's a ghost hereabouts--a
Trotting Cob, with a man in white on him? Lord, no, that's an old
woman's tale. But the girl--she walks--she walks they say, and mighty
good reason--too--if all tales be true. Hosses always shy here if they
Ve at all skittish. Got that letter, Jack, and the tobacco? That's
right! Rum, isn't it, to get all your news of the world at dead of
night? Reg'ler as clockwork we pass--a little after one, and the coach
from Deniliquin she passes an hour or so earlier.

"Anybody else? Well, no, not as a rule. It's the stock route? you see,
between Hay and Deniliquin, so there's bound to be stock on the way; but
sheep, bless you! they travel six miles a day, and cattle they ain't
so much faster, so we brings 'em all the news. The Company has stables
here, and feed, and we change horses. The old man and old woman keep it,
with