M'Swat when
drinking in the items of that list.

"By damn, pigs was up last Toosday! Thames the things to make prawfit
on," he would excitedly exclaim; or--"Wheat's rose a shillun a bushel!
By dad, I must double my crops this year." When he had plodded to the
end, he started at the beginning again.

His wife sat the whole afternoon in the one place, saying and doing
nothing. I looked for something to read, but the only books in the house
were a Bible, which was never opened, and a diary kept most religiously
by M'Swat. I got permission to read this, and opening it, saw:

September

1st. Fine. Wint to boggie creak for a cow.
2nd. Fine. Got the chestnut mair shode.
3rd. Fine. On the jury.
4th. Fine. Tail the lams 60 yeos 52 wethers.
5th. Cloudy. Wint to Duffys.
6th. Fine. Dave Duffy called.
7th. Fine. Roped the red filly.
8th. Showery. Sold the gray mair's fole.
9th. Fine. Wint to the Red hill after a horse.
10th. Fine, Found tree sheap ded in sqre padick.

I closed the book and put it up with a sigh. The little record was a
perfect picture of the dull narrow life of its writer. Week after week
that diary went on the same--drearily monotonous account of a drearily
monotonous existence. I felt I would go mad if forced to live such a life
for long.

"Pa has lots of diaries. Would I like to read them?"

They were brought and put before me. I inquired of Mr M'Swat which was
the liveliest time of the year, and being told it was shearing and
threshing, I opened one first in November:

November 1896

1st. Fine. Started to muster sheap.
2nd. Fine. Counten sheap very dusty 20 short.
3rd. Fine. Started shering. Joe Harris cut his hand bad and wint hoam.
4th. Showery. Shering stoped on account of rane.

Then I skipped to December:

December 1896

1st. Fine and hot. Stripped the weet 60 bages.
2nd. Fine. Killed a snake very hot day.
3rd. Fine. Very hot alle had a boagy in the river.
4th. Fine. Got returns of woll 7 1/2 fleece 5 1/4 bellies.
5th. Fine. Awful hot got a serkeler from Tatersal by the poast.
6th. Fine. Saw Joe Harris at Duffys.

There was no entertainment to be had from the diaries, so I attempted a
conversation with Mrs M'Swat.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"I wuz jist watchin' the rain and thinkin' it would put a couple a bob a
head more on sheep if it keeps on."

What was I to do to pass the day? I was ever very restless, even in the
midst of full occupation. Uncle Jay-Jay used