HE'D COME BACK

 The yarn¹ was all lies, I suppose; but it wasn't bad. A city bushman told it, of course, and he told it in the travellers' hut.

 

“As true's God hears me I never meant to desert her in cold blood,” he said. “We'd only been married about two years, and we'd got along grand together; but times was hard, and I had to jump at the first chance of a job, and leave her with her people, an' go up-country.”

 

He paused and fumbled² with his pipe until all ears were brought to bear on him.

 

“She was a beauty, and no mistake; she was far too good for me—I often wondered how she came to have a chap like me.”

 

He paused again, and the others thought over it—and wondered too, perhaps.

 

The joker opened his lips to speak, but altered his mind about it.

 

“Well, I travelled up into Queensland, and worked back into Victoria 'n' South Australia, an' I wrote home pretty reg'lar and sent what money I could. Last I got down on to the south-western coast of South Australia—an' there I got mixed up with another woman—you know what that means, boys?”

 

Sympathetic silence.

 

“Well, this went on for two years, and then the other woman drove me to drink. You know what a woman can do when the devil's in her?”

 

Sound between a sigh and a groan³ from Lally Thompson. “My oath,” he said, sadly.

 

“You should have made it three years, Jack⁴,” interposed the joker; “you said two years before.” But he was suppressed.

 

“Well, I got free of them both, at last—drink and the woman, I mean; but it took another—it took a couple of years to pull myself straight—”

 

Here the joker opened his mouth again, but was warmly requested to shut it.

 

“Then, chaps, I got thinking. My conscience began to hurt me, and—and hurt worse every day. It nearly drove me to drink again. Ah, boys, a man—if he is a man—can't expect to wrong a woman and escape scot-free in the end.” (Sigh from Lally Thompson.) “It's the one thing that always comes home to a man, sooner or later—you know what that means, boys.”

 

Lally Thompson: “My oath!”

 

The joker: “Dry up yer crimson⁵ oath! What do you know about women?”

 

Cries of “Order!”

 

“Well,” continued the story-teller, “I got thinking. I heard that my wife had broken her heart when I left her, and that made matters worse. I began to feel very bad about it. I felt mean. I felt disgusted with myself. I pictured my poor, ill-treated, little wife and children in misery⁶ and poverty, and my conscience wouldn't let me rest night or day”—(Lally Thompson seemed greatly moved)—“so at last I made up my mind to be a man, and make—what's the word?”

 

“Reparation,” suggested the joker.

 

“Yes, so I slaved like a nigger for a year or so, got a few pounds together and went to find my wife. I found out that she was living in a cottage in Burwood, Sydney, and struggling through the winter on what she'd saved from the money her father left her.

 

“I got a shave and dressed up quiet and decent. I was older-looking and more subdued⁷ like, and I'd got pretty grey in those few years that I'd been making a fool of myself; and, some how, I felt rather glad about it, because I reckoned she'd notice it first thing—she was always quick at noticing things—and forgive me all the quicker. Well, I waylaid⁸ the school kids that evening, and found out mine—a little boy and a girl—and fine youngsters they were. The girl took after her mother, and the youngster was the dead spit o' me. I gave 'em half a crows each and told them to tell their mother that someone would come when the sun went down.”

 

Bogan Bill nodded approvingly.

 

“So at sundown I went and knocked at the door. It opened and there stood my little wife looking prettier than ever—only careworn⁹.”

 

Long, impressive pause.

 

“Well, Jack, what did she do?” asked Bogan.

 

“She didn't do nothing.”

 

“Well, Jack, and what did she say?”

 

Jack sighed and straightened himself up: “She said—she said—'Well, so you've come back.'”

 

“Painful silence.

 

“Well, Jack, and what did you say?”

 

“I said yes.”

 

“Well, and so you had!” said Tom Moonlight.

 

“It wasn't that, Tom,” said Jack sadly and wearily—“It was the way she said it!”

 

Lally Thompson rubbed his eyes: “And what did you do, Jack?” he asked gently.

 

“I stayed for a year, and then I deserted¹⁰ her again—but meant it that time.”

 

“Ah, well! It's time to turn in.”

1 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

2 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

3 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

6 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

7 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

8 waylaid   

v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I got waylaid on my way here. 我在来这里的路上遭到了拦路抢劫。
• He was waylaid by thieves. 他在路上被抢了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 careworn   

adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的

参考例句：

• It's sad to see the careworn face of the mother of a large poor family.看到那贫穷的一大家子的母亲忧劳憔悴的脸庞心里真是难受。
• The old woman had a careworn look on her face.老妇脸上露出忧心忡忡的神色。

10 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。