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Oneel 7.6.0
Wee Waa
15 March 1907
My dear old Maurice
Yours 0f the 30th June just arrived
not a very hurried Jaunt Think you, but
never the less very welcome to me. Am always
so pleased to hear of your doings, and no doubt
you have luck. To have your house
smashed is hard lines, but to lose your
box, port and bed your only comfort is
what I call rotten luck, but you seem
cheerful with it all and just as well too
whining would do no good and as Jimmy
Soaber would always say try the b----d again.
Your trip to Mab’s or rather the return was
not all that could be desired- when
a chap is to sleep on bamboo poles
his luck smells a bit. I reckon what
a fine specimen of lout you must have
looked. Shirt with one sleeve, trousers with
one pocket, shoes tied together and very
much draggled- What would Mab have
though if she had seen you then.
How is the dear little girl?
You have a fine number trees in now
if only they were leaving, when as they start
to bear. If you could only get your produce
away easily and freely what a difference it would
make. we have little trouble getting ours away
now. A platform a mile and a half from the doorstep and
about the same from the woolshed, but the trouble
is to get something to send away- Ewes will breed
two lambs a year but only one fleece, and there is
nothing else to send but the carcass. We have
about 9,000 wethers to send down during the winter
the are very fat and should be really prime by
July - have had great seasons of late and this summer
beats all. Have had 2 ½ inches of rain this week
just as the feed began to dry a bit and just in
time for 22,000 Ewes that have commenced to drop,
so they should give good account of themselves.
Should have fifty or sixty thousand to shear
next August and all should cut great fleece--
I am looking out hard for a management still.
It is rotten not to be able to get a home of some
sort and settle down. Have had a chance or two but with
people I would not go to- Good old jack Mc. is ever
on the alert and has a place in view now in Qland.
He has written down below to find out particulars.
It may be a rotten place who knows.
I could have the Parson’s cottage here as it is empty
but you know old lad that, that is not my style
if I can possibly as better bring my dear old girl
to a small cottage and share, £150 p a and keep.
it may be all right for some but it is not what I wish
to bring my wife to. I thought one time that
I would have the management here but the place is
very deeply involved and it will not pay Mr. Q.
to retire and pay a manager while he can still do it- If
we had a few more of these bonser years, say
three or four, then he may retire but you know
that, if, is an ugly word to get rid of. Mr. Q
advises me to stay try and get a place of my own, but one
with such limited means has to start in such a
small way that it is rather a steep ladder to climb
for a man of my age. No doubt if I had bought a small
place three years ago I would have coined money as all
have done about here for the past few years. It is
a wonderful country in good seasons but a b- in
bad ones- Harry is doing well at Gunning and poor
old Ned is doing very well at Surveying, has more work
that he can do of course. You know he has leased
Jumble and has rented the opp. 1,000 acres only, and had
all that burned out a while back. Just managed to save the
house, but they got heavy rain shortly after and any amount
of feed soon came. Fred is a queer Curs and lives
all his time about Jumble etc. droving and such like and
never goes over to see his wife. I fancy I see
myself away from my wife for months at a time.
Not if I know it. Derby at last joined the
benedicts and I suppose will soon have a tribe like
the rest , Mrs. Fred has one--
Great Amateur Races Walgets- 10th and 11th April,. A very big
affair
I believe this year, Girlie Molly Dale (Narralie) Cousins,
are to go down. Nell Druits another cousin is or will be
back in Walgets for them. Nell can’t get on with her step mother
too well so spends most of her time away. Don’t know that I
shall go to Walgets- I want to go up to Tenterfield in June
and don’t want to be away to much, but goodness knows I
go away little, rarely leave Oneel I had three weeks with
my girl and her people at Tenerfield at Xmas- I think I told
you in my last letter all about the holiday.
Very few of the family at home now- One married, two in Tasmania
and two at school in Sydney, only five youngest here, and rotten
little
cows they are- They appear to me to get worse every week, one
of the little cows comes in front of visitors etc. and catches me by
my
diddles and says. Is that your knife. She has done it several
times. Will send Ray’s last letter to you so you can see how
things are over that way --- Good by old lad and very best
of luck be yours always is my sincere wish of
Your affectionate brother
Arthur
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