Australian Tales - Setis

I will ride over this evening and tell them we are going out to spend the
day, and ask them to come some other time; that is the most
straightforward way of doing it. Then, if you like, we will take some
provisions with us, and go in the boat down the river to Bandicoot Brush,
and dine under the green bushes. What do you say to that, Billy,” added
Mr. Knipps, addressing his hopeful son of six years old, who sat at the
table opposite to him, eating a thick slice of bread and treacle.
“O my! that will be fun! won't it, Polly? May I take my fishing-line,
father?” said Billy, his face brightening up like a new pannikin.
“And may I take my doll's cradle, mother?” asked Polly, a merry
looking little girl, a year younger than her brother.
“Yes, yes, if you are a good girl: and baby shall have his new rattle,”
said Mrs. Knipps, looking quite pleased at the success of her opposition.
“Baby shall have his new pelisse too, bless his heart!” she continued,
speaking to a chubby-faced infant, who was lying on his back on the
floor, sucking a pewter spoon, and showing his utter contempt for
drapery. Yes, and Billy and Polly shall have their new clothes too, if they
are good: and we will spend such a merry Christmas, under the shady
trees. Yes, we will, so we will, chucky, chucky, chucky! Hey diddle
diddle!” As Mrs. Knipps gave vent to the last expressive sentiments, she
seized her baby and tossed and tickled him, until the little fellow crowed
with infantile ecstacy, while his brother and sister cut all sorts of merry
capers, in the overflowing of their joyful anticipations; and made father
laugh till he dropped his pipe from between his teeth, whereupon they all
laughed in chorus.
Mr. Knipps owned a small farm on one of the rivers to the north; but,
somehow or other, as he himself expressed it, he could not get on in the
world. To be sure he had had three consecutive seasons of disaster. Once
he had been flooded out, and twice his crops were ruined by rust; still, he
could see that some of his neighbours, who had been equally unfortunate,
and who had rent to pay, were far better off than himself, and he could
not comprehend it at all, for he thought he worked as hard as any of
them. He had given Mr. Gritts, the storekeeper, an equitable mortgage
over his farm, and that circumstance troubled him very much, for he had
inherited the homestead from his late father, who, good, honest, old man,
had a greater dread of liens and mortgages than he had of floods or
droughts.
* * * * *
Soon after breakfast, on Christmas morning, Mr. Knipps baled his boat
out, and spread some empty corn-sacks in the bottom of it, while Mrs.
Knipps packed into a bushel basket, sundry creature comforts,
comprising a piece of pickled pork, and some cold cabbage; a boiled