Australian Tales - Setis

folks yonder be looking, it's real honest courting with us; give us a hearty
smacker, to bind the bargain, and show that thee bee'st in earnest. Lor
love ee lass! thee'st made my heart as light as a yeast dumpling.”
Phoebe might have borrowed the language of Shakespere's King Henry
the Eighth, and said: —
“Sweetheart:
I were unmannerly to take you out,
And not to kiss you.”
But though she did not use such courtly words, her actions were in
effect warmly expressive of the sentiment; for she heartily kissed
Jonathan, or what amounts to almost the same thing, she allowed him to
salute her plummy lips, with a smack like a small stock-whip, without
even saying “don't.”
Having thus extracted the thorn from his heart, she next volunteered to
extract the brier from his nose, with the pin of her gold brooch; and after
she had done that cleverly, Jonathan kissed her again for her services;
then she dusted his jacket, and straightened his hat, and away they
walked towards the hills of Ryde, talking as they went of their future
plans and prospects, and looking as happy as the little birds which filled
the air with harmony.
It would be tedious to follow them and try to depict their joys; suffice
to say it was a delightful day to them, notwithstanding their ups and
downs. They rambled about, arm in arm, and talked freely of their future
home and happiness, while their hearts were as glad as honest love could
make them.
“I tell thee what it is, lass, I'll vind out who owns that cow what tossed
me head over heels, and I'll buy 'en. Her is a real likely-looking beast,
and got some mettle in her too; if it hadn't been for her heaving me into
the hedge, I'm veared I shouldn't have had the face to tell thee I loved
thee to-day; I was so mortal shy and timid like. What a great gorby I be
to be sure, to have been sighing and grizzling so long, and scared to look
at such a pretty face as thee has got, Phoebe. Why, making love is as
easy as sticking peas, when a man means what he says; he needn't be
ashamed to speak out plump and plain, in his own simple way, when he
means to do what is right and straightforward. That's my notion, lass.
Those great, lazy, chuckle-headed schemers, who whisper soft lies into
the ears of silly maids, on purpose to lead them astray; those are the