Australian Tales - Setis

gooseberry?” He is sixty-five years old if he is a fortnight, while the girl
has only just done with her dolls, and has no more love for the toothless
old toddler than I have for Mammy Wombat, the black gin. Poor little
puss, she is bedazzled by the glitter of his money, the idea of a grand
wedding, and riding to church in a coach. I dare say it is rare fun for her
to prattle with her playfellows about her fine house, and her dear old
fogey who doats upon her, but I doubt if she has bestowed five minutes
serious thought on the responsibilities she is taking upon herself; much
less has she foreseen the gloomy reality of being tied to a ricketty old
man, whose temperament is as opposite to her own as June is to January.
I pity her, poor thing, but as for Jabez — well, perhaps I had better not
say all I think of him, or I may be thought uncivil. I will say though, that
he ought to have common sense enough to know that a giddy girl will not
make him a good wife. In his long life he has doubtless seen scores of
homes made wretched by want of sympathy and unity of feeling, and he
cannot reasonably expect much of those social virtues from a girl young
enough to be his grand-daughter. Pshaw! I have no patience with the old
gander! But I consider it is positively wrong to sit still and see a silly
couple plunge into misery, so I am determined to stop them, if warning
words will do it.”
“Ugh! stop them indeed! you may as well try to stop a train by
whistling ‘Cockabendy,’ ” growled Mrs. Grouts. “They will be tied
together, as tightly as you and I are, before this day week in spite of all
you can say. The little minx told our Betsy last night, that she will jingle
the mildew off the old boy's money as soon as she can coax the keys of
the cash box from him; so it is plain enough what she is marrying for,
and I'll bet you a penny she will bolt off with young Ben Spry before she
is a year older. As for Jabez he is up to his eyes in love, as the saying is,
and all the words in the dictionary won't cure him, so don't bother
yourself in trying, master; that's my advice. You had better take warning
by what your Uncle Dick got for himself when interfering in a similar
case. You know he had to wear a bob wig, all his days, to hide the mark
of the hot fire-shovel on his crown.”
“I don't care for hot fire-shovels if they are in the way of duty,” said
Mr. Grouts, bravely. “I mean to use my influence with Kitty's mother, if
Jabez won't listen to reason.”
“Poogh! that's no use neither, for she told me only yesterday she knew
Gummy would make her girl a good husband. ‘To be sure he is older
than Kitty,’ said she, but that isn't of much account now a days; you often
see such disparities. He is a healthy man, though rather skinny, and he is
as merry and frisky as she every bit; besides, he is not so old as folks say,
and is able to provide handsomely for her, so I don't see that it is such a
bad match as the times go. He is doatingly fond of her, there is no doubt
of that, and Kitty will like anybody who is kind to her.’ Those are the