Some Everyday Folk and Dawn

Dandy or "dandy fine" Something meeting with unqualified approval. Galoot A rube A yokel—a heavy country fellow. Larrikin A hoodlum. Moke A common knockabout horse. Narked Sore Vexed—to have lost the temper. Gin Squaw An aboriginal woman. Quod Jail. Sollicker Somewhat equivalent to "corker" Something excessive. Toff A "sport" or "swell guy" A well-dressed individual—sometimes of the upper ten. Two "bob" Fifty cents Two shillings. To graft To "dig in" To work hard and steadily. To scoot To vamoose or skidoo To leave hastily and unceremoniously. To smoodge To be a "sucker" To curry favour at the expense of independence. "Gives me the pip" "Makes me tired" Bores. "On a string" } Trifling with him. "Pulling his leg" } Kookaburra A giant kingfisher with grey plumage and a merry, mocking, inconceivably human laugh—a killer of snakes, and a great favourite with Australians. Some Everyday Folk and Dawn. ONE. CLAY'S. The summer sun streamed meltingly down on the asphalted siding of the country railway station and occasioned the usual grumbling from the passengers alighting from the afternoon express. There were only three who effect this narrative—a huge, red-faced, barrel-like figure that might have served to erect as a monument to the over-feeding in vogue in this era; a tall, spare, old fellow with a grizzled beard, who looked as though he had never known a succession of square feeds; and myself, whose physique does not concern this narrative. Having surrendered our tickets and come through a down-hill passage to the dusty, dirty, stony, open space where vehicles awaited travellers, the usual corner "pub."—in this instance a particularly dilapidated one—and three tin kangaroos fixed as weather-cocks on a dwelling over the way, and turning hither and thither in the hot gusts of wind, were the first objects to arrest my attention in the town of Noonoon, near the river Noonoon, whereaway it does not particularly matter. The next were the men competing for our favour in the matter of vehicular conveyance. The big man, by reason of his high complexion, abnormal waist measurement, expensive clothes, and domineering manner, which proclaimed him really a lord of creation, naturally commanded the first and most obsequious attention, and giving his address as "Clay's," engaged the nearest man, who then turned to me. "Where might you be going?" "To Jimmeny's Hotel." "Right O! I can just drop you on the way to Clay's," said he; and…