"Father--father, I"m goin"!"

A shuddering groan broke from Mason"s lips, and then all was quiet.

Bob had taken off his hat to wipe his, forehead, and his face, in spite of its disfigurement, was strangely like the face of the stone-like man opposite.

For a moment they looked at one another across the body of the child, and then Bob said quietly:

"He never knowed."

"What does it matter?" said Mason gruffly; and, taking up the dead child, he walked towards the hut.

It was a very sad little group that gathered outside Mason"s but next morning. Martin"s wife had been there all the morning cleaning up and doing what she could. One of the women had torn up her husband"s only white shirt for a shroud, and they had made the little body look clean and even beautiful in the wretched little hut.

One after another the fossickers took off their hats and entered, stooping through the low door. Mason sat silently at the foot of the bunk with his head supported by his hand, and watched the men with a strange, abstracted air.

Bob had ransacked the camp in search of some boards for a coffin.

"It will be the last I"ll be able to--why--do for him," he said.

At last he came to Mrs Martin in despair. That lady took him into the dining-room, and pointed to a large pine table, of which she was very proud.

"Knock that table to pieces," she said.

Taking off the few things that were lying on it, Bob turned it over and began to knock the top off.

When he had finished the coffin one of the fossicker"s wives said it looked too bare, and she ripped up her black riding-skirt, and made Bob tack the cloth over the coffin.

There was only one vehicle available in the place, and that was Martin"s old dray; so about two o"clock Pat Martin attached his old horse Dublin to the shafts with sundry bits of harness and plenty of old rope, and dragged Dublin, dray and all, across to Mason"s hut.

The little coffin was carried out, and two gin-cases were placed by its side in the dray to serve as seats for Mrs Martin and Mrs Grimshaw, who mounted in tearful silence.

Pat Martin felt for his pipe, but remembered himself and mounted on the shaft. Mason fastened up the door of the hut with a padlock. A couple of blows on one of his sharp points roused Dublin from his reverie. With a lurch to the right and another to the left he started, and presently the little funeral disappeared down the road that led to the "town" and its cemetery.

About six months afterwards Bob Sawkins went on a short journey, and returned with a tall, bearded young man. He and Bob arrived after dark, and went straight to Mason"s hut. There was a light inside, but when Bob knocked there was no answer.

"Go in; don"t be afraid,"" he said to his companion.

The stranger pushed open the creaking door, and stood bareheaded just inside the doorway.

A billy was boiling unheeded on the fire. Mason sat at the table with his face buried in his arms.

"Father!"

There was no answer, but the flickering of the firelight made the stranger think he could detect an impatient shrug in Mason"s shoulders.

For a moment the stranger paused irresolute, and then stepping up to the table he laid his hand on Mason"s arm, and said gently:

"Father! Do you want another mate?"

But the sleeper did not--at least, not in this world.

AN ECHO FROM THE OLD BARK SCHOOL

It was the first Monday after the holidays. The children had taken their seats in the Old Bark School, and the master called out the roll as usual:

"Arvie Aspinall."... ""Es, sir."

"David Cooper."... "Yes, sir."

"John Heegard."... "Yezzer."

"Joseph Swallow."... "Yesser."

"James Bullock."... "Present."

"Frederick Swallow."... "Y"sir."

"James Nowlett."... . (Chorus of "Absent.")

"William Atkins."... (Chorus of "Absent.")

"Daniel Lyons."... "Perresent, sor-r-r."

Dan was a young immigrant, just out from the sod, and rolled his "r"s"

like a c.o.c.k-dove. His brogue was rich enough to make an Irishman laugh.

Bill was "wagging it." His own especial chum was of the opinion that Bill was sick. The master"s opinion did not coincide, so he penned a note to William"s parents, to be delivered by the model boy of the school.

"Bertha Lambert."... "Yes, "air."

"May Carey."... "Pesin", sair."

"Rose Cooper."... "Yes, sir."

"Janet Wild."... "Y-y-yes, s-sir."

"Mary Wild."...

A solemn hush fell upon the school, and presently Janet Wild threw her arms out on the desk before her, let her face fall on them, and sobbed heart-brokenly. The master saw his mistake too late; he gave his head a little half-affirmative, half-negative movement, in that pathetic old way of his; rested his head on one hand, gazed sadly at the name, and sighed.

But the galoot of the school spoilt the pathos of it all, for, during the awed silence which followed the calling of the girl"s name, he suddenly brightened up--the first time he was ever observed to do so during school hours--and said, briskly and cheerfully "Dead--sir!"

He hadn"t been able to answer a question correctly for several days.