8o MYOLA CHAP. 
Other side of the range we passed a coach and ex- 
changed greetings. At Cassidy Creek we stayed the 
night, and after a very early start reached Georgetown 
next day as the sun went down. 
This town is the centre of a large mining district. 
I thought the hotel a palace after the roughness of 
those we had passed, our dinner tasted good, and my 
late misfortunes vanished like mist. With the luxury 
of bath, clean sheets, and a real spring bed, I was soon 
lulled in a dreamy sleep and never stirred until nine 
next morning. Mrs. S. was quite genial as she 
brought me my breakfast, and could afford now to 
laugh over our past grievances. 
There was a funeral that day, and a '' wake " which 
she looked upon as a holy sort of enjoyment She had 
found a congenial friend too, in the landlady, so her 
cup of happiness was full, and beyond bringing me 
my breakfast in the morning, I saw nothing more 
of her. 
My only friends were two little children, boy and 
girl, who used to come to the window and watch me 
painting. They introduced themselves to me the first 
morning by asking *' if I was the lady that was bringed 
there by the other lady ? — then was I the lady what 
Daddy said warn't much to look at ? " I took all the 
compliments to myself! They asked every imaginable 
question, most of them unanswerable. I took them for 
a drive one day on the edge of the lagoon ; the little 
girl, who looked about four, told me that " Daddy shot 
er angel here once." " What did he do with it ? " I 
asked. "Oh," replied the child, "we ate its body, 
and Mother put its tail in her hat " ; I concluded from 
this that it was some sort of bird, probably a white 
crane. I had one other friend, Billy, a black man, who 
wore one garment, more tatters than shirt Billy was 
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