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month they go out duck-shooting by the river. Bill gets six, which are taken to the Rutherfords
and eaten on Monday night.
On Friday, 10 September, Bill orders a new serge suit from Paddy Ryan for £4.15.0. So does
Hughie. Jack orders a pair of trousers.
In the last full week of September they load 79 tons 17 cwt of cane onto the trucks, from which
they make just under £5. Bill is still coughing, and a third bottle of cod-liver oil is sent by his
wife. In its absence he uses salad oil.
His protestations of love increase, as does his anxiety about her loneliness and, conversely, her
social activities. It seems he wishes her to be nun-like in his absence and as solitary and as
apparently unsociable as he is. Not much of enjoyment is ever mentioned in his letters, only the
anticipated happiness of their reunion. He gets 'a little narked' when one of her twice-weekly
replies fails to appear - 'I feel a bit put out'. But their love remains his abiding concern, his
reason for living. He strives to articulate what he feels. Sometimes he succeeds.
On 7 September he writes: 'I must still tell you how I love you, it helps me so much. I love you
still with that never fading love, a love that you need never fear will ever die. As I grow older it
grows stronger and it makes me do my work well my dear. I have something to be proud of in
you, and when Len and Will grows up to be men, they will also look at their mother with pride
and think how they will love you for your hard toil now. It is true dear what I say. It is hard to
find many good men and women in this world dear. Well my love dont think 1 am trying to be
nice, but 1 mean all I say.'
Local elections take place on Saturday, 2 October, Bill has a cold.
He writes: 'We went over to the McDesme school this morning at about 9 oclock and voted
with the Absentees. We did not go in to Ayr tonight... I hope you voted but I hope you did not
go up the street. I suppose you seen a lot you knew at the Polling Booth and I hope you went
up with Tom and Agg...' Later: 'I have been wondering all day how you got on voteing and who
you saw up Town the same old tale jealous, but I know you are a good girl.'
An errant husband - it seems he abandoned his wife in Charters Towers -turns up on Sunday, 3
October, Esther's birthday. This is Southy (Jack Southward), whose wife, Nell, has had a child
in his absence.
Bill: 'They say it is hard to prove who's youngster it is.' Southy's return is to be kept quiet by the
cane-cutters. 'He looks very well,' writes Bill. 'He is terrible fat. he has been working in a butter
factory down at Brisbane... He asked how you all were but never said anything of Nell. I said
are you going up to the Towers Xmas and he said (bugger the Towers) and turned colour. I
think he would have like to have a pitch, but he had Joe Thompson waiting in the trap, he said
he would come up some night through the week and have a talk of old times... He said the
reason he left was he got into trouble here, he told us all of it but I could not explain it all here...
I think he would have liked to say something before, but did not know how. Well my dear men
are deceitful, but I can truly say I am true to you...'
Southy visits again on the night of Monday, 11 October.
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'He stayed till 11 oclock Jack him and I all down at the trucks in our working togs pitching. He
asked after every one and then he asked how Nell was getting on. he said poor old Nell she has
never answered my letter yet and that was all he said of her. he wanted us to say more of her I
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