The Man at Mulera Read Online Free PDF Page B

wife. And I know a couple of planters... “
    “ No planters, ” she said firmly. “ If Mr. Gilmore is a sample, I ’ ll keep clear of them! ”
    “ You ’ ve really got it in for Ross, haven ’ t you , ” he said with a delighted grin. “ I must tell him what he ’ s up against . ”
    “ He knows, ” she said resignedly, “ and he ’ s not impressed. You see, he ’ s self-sufficient—people don ’ t mean much to him. I suppose he ’ s giving all his time and energy to making a success of Mulera. He might be quite different if he ’ d married. ”
    He looked thoughtful, nodded. “ Maybe he will marry soon. ”
    “ Really? Is she someone who lives here? ”
    “ Yes—my sister. ” He moved regretfully and opened the car door. “ Ross will be wondering where I ’ ve got to. Will you come over to the house one afternoon? I ’ ll send for you. ”
    “ I ’ d love it. ”
    “ Can ’ t be too soon. Let ’ s say tomorrow at four. I ’ m already looking forward to it. ”
    “ So am I, Mr. Craddock. Goodbye. ”
    That afternoon Lou determinedly made out a set of simple lessons for Keith. When he had had his rest she told him about them, and found him completely unreceptive.
    Surprised, she asked him, “ Don ’ t you want to learn to read? ”
    “ No, ” he said without emphasis. “ I don ’ t like books. ”
    “ Picture books? ”
    “ I ’ ve to rn all mine. ”
    “ I can get you some new ones. ”
    “ No, ” he answered uncompromisingly. “ I don ’ t want lessons. ”
    This was something unexpected. She wondered if perhaps his mother had mentioned school, and he was subconsciously refusing Lou because only his mother would know what was right for him.
    She smiled and said softly, “ There ’ s no hurry. Some time you ’ ll just ache to be able to read and write. Can you count your marbles? ”
    “ I can count twenty, but I ’ ve got more. ”
    “ Now that you have a little bag for them we might count them all and write it down in a notebook, so that you ’ ll know if you lose some. ”
    “ I don ’ t want to write, ” he said. “ I ’ m going to the kitchen for lemonade. ”
    Lou left it there; even though a shutter seemed to have come down between herself and the child she was not perturbed. There were many ways of getting him interested in learning without his being in the least aware of it. But the following morning the subject came up again, with Ross present.
    Ross came at eleven. He slammed the door of the estate car and sauntered into the living-room, where Lou was at last sorting through the papers she had taken from the writing-table drawer.
    “ Good morning, Louise, ” he said suavely. “ How goes it? ”
    “ Fairly well, ” she answered, with the coolness she involuntarily reserved for him. “ Like some tea? ”
    “ Matey or polite? ”
    “ Polite, ” she said briefly.
    “ I ’ ll go without then. ” But he was not put out. He hitched his trousers and slipped down on to a chair close to hers, at the desk. “ What are you finding? ”
    “ Very little. Receipts, one or two old letters from England. And there ’ s a postcard from the Far East signed by Elinor Weston. I remember her vaguely. ”
    “ Dick mentioned her once. A sister with a murky past, wasn ’ t she? ”
    “ Not murky—troubled. If there were an address I ’ d write to her. ”
    “ Nothing else? ”
    She shook her head. “ Shall I destroy all this? ”
    “ May as well. ” He sat back and looked at the young and graceful lines of her face. “ You ’ re sprouting a few freckles; haven ’ t you a hat with a wide brim? ”
    “ No. I don ’ t mind freckles. ”
    “ Even though they make you look younger than ever? ”
    “ Is that a bad thing? ”
    “ It ’ s slightly irritating, ” he said calmly. “ Has your hair always been streaky? ”
    “ Pretty well. Is that something else you dislike? ”
    “ No, I rather like it, though you might wear it in a more sophisticated