Audrey goes to Town
Chapter One
Audrey Barlow bounced as the wheels of the wooden cart hit a pothole. Although the floor was padded with blankets and what was left in the food bags, each bump jarred Audrey and her two brothers.
Douglas fell sideways, giggling. He was only three, so he giggled at nearly everything.
'Sesiting, isn't it?' said Audrey.
'Exciting.' Price tried to sit straight and tall, as though he didn't care about the roughness of the bush track or the town they would reach that afternoon. But his eyes shone.
Eucalyptus trees grew on the wide plain. Although the sand was not as red as back home, the grey saltbush was familiar. And there were tufts of green grass. Maybe it rained more in the south. A grey rabbit scurried across the track, its tail and ears flashing white.
Audrey looked up at her parents on the high front seat of the cart. Mum had been unusually quiet for most of the trip. Her face was pale. Audrey wondered if Mum's leg was hurting. Years earlier, a tank-stand had crushed it, so she walked with a limp.
Dad turned his head to peer at Audrey from beneath the brim of his battered hat. His bushy beard fluttered in the wind. 'Not far now, Two-Bob.'
She grinned. Dad always used her nickname. A swaggie called Bloke had given Audrey that name when she'd said, 'You're as crazy as a two-bob watch.'
Swaggies usually avoided towns. But Audrey could hardly wait to get there. From her home in the bush, it was three days' walk to the nearest house. And a lot more than than that to a town.
'Dad, are the houses in Beltana really right next to each other, in rows?' asked Audrey.
'Sure as eggs.'
'There won't be so many flies because there's more people to share them.' Back home, flies stuck to their backs like dark coats. Especially on north wind days.
Suddenly Mum grabbed Dad's arm. 'Stop!'
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