Miles Franklin

“ Men only, and they merely on business, came to Barney's Gap--women tabooed the place. Some of them told me they would come to see me, but not Mrs M'Swat, as she always allowed the children to be as rude to them as they pleased. With the few individuals who chanced to come M'Swat would sit down, light his pipe, and vulgarly and profusely expectorate on the floor, while they yarned and yarned for hours and hours about the price of wool, the probable breeding capacity of the male stock they kept, and of the want of grass--never a word about their country's politics or the events of the day ”

“ I was alone in the schoolroom next afternoon when Mr M'Swat sidled in, and after stuttering and hawing a little, delivered himself of:
"I want to tell ye that I don't hold with a gu-r-r-r-l going out of nights for to meet young men: if ye want to do any coortin' yuz can do it inside, if it's a decent young man. I have no objections to yer hangin' yer cap up to our Peter, only that ye have no prawperty--in yerself I like ye well enough, but we have other views for Peter. ”

“ As I remembered him, how lovable and superior he seemed in comparison with the men I met nowadays: not that he was any better than these men in their place and according to their lights, but his lights--at least not his lights, for Harold Beecham. was nothing of a philosopher, but the furniture of the drawing-room which they illuminated--was more artistic. ”

“ Never ye marry a man widout a bit er prawperty, me gu-r-r-r-l. Take my advice--the divil's in a poor match, no matter how good the man may be. Don't ye he in a hurry; ye're personable enough in yer way, and there's as good fish in the seas as ever come out of 'em. Yer very small; I admire a good lump of a woman meself--but don't ye lose heart. I've heerd some men say they like little girls, but, as I said, I like a good lump of a woman meself. ”