At breakfast Dan expressed surprise because there was no milk, and the
pleasantry being well received, he considered the moment ripe for one of
his pet theories.
"She'll do for this place!" he said, wagging his head wisely. "I've been
forty years out-bush, and I've known eight or ten women in that time, so
I ought to know something about it. Anyway, the ones that could see jokes
suited best. There was Mrs. Bob out Victoria way. She'd see a joke a
mile off; sighted 'em as soon as they got within cooee. Never knew her
miss one, and never knew anybody suit the bush like she did." And, as we
packed up and set out for the last lap of our journey he was still
ambling about his theory. "Yes," he said, "you can dodge most things out
bush; but you can't dodge jokes for long. They'll run you down sooner or
later"; adding with a chuckle, "Never heard of one running Mrs. Bob
down, though. She always tripped 'em up before they could get to her."
Then finding the missus had thrown away a "good cup of tea just because a
few flies had got into it," he became grave.
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