A Feast
Andrew had worked the boys
hard all day, and finally to their relief, they were now heading for home. They
were coming to realise that running a farm was no easy task; by dusk, they
barely had the strength to walk to their grandparent’s house.
‘Crikey, Joe, how does
granddad do this every day? He’s as old as the hills!’
Andrew overheard Daniel’s
smart remark and laughed. ‘He might be as old as the hills, Daniel, but he’s
as tough as old boots. Even I have trouble keeping up with him. The older
he gets, the tougher and crankier he seems to become.’
Almost at their
grandparent’s, the boys caught sight of their mother and grandmother making
their way down to the house. Daniel gave out a cooeeee at the top of his lungs
and waved to catch their attention.
Catherine started running
towards them, waving her arms above her head like a woman possessed.
‘Crikey, Joe, what’s
wrong with mother?’ Daniel wondered. The two boys broke into a run.
‘What is it, mother?
What’s happened?’
Trying to catch her breath,
Catherine at last found voice to convey the news of the long-awaited letter from
their father. Joseph and Daniel began jumping around the paddock like they had a
nest of angry bull ants in their trousers.
‘Settle down, you two!’
said Catherine, laughing. ‘Get yourselves cleaned up and I’ll read you the
letter after tea.’ She could not remember the last time she was so happy and
wished the moment would last forever.
Agnes was as relieved and
excited as Catherine. She decided to prepare a special tea to celebrate the
letter from her son. From the sideboard cupboard she pulled out an old lace
tablecloth her mother had given her and spread it across John’s parents’
dining table. For some reason it just seemed appropriate. The silver cutlery was
laid out around the table, accompanied with the best glassware Agnes could
offer. Andrew and the boys were starving, and tonight’s tea was going to be
much later than usual. But who cared? This was going to be a celebration worth
waiting for.
It was now half past seven
and the only thing that could ease the sound of their rumbling stomachs was the
tantalising smell of roast beef that wafted its way throughout the whole house.
At last, the family heard the news they were eagerly anticipating: ‘Okay,
everyone, tea’s ready; come and get it!’
Just as the boys were making
a mad dash to the table, Andrew caught them both by the collar. ‘Steady on,
men -- I’m the eldest so I go first.’
Daniel looked at his brother
and crouched behind Andrew’s legs. With one almighty push, Joseph sent Andrew
reeling backwards across his brother and onto the floor. By the time he got to
his feet, Joseph and Daniel were already at the table and in fits of laughter.
Andrew shook his head and
smiled. ‘There’s no doubt about it -- you’re Delaneys all right.’
Settling
down at the table, all eyes were now staring at the fine spread that lay
steaming on the table in front of them: fresh green peas, baked potatoes,
carrots, dumplings, roast beef and gravy. It was a mouth watering sight indeed.
Agnes started grace, asking for the safe return of her son, while Catherine
gazed at the joy that radiated from the faces of her family. For the moment, the
sorrow of her father’s death and the problems with the bank receded from her
mind. All she could think about was Michael, and how this man thousands of miles
away could reach out and bring so much love and happiness with the stroke of a
pen.
The dining room was soon
filled with laughter and chatter as they remembered the good times when Michael
was home. Agnes finished the fine meal with slices of fresh bread pudding she
had baked during the day. It was John’s favourite, and she had baked it as a
treat for his return from Benalla. She knew he wouldn’t mind, and only wished
that he too was sitting at the head of the table with them, sharing and
celebrating Michael’s long-awaited letter.
When all was finished at the
table, Catherine quieted everyone down and started to read the letter, again
holding back the words that were meant for her alone. For the first time all
evening, there was complete silence. When she had finished reading, Andrew got
up from his seat and walked outside into the cool night air. He took a deep
breath and looked up at the million stars that stretched across the southern sky
until they disappeared behind the black silhouette of the distant ranges.
‘What’s wrong with Uncle
Andrew, grandma?’ asked Daniel.
‘Don’t worry,’ she
replied, ‘he’ll be okay. He just misses his brother.’
Agnes waited for a few
minutes and then joined her youngest son outside. ‘Are you all right, Andrew?
You seem a little upset.’
‘I am, mother,’ he said
angrily. ‘I feel guilty of being here and not fighting this bloody war
with Michael. You know how much I want to go. Every time I bring it up I get the
same answer -- “We need you here!” I feel totally useless. How can ploughing
and fixing fences day in and day out help win this war?’
Agnes understood how
frustrated he must feel. She looked him squarely in the eyes. ‘Andrew, if
every farmer decided to pack up and go to war, where do you think it would leave
this country? Who’s going to supply the food that feeds those poor men?
Don’t you realise that this is precisely what those men and boys are
fighting for? And that also includes your brother. Someone has to look
after things at home. You can’t expect your father to work the farm by
himself. We need you here, and so does Michael. Remember what he wrote in his
letter.’
Andrew returned his gaze to
the starry sky, trying to wipe a tear from his eye without her noticing. Agnes
gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and walked back inside.
He had heard his mother’s
words, but found them difficult to accept. For the time being he would abide by
his parents’ wishes, but he didn’t know how much longer he would hold out.
It was now way past bed
time. Catherine thanked Agnes for the wonderful meal and said goodnight.
Unbeknownst to their mother, however, the boys had other matters on their minds.
Before retiring to bed, Joseph informed her they would like to return to school
in the morning, if it was okay.
‘If that’s what you
want,’ she said, ‘but don’t keep me waiting for you in the morning. I have
to get to the store.’
Joseph had to think fast.
‘Oh you needn’t wait. We’ll go in with Fred McAllister.’
Catherine paused, not sure
if that was such a good idea. For some strange reason, whenever her boys were in
trouble Fred was frequently involved. But it would be easier if she didn’t
have to wait for them to get ready for school.
‘You go straight to
school, young man, and no trouble. Then come round to the shop at half
past three.’
Agreeing to his mother’s
conditions, Joseph joined his waiting brother in the bedroom; their plans for
tomorrow’s adventure still had to be finalised.
‘Okay,
Danny, listen up.’ Joseph kept his voice to a whisper. ‘I’ve been thinking
of a plan all day and this is what I’ve come up with.’
Daniel listened intently.
‘First of all we have to
gather supplies for the day,’ Joseph began. ‘As soon as mother falls asleep
we’ll raid the pantry. There’s an empty flour bag in the sideboard drawer we
can use to carry the stuff. When we’ve got enough supplies, we’ll hide the
bag in our bedroom wardrobe, okay?’
Daniel nodded
enthusiastically, and Joseph continued.
‘At seven o’clock, after
mother has left for work, I’ll go down to the stable to get Sally.’
Daniel immediately
interrupted. ‘Sally! You must be mad, Joe; Uncle Andrew will notice she’s
gone.’
‘No, he won’t, Danny. He
normally feeds the horses at six o’clock and then he’ll be going up to the
far north paddock to fix the rest of that fencing we were working on this
afternoon. I’ve thought this all through.’
Daniel, still with a sense
of uncertainty, nodded his head.
‘Right. Danny, I need you
to keep grandma occupied while I lead Sally up to our place.’
‘How will I do that,
Joe?’
‘I
don’t know, you idiot, use that tiny brain of yours.’ Shaking his head at
his brother’s lack of imagination, Joseph went on. ‘When we have Sally up at
the back of our place, we’ll lead her into the bush a few yards and follow the
fenceline until we reach the rise. I’ve told Fred to wait for us there, but to
keep out of sight on the other side of the fence.’
‘How far do you think it
is?’ Danny asked. ‘We don’t want to get lost in the bush.’
Joseph reached under his bed
and pulled out a compass he had got from his grandfather for his tenth birthday.
‘See this, Danny? This will lead us to the falls and to whatever is waiting
for us.’
It was half past ten when
Joseph eased the door open to his mother’s bedroom. All was well; his mother
lay fast asleep and the first part of their plan would now begin. Joe filled a
flour bag with a half loaf of bread, three tins of sardines, six biscuits, a tin
of corned beef and a can opener. Under the glow of a lighted match the boys
searched the rest of the pantry and were now satisfied they had enough; after
all, they would only be gone for a few hours. With the bag of supplies
hidden in the wardrobe, Joseph went through the plan once more with Daniel. At
last the two boys retreated to their beds, totally exhausted.
‘Wake up, you two, it’s
time to get up. It’s half past six and we’re all running late.’ It was the
sound of their mother’s voice, and the boys couldn’t believe their ears. It
only seemed like five minutes ago that they went to sleep. Joseph jumped out of
bed and started getting dressed while Daniel stood in the middle of the floor
half dazed until he realised today was the beginning of their great adventure.
Gulping down the last mouthful of tea, Catherine reminded the boys she would see
them at half past three at the shop, gave them a kiss, and was gone.
Joseph watched from the
front window until their mother had reached the road leading past their
grandparents’ house. ‘All clear, Danny! It’s now five to seven. You go
down and keep grandma occupied. I’ll wait until five past seven and them I’m
off to get Sally. Whatever you do, Danny, you mustn’t let her see me until
I’ve got Sally back to our place and out of sight.’
After
assuring his brother to leave everything to him, Daniel, brimming with
confidence, headed for his grandmother’s kitchen door. He found his
grandmother right where he thought she would be, at the kitchen sink. Her sharp
eyes were staring out of the window and taking in every blade of grass and
living creature that moved.
‘Good morning, grandma!’
Before Daniel could utter
another word, he was confronted with a barrage of questions.
‘Where’s your brother,
Daniel? Are you going to school today? Joseph isn’t sick, is he?’
Unprepared for such an
unexpected interrogation, Daniel started to lose his composure.
‘Nnnno, Grandma; we’re
going to school with Freddy McAllister this morning, aaand Joe is still getting
ready.’
Daniel tried to hold her
gaze, convincing himself he could get through this if he could just remain calm.
His grandmother’s eyes seemed to be burning down into his very heart and soul.
Agnes had her back to the window but Daniel could see Joseph skulking his way
across the paddock and heading for the stable. All he needed was for her to turn
around and the game was up. Daniel, by this time in a state of desperation,
grabbed at his leg and started howling like a banshee. ‘My leg, my leg, I
think I broke it!’
‘Why, you were just fine
when you came in here a minute ago,’ Agnes said, bending down for a closer
look. ‘Where does it hurt?’
‘Oh, oh, everywhere,
Grandma!’ With an exaggerated limp Daniel made his way into the living room
with Agnes close on his heels. He flopped onto the sofa, his crocodile tears a
crucial part of his unrehearsed performance.
‘My dear boy, let me see
your leg!’ Agnes tried to inspect the injury but Daniel made it even more
difficult by throwing himself onto the floor, clutching his knee to his chest,
and rolling around like a maniac.
Agnes lifted him back onto
the sofa and grabbed his calf in both hands with the strength of ten men. ‘Now
settle down, I think it’s just a cramp. Those do hurt.’ She vigorously kneaded his muscles between her strong
hands until Daniel began to feel real pain.
‘That’s enough, grandma!
Please stop! I think it’s starting to get better!’
Daniel lurched off the sofa
onto a leg that was now totally numb, and felt his knee give way beneath him.
Flailing toward the closest means of support, he grabbed hold of a delicate
stand displaying a bone china vase that had been there ever since he could
remember. A second later, the vase lay in pieces across the living room floor.
‘My beautiful vase, my
beautiful vase!’ cried Agnes as she fell to the floor on her hands and knees,
frantically gathering up the endless pieces of china. Daniel was not only
paralysed but speechless.
‘I think you’d better
find your brother and start for school before you cause any more damage.’
Not waiting to be told
twice, Daniel, with the blood flowing once more in his crippled leg, put it to
good use as he ran back to his house. Joseph had returned unnoticed with Sally
and was waiting in the back yard.
‘How did it go, Danny?’
asked Joseph.
Trying with great difficulty
to catch his breath Daniel replied, ‘Well, I wouldn’t bother going back to
grandma’s for a while Joe…..I don’t think she’s all that interested in
seeing us off to school this morning.’
Joseph could not imagine
what his young brother had done to cause Grandma to have that kind of reaction,
but knowing Daniel, thought it best to leave well enough alone. Grabbing their
hats and supplies, and with the map secure in Joseph’s pocket, the boys led
Sally through the bush and followed the fenceline that led to the waiting Fred
McAllister.
It was half past seven,
Friday morning, on the 23rd of June, 1916. This would be a date the
Delaney family would remember for the rest of their lives.
STAY
TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!
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