short stories and anecdotes

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] She wouldn’t speak Well, we reached the pub about dinner time, dropped our swags outside, had a drink, and then went into the dinin’-room. There was a lot of jackeroo swells, that had been … [Read more...] about She wouldn’t speak [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] Bogg of Geebung At the local police court, where the subject of this sketch turned up periodically amongst the drunks, he had ‘James’ prefixed to his name for the sake of convenience and … [Read more...] about Bogg of Geebung [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] Jones’s Alley She lived in Jones’s Alley. She cleaned offices, washed, and nursed from daylight until any time after dark, and filled in her spare time cleaning her own place (which she … [Read more...] about Jones’s Alley [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] Two dogs and a fence ‘Nothing makes a dog madder,’ said Mitchell, ‘than to have another dog come outside his fence and sniff and bark at him through the cracks when he can’t get out. The … [Read more...] about Two dogs and a fence [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] The story of Malachi Malachi was very tall, very thin, and very round-shouldered, and the sandiness of his hair also cried aloud for an adjective. All the boys considered Malachi the … [Read more...] about The story of Malachi [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] Coming across — A study in the steerage We were delayed for an hour or so inside Sydney Heads, taking passengers from the Oroya, which had just arrived from England and anchored off … [Read more...] about Coming across — A study in the steerage [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] Our pipes The moon rose away out on the edge of a smoky plain, seen through a sort of tunnel or arch in the fringe of mulga behind which we were camped — Jack Mitchell and I. The ‘timber’ … [Read more...] about Our pipes [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] Mitchell: A character sketch It was a very mean station, and Mitchell thought he had better go himself and beard the overseer for tucker. His mates were for waiting till the overseer went … [Read more...] about Mitchell: A character sketch [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] In a wet season It was raining — ‘general rain.’ The train left Bourke, and then there began the long, long agony of scrub and wire fence, with here and there a natural clearing, which … [Read more...] about In a wet season [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] A visit of condolence ‘Does Arvie live here, old woman?’ ‘Why?’ ‘Strike me dead! carn’t yer answer a civil queschin?’ ‘How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin? Be … [Read more...] about A visit of condolence [short story by Henry Lawson]

[Editor: This story by Henry Lawson was published in While the Billy Boils (1896).] ‘Some Day’ The two travellers had yarned late in their camp, and the moon was getting low down through the mulga. Mitchell’s mate had just finished a rather ‘racy’ yarn, but it seemed to … [Read more...] about ‘Some Day’ [short story by Henry Lawson]