at the second, you could see that he was starving.
About a fortnight later the same man walked into the store at Macdonald's station, and young Parker cried out in surprise across the ledger—
'Jim-of-the-Whim!'
There was nothing surprising about Jim's return, though he had never before stayed away quite so long. What was surprising was the urban cut and texture of his clothes. Parker attempted to interrogate him lightly on the point, but got short answers. The fact was, the clothes were Jim's wedding garments, which had been made for him immediately after his arrival in Wagga, and which he would not part with though everything else had to go to buy him bread, while he waited for the bride who never came.
Parker gave up the dress riddle, and informed Jim that he had come back in the nick of time, his successor at the whim having that very morning rolled up his swag, got his cheque, and gone.
At the news Jim's eyes lighted up ever so little.
