Jenny helps Mrs Collier peg washing onto a line. At the end of the garden, a spade appears periodically, tosses mud and muck onto a heap at the side, then vanishes back down into the ditch. An unpleasant smell drifts through the air, stagnant and foul. Undoubtedly some is from the sludge being cleared from the trench, but….
“Who is he? Sometimes he’s here and sometimes he isn’t.”
“Old Jacob?” says Mrs Collier, speaking through a mouthful of pegs. “He’s just a tramp. He wanders from one place to the next, doing whatever they’ve got by way of work for as long as it lasts. He’s not the fastest worker in the world, but he’s happy enough to do the jobs others prefer to avoid.”
“Mmm,” nods Jenny. “He was helping Brett clean out the piggery earlier.”
“Yes, and I think he’s lined up to be clearing out the chicken house next week. Deep bedding’s good for over-wintering the birds, but it’s a sorry job cleaning it out come the summer.”
“Doesn’t he mind doing those sorts of jobs? It seems a bit unfair to give him all….”
She trails off as Mrs Collier gives her a sharp look. “He gets paid extra because the work’s unpleasant. And given that he doesn’t bother cleaning up or changing his clothes afterwards, I’d say he doesn’t care.”
She tugs a shirt from the basket of clean laundry, shaking out the creases with unnecessary violence before pegging it up. “He’s always offered the use of the bathroom after he’s finished the work, and I’ve never yet known him take anyone up on it. They say he had a wife once. I’d guess his habits are the reason there’s no sign of her now.” She sniffs. “If he wanted the more appealing jobs, he could work more regularly. But he doesn’t. He comes in, gets well paid and we don’t see him again until he’s drunk it all away.”
She eyes the flying muck without favour. “As it is, it’s beyond me where he gets all his money. I usually have an idea where he’s working, and he always seems to have more to spend on drink than seems reasonable to me.” She shrugs it off. “Maybe someone out there has more money than sense with what they pay him.”
An unusually rancid surge billows over them and both turn their faces away, waiting for the breeze to blow the air clean. Jenny screws her eyes up against the reek.
“Faugh!” Mrs Collier eyes her clean washing. “Perhaps I should have waited to hang these out.”
*****
like the way he looks
do
Jacob. He watches you
looking at Jenny.” He grins disarmingly, making sure his joke is understood. Jenny pokes
Chad growls, “Well, I
to elope with Old
*****
Years Ago -
how is our
well, sir, by all accounts. Growing up into a real beauty, so I am being told. I’ll see if I can obtain some photographs for you, but from the
is the source of your information, Bech? One of
let's say, sir, that he is being induced to
cool glance. “And the nature of
but he also knows there will be consequences
sounds fine, Bech. Keep me
Do you want me to make arrangements to
country right now, and for the next several months at least. I’d prefer to wait until I have the leisure to…. appreciate