so we took the job to keep us going till something else turned up.
`Better than doing nothing,' said Jack.

`There's a nice little girl in service at Black's,' he said.
`She's more like an adopted daughter, in fact, than a servant.
She's a real good little girl, and good-looking into the bargain.
I hear that young Black is sweet on her, but they say she won't have
anything to do with him. I know a lot of chaps that have tried for her,
but they've never had any luck. She's a regular little dumpling,
and I like dumplings. They call her 'Possum. You ought to try a bear
up in that direction, Joe.'

I was always shy with women -- except perhaps some that I should have
fought shy of; but Jack wasn't -- he was afraid of no woman,
good, bad, or indifferent. I haven't time to explain why,
but somehow, whenever a girl took any notice of me I took it for granted
that she was only playing with me, and felt nasty about it.
I made one or two mistakes, but -- ah well!

`My wife knows little 'Possum,' said Jack. `I'll get her
to ask her out to our place and let you know.'

I reckoned that he wouldn't get me there then, and made a note
to be on the watch for tricks. I had a hopeless little love-story behind me,
of course. I suppose most married men can look back to their lost love;
few marry the first flame. Many a married man looks back and thinks
it was damned lucky that he didn't get the girl he couldn't have.
Jack had been my successful rival, only he didn't know it --
I don't think his wife knew it either. I used to think her
the prettiest and sweetest little girl in the district.