They called him "Stiffner" because he used, long before,
to get a living by poisoning wild dogs near the Queensland border.
The name stuck to him closer than misfortune did, for when he rose
to the proud and independent position of landlord and sole proprietor
of an out-back pub he was Stiffner still, and his place was "Stiffner's" --
widely known.

They do say that the name ceased not to be applicable -- that it fitted
even better than in the old dingo days, but -- well, they do say so.
All we can say is that when a shearer arrived with a cheque,
and had a drink or two, he was almost invariably seized
with a desire to camp on the premises for good, spend his cheque
in the shortest possible time, and forcibly shout for everything within hail
-- including the Chinaman cook and Stiffner's disreputable old ram.

The shanty was of the usual kind, and the scenery is as easily disposed of.
There was a great grey plain stretching away from the door in front,
and a mulga scrub from the rear; and in that scrub, not fifty yards
from the kitchen door, were half a dozen nameless graves.

Stiffner was always drunk, and Stiffner's wife -- a hard-featured Amazon --
was boss. The children were brought up in a detached cottage,
under the care of a "governess".

Stiffner had a barmaid as a bait for chequemen. She came from Sydney,
they said, and her name was Alice. She was tall, boyishly handsome,
and characterless; her figure might be described as "fine" or "strapping",