AustLit

Account of Sir Evelyn Wood's youthful exploits in rescuing a loyal Indian from a band of mutineers after the uprising of 1857. (PB)

A musician labours in poverty and cold to create the composition that will reveal his genius to the world. Glorying in its originality he hears a lodger whistling the tune as he goes up the stairs. The musician dies in despair believing he has copied an existing work. The lodger reveals subsequently that he had heard the musician composing the air and admired it greatly. (PB)

The pursuit of bushrangers by a mixed party of soldiers and settlers - including McNamara. Bushranger Whitehead is killed early but bushranger Howe cuts off his head as arranged so the soldiers could not claim the reward. The bushrangers escape and the hunt continues with a night-time raid, the death of an officer, pursuit across a boggy swamp and the final capture of McNamara's own assigned servant who had been in league with Howe. The man kills McNamara who had been warned of his treachery in a dream. (PB)

A widow returns to an Australian town from England with her daughter. Six years later an old suitor discovers her, falls in love with the daughter, but feeling the widow still loves him decides to propose to her. She detects his purpose and seeing that her daughter returns his love lightly and self-denyingly instructs him to propose to her daughter. (PB)

A German-born vigneron leaves the selection of a suitor to his beautiful daughter and is very pleased when she chooses his favourite, the son of a neighbouring Kentish farmer. The hearty wholesome romance is lightened by a touch of devilry from her younger brothers who steal their father's food and wine in disguise. Father's German accent phonetically conveyed. The sutir's father momentarily rues that his son did not choose 'an English lass'. (PB)

The narrator tells his recently returned friend of his narrow escape the year before when - in the darkness of a seance - he proposed to substantial mother instead of her daughter. Bachelor tale. (PB)

Narrated by an old maiden aunt to her great-niece in Washington. Daughter of a rich old Virginia family she fell in love with a farmer's son in a house where they were storm-bound. Her father refuses to even consider the match and the youth dies in the 1812 War of Independence where he was a clergyman sending his love a letter written as he was dying. She lived another 70 years or so, dying as the story ends to rejoin her lover. (PB)

A beautiful Christian orphan cousin comes to stay with her five male cousins and their mother. She converts them all to prayers and Sunday observance, rescues one from drink, nurses another through illness, and dies, young - never being fully 'of the world'. (PB)

An Englishman asleep in his hammock near the jungle awakes to find himself staring at a panther in a tree. The panther finally springs but misses him - the limb broke and had a sore foot. (PB)

Visitors to a private asylum learned the history of an apparently sensible inmate. Involved in the war with the French in the West Indes he escaped from capture by breaking his word of honour. He was sent back to captivity by his English fellow officers in contempt, refused shelter by the French, and eventually shuffled back to England and madness. (PB)

Set in a hill village, a local farmer, the town carrier and a criminal, Brock, are running an illegal still under guise of a mineral water concern. Detective Brain from Melbourne with the aid of a camera finds Brock who he wants for murder and alerts the local constable to be still . Brain is nearly killed in Brock's trap - to flood the still cellar - but the constable saves him. The farmer's son marries the carrier's daughter - but not before the old man is killed for his money by Brock. Includes a kindly but stern maiden aunt. The town grows with the railroad in later years. (PB)

On the horrors of learning to ride a bicycle and falling off. Good for doctors' health only. (PB)