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y separately published work icon Over the Sliprails selected work   short story  
  • Author:agent Henry Lawson http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/lawson-henry
Issue Details: First known date: 1900... 1900 Over the Sliprails
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Contents

* Contents derived from the Sydney, New South Wales,: London,
c
England,
c
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United Kingdom (UK),
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Western Europe, Europe,:Angus and Robertson Australian Book Company , 1900 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Shanty-Keeper's Wife, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
A party of coach travellers stop at a bush shanty, hoping for a meal after an uncomfortable journey. The publican informs them his wife is ill, asks them to be quiet, and tells them that he has no food and can only offer them rum and milk. Then the horses go missing and the travellers are offered accommodation for the night, at a price.
 (p. 1-10)
A Gentleman Sharper and Steelman Sharper, Henry Lawson , single work short story
While staying in a city hotel for a spree, Steelman and Smith are targeted by a Gentleman Sharper from the Other Side. When the man tries to trick Steelman and Smith out of their wages he discovers he has met his match.
 (p. 11-21)
An Incident at Stiffner's, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Stiffner's barmaid, Alice, will put up with any liberties from the pub's patrons so long as their money lasts. But once their cheque runs out it is time to move on, as station-hand 'Old Danny' humiliatingly discovers. Alice seems heartless, but she has her secrets.
 (p. 22-31)
The Hero of Redclay, Henry Lawson , single work short story

Joe is unhappy when Jack Mitchell brings an unlikeable shearer known as 'the Lachlan' to their camp. The Lachlan stays with them for the day, then moves on. That night Mitchell tells Joe the tragic tale of Jack Drew, a journalist and sometime gold prospector, and Ruth Wilson, a girl with whom Mitchell was also in love.

 (p. 32-56)
The Darling River, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Lawson describes the oddities of travel by river boat on the Darling River. He also explains how Bourke came to acquire the reputation of being the most drunken town on the Darling.
 (p. 57-71)
A Case for the Oracle, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Mitchell joins a group of contractors, all working for The Oracle, a bricklayer, in Western Australia. One of the labourers is O'Briar, an unpopular man who keeps to himself. When voices, both male and female, are heard coming from his tent at night the workers are perplexed, but it is Mitchell who solves the mystery.
 (p. 72-80)
A Daughter of Maoriland : A Sketch of Poor-Class Maoris, Henry Lawson , single work short story
The story of Sarah Moses, a brooding sixteen-year-old Maori girl called 'August' by her new school teacher, and a man with literary ambitions who thinks he may be able to construct a romance from her story. One day August turns up on his doorstep, claiming her family have thrown her out. The teacher and his wife take her in and all goes well at first, but gradually they realise August's real intentions.
 (p. 81-93)
New Year's Night, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Johnny is supposed to be playing his violin at a New Year's Eve dance, but decides to stay home. His wife seems unwell and he is disturbed by her sadness. He finally realises it is their twentieth wedding anniversary.
 (p. 94-103)
Black Joe, Henry Lawson , single work short story
The narrator, known as White Joe, writes of his long friendship with an Aboriginal man whom he met on his uncle's station when they were both boys.
 (p. 104-112)
They Wait on the Wharf in Black : Told by Mitchell's Mate, Henry Lawson , single work short story
The narrator, Mitchell and The Oracle, are travelling back steerage from Western Australia. One of their fellow travellers, an elderly digger called Tom, is returning home because his wife has died. When they reach Sydney Tom's children are waiting on the wharf for him and Mitchell demonstrates true kindness.
 (p. 113-120)
Seeing the Last of You, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Mitchell offers his views on how departures by sea should be handled, but reveals an affection for an old aunt who always insisted on seeing him off.
 (p. 121-122)
Two Boys at Grinder Bros, Henry Lawson , single work short story

Bill Anderson, known as 'Carstor Hoil' because of his habit of drinking machine oil in return for tobacco, is a fourteen or fifteen-year-old larrikin employed at Grinder Bros' Railway Coach Factory. He and his mates torment 'Balmy Arvie', Arvie Aspinall, a lonely boy working with the subcontractor Collins, whose child workers are known as 'Collins's Babies'. When Bill discovers Arvie lives in Bill's old home in Jones's Alley, and that they have a number of other things in common, he becomes Arvie's protector, but his change of heart comes too late.

 (p. 123-128)
The Selector's Daughter, Henry Lawson , single work short story

Mary Wylie longs to escape from her impoverished bush home. Her father is a drunk and a thief and the disgraced family exists as outcasts. A series of misfortunes sees Mary lose her only hope of escape. Her mother dies when she learns the troopers are looking for Tom, her eldest son, and Mary's father brings home another woman. Mary is driven from her home, but has nowhere to go.

 (p. 129-144)
Mitchell on the `Sex' and Other `Problems', Henry Lawson , single work short story
Mitchell lectures Joe on the problems caused by 'Creation' and propounds his views on the futility of, and time wasted by, arguing about them.
 (p. 145-151)
The Master's Mistake, Henry Lawson , single work short story

When William (Bill) Spencer wags school to go swimming the teacher gives a note to his brother, Joe, and tells him to give it to his father. Bill persuades Joe to throw the note away, but Joe is so troubled by his deception that Bill tries to retrieve the note for him.

 (p. 152-155)
The Story of the Oracle, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Joe and Mitchell discuss the failings of younger men who think they know it all. To make his point, Mitchell tells Joe the story of the Oracle and his lost love.
 (p. 156-162)
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