Jessica by Bryce Courtenay Read Free Book Online Page B

picking up his mug again. ‘But wait on a moment, if you go in there like this Mike Malloy will see the stuff all over your shoulders,’ he points to her, ‘the tar running down.’
    Jessica looks more panic-stricken than ever. ‘I’ll cover it up.’
    Jack grabs her by the hand. ‘Come with me.’ Inside the dark little shed which houses the donkey engine Jack takes up a gallon can of paraffin. He soaks a bit of rough hessian in it and begins to scrub the tar from Jessica’s neck and her collar and over her shoulders. Jessica tries not to wince at the smell and the scrubbing, and finally Jack stops. ‘There, that’s better! If Mike Malloy asks where you’ve been tell him I kept you back.’
    Jessica nods and runs back to the shed. Her scalp itches from the tar and her skin burns where the paraffin has removed the tar from her neck and shoulders. When she returns to the shed the foreman is nowhere to be seen and she breathes a sigh of relief.
    Towards the end of the afternoon she manages to get away for a few minutes to find the stable boy and tell him to saddle Jack’s horse and her own and to bring them round ready for when work ends.
    The boys watch her all afternoon, giggling each time she passes one of them. At last the hooter for the end of the day goes and Billy, who has stopped shearing five minutes before to clean and oil his clippers, jumps from his station and walks down the board. He grabs a tar pot and stick and then collars all six boys and marches them out of the shed.
    The other shearers watch, confused. It’s a tar boy’s job to do the last sweep and clean up. First in, last out, the lowest works the longest is the rule. The donkey engine comes to a stop, then the wool press does the same and the shed has suddenly quietened down.
    â€˜What’s up, Billy?’ one of the shearers calls, but Billy doesn’t answer, roughly pushing the boys ahead of him. The shearers look at each other and then at Jack, who’s grabbed hold of Jessica so she doesn’t run for her horse. ‘A spot of bother with the tars,’ Jack says. ‘They’ll be back in a while, Billy’s just sorting it out.’ He is holding the shears and, spying a bit of Jessica’s tar-covered hair sticking out from under her hat, snips it off and puts it into his pocket.
    The men are not happy. Billy and Jack are the youngest shearers in the shed and have no right to be taking such liberties when the boys are needed. But they let it go and turn back to the oiling of their clippers and their preparations to leave. Perhaps they wonder why Jessica is standing with Jack, and not among the tar boys, but minding your own business is the first rule of any shearing shed and Jack is still the boss’s son. Jessica is shaking like a leaf and Jack is right to hold her. She’s near to panic and she’d have scarpered, running for her horse to get home.
    â€˜Come on,’ Jack now says, leading her out of the shed.
    â€˜They’ll think I’m marching you out, like Billy’s doing with the others.’
    â€˜Please Jack, stop Billy, he’s gunna ruin it for me,’ Jessica cries.
    â€˜Leave Billy be, Tea Leaf, he’s old enough and ugly enough to take care of himself. Come on, we’ve got to fix your hair,’ Jack replies.
    â€˜No, no, please stop Billy. You said the benzine will fix my hair, that’s all that matters. We can do it later. It was a joke, that’s all. Just a stupid joke.’ Jessica reaches over and pulls at Jack’s sleeve. ‘Your father said he’d fire me if there was trouble. Jack, please, Joe needs the money I make for the mortgage. You’ve got to stop Billy before it’s too late, before he wrecks everything!’ she pleads desperately.
    Jack stops, and looking into Jessie’s eyes sees the panic there. They’ve reached the horses tethered to a stump. He unties both