Those Girls by Pamela Rushby

Author:Pamela Rushby [Rushby, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760657901
Publisher: Walker Books Australia
Published: 2024-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

The shearers were not happy about it.

‘You told us you’d be able to get a couple of rousies,’ the shed boss said.

‘I have,’ Rosa replied calmly. ‘That’d be Miss Macmillan. And me.’

‘We thought you meant real rousies. Not women. And have you done it before?’

‘I have. Miss Macmillan’s a learner.’

‘Jesus Christ,’ muttered the shed boss. ‘A learner. And two women. I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to the men.’

‘Fine.’ Rosa’s jaw tightened. ‘But remind them, if you would, that there’s a war on. We can’t have everything the way we’d like it.’

The shearers, all six of them, gathered in a huddle. Rosa and Hilly sat, trying to look unconcerned, in the shed doorway. A few minutes passed, then the shed boss called, ‘Has she – the lass – has she got a union ticket?’

‘Doesn’t need one,’ Rosa called back. ‘She’s in the Land Army.’

‘Uh.’

The muttering continued.

‘What’ll you do,’ Hilly asked softly, ‘if they say no.’

Rosa’s forehead creased. ‘Do you know, I have absolutely no idea.’

‘Oh.’ Hilly looked out at the milling sheep, thousands of them, it seemed, in the pens. All that wool …

The shed boss came back and Rosa stood up, hooking her thumbs in her back pockets.

‘Yeah, okay, you’re on,’ the shed boss said. ‘But I’ve gotta say, the men aren’t real happy.’

‘Fine,’ Rosa said. ‘Start tomorrow then?’

‘Tomorrow.’

Hilly took a deep breath. Tomorrow. Pick up, throw, sweep, check the pens … suddenly, it didn’t seem quite as straightforward as it had before.

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