ON STRIKE,
OR
Where do the Girls come in?
BY
EDRIC GLENFIELD.
Dedicated to all his Australian Sisters
by the Author.
SYDNEY:
GIBBS, SHALLARD & CO., PRINTERS & PUBLISHERS
84a PittStreet.
——
1890.
ON STRIKE,
OR
WHERE DO THE GIRLS COME IN?
Reginald Oofbourne was born with the proverbial silver spoon in hismouth. It is not necessary for the purpose of this work to say howhis family acquired their wealth, but at the age of twenty-one he wasapproximately worth six million pounds sterling. He was deeply in lovewith a young lady who was born in a village adjoining his own property.
His love was no sudden infatuation. He had carried Edith Marton in hisarms as a baby, he had worshipped the sweet child of twelve, and whenshe reached the age of eighteen he was madly in love with her. Theywere about to be married, when one afternoon Edith, who was riding onthe banks of the Thames, near Slangbourne, with her great friend, Mrs.Croolbred, met with a serious and, as after events proved, a fatalaccident. Her horse shyed at an amateur photographer, and she wasthrown violently on the road. Assistance was at[Pg 4] once obtained, and shewas carried home insensible. Reginald Oofbourne was at once sent for,but only arrived in time to see his darling girl expire in his arms.
Before she died she was able only to say a few words, and her lastrequest to her devoted lover was—“Promise me, Reggy, that you willdevote your enormous wealth to benefit any of my sex who requireassistance throughout the world.” “I promise, darling,” replied thedistracted lover, and Edith fell back dead.
I will draw a blank over the next few days. Our hero was struck downwith an attack of brain fever, and his life was despaired of. He,however, was rescued when on the brink of the grave by the carefulnursing of a few devoted friends. When he became convalescent he was abroken-hearted man, but by his promise his life and wealth were devotedto the benefit of the female sex throughout the world.
For some twenty years Reginald travelled about, totally unsettled,doing good to womankind whenever opportunity occurred. On one occasionhe fed twenty thousand starving Chinese school-girls on Bath buns,which he imported from England by a special steamer for the occasion.
However, no opportunity had occurred for our hero to do any great thingto prove himself the champion of womankind until he took an idea intohis head to visit Australia. He arrived in Sydney by the Orient steamer“Cuzco” in September, 1890, and, on landing, found the city in a stateof ferment owing to the great maritime strike.
Though he had no sympathy with the unionists, he naturally came incontact with some of them, and could not help discussing the question,as nobody talked about anything else. Federation, the great hobby ofthe Aus