The Cousin from Town

The Cousin from Town is about 12-year-old Brenda.  Her parents need to leave the cold, wet, Melbourne winter to work in warmer Queensland for her father’s health.  But they are unable to take her with them.  She goes to her widowed uncle Edward in the country, with his tribe of sons and one daughter, with many misgivings as to how she, a town girl, will fit in with the new family.

Mavis, the feisty daughter, also 12, is furious that she will have another girl invading her domain.  Everyone but Mavis welcomes Brenda warmly, finding her cheerful, quite capable and willing to learn everything about life on a property including horse riding and, later, mustering cattle and even cooking.  Mavis, though thoroughly disagreeable, does show some wonderful inborn talents in her horse riding skills and playing piano by intuition.  Brenda’s open admiration there leads to a thawing of relationships and improved dispositions, much to everyone’s relief.

The return of Brenda’s parents after six months brings a new closeness between the two families and promises of many get-togethers over the years to come.

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The Trustee of The Mary Grant Bruce Family Trust owns the extant copyrights on this story.

First Published in: 1922
First Publisher: Whitcombe and Tombs Pty Limited
Places First Published: Melbourne, Sydney and Perth