
In a dimly lit outpost of the Australian bush, a nervous young pianist‑singer tries to earn a living by selling the latest songs from the city. With his dark hair, glowing eyes, and trembling fingers, he sits at a battered piano, his voice thin but sincere, while a group of rough‑spun locals jeer, mock, and bargain over the price of each tune. Their crude humor and relentless teasing create a tense atmosphere that tests the musician’s resolve and hints at deeper rivalries among the townsfolk.
As the evening unfolds, the newcomer discovers that the room’s casual cruelty masks a tangled web of pride, ambition, and hidden loyalties. His determination to keep playing, despite the humiliation, draws the attention of a mysterious benefactor whose offer could change his fate. Listeners are invited into a vivid slice of frontier life, where music, money, and power collide in unexpected ways.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (258K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)
Release date
2012-12-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1866–1921
Best known for creating the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, this English writer brought a sly charm to crime fiction and helped shape the modern antihero. His work also ranged widely, from novels and short stories to war writing drawn from personal loss and experience.
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