Explore "An Incident at Stiffner's" by Henry Lawson on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
They called him "Stiffner" because he used, long before, to get a living by poisoning wild dogs near the Queensland border. The name stuck to him closer than misfortune did, for when he rose to the proud and independent position of landlord and sole proprietor of an out-back pub he was Stiffner still, and his place was "Stiffner's" -- widely known.
They do say that the name ceased not to be applicable -- that it fitted even better than in the old dingo days, but -- well, they do say so. All we can say is that when a shearer arrived with a cheque, and had a drink or two, he was almost invariably seized with a desire to camp on the premises for good, spend his cheque in the shortest possible time, and forcibly shout for everything within hail -- including the Chinaman cook and Stiffner's disreputable old ram.