Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-03-30
A Heroine at the Diggins.

The Dublin Commercial Journal publish
es letter of quite a romantic character,
lately received by lady of Dublin from
Young female friend, and former schcoliel-
low Of hers, now at the Australian dig
gings. I, 1t appears from her narrative that
She and her brother were, suddenly left or:
phans with $500 for their necessities, anc
all tie fancies and nicities which life in
prosperous, ciycymstances IS wont to in
clude. He LAD PASSED through college
with credit, and could write poetry and
ride upto the hounds as we'll as any hunts;
man who ever hunted the Golden vale
while |, on nv part could play polkas, sing
ballads, speak French and little German
was capital horsewoman (only | had nc
horse, } and once in my life had compose!
waltz, and written 16, chapters of a nov,
ell, which broke down from my not know
ing how to get my heroine out OF terrible
scrape. But, alas my dear friend, all
these things might have done well enough
once upon time but the real battle Of
life was new to be fought by two utterly
inexperienced raw recruits, and the ques-
ton was, how our time and means were to
be profitably rather than pleasantly spent
Fortunately, we were both young, strong,
active, and hearty, and never did any Sc
bastan aud Viola of them all love each
other with a stronger and more enduring
affection than did Frank and sole rem
nants, as we were, of so much prosperity
and so little prudence" After much ner-
vous consultation over The $500, they de-
termined TO emigrate to Australia.
On reaching Melbourne they found that
thew could not encounter worse inconven-
fences at the diggings, and there they now
are under singularly interesting circumstan-
ces. The young lady says I'll was re-
solved to accompany my brother and his
friends to the diggings and | felt that to
do 40 in my own proper costume and char-
acter would be 10 run unnecessary hazard
Hence my change I cut my hair into a
verv masculine fashion | purchased a
broad felt hat a sort of tunic or smock OF
coarse blue cloth, trousers to conform, boots
of a miner, and thus parting with my sex
for season Il hoped better one), behold
me an accomplished candidate for mining
operations and all the Perils and incconven-
fences they might be supposed TO bring.
All this transmutation took place with
Frank and Mr.. Ms sanction; indeed,
it was he who first suggested the chasge,
which grasped at and improved on. |
could not bear to be separateasfrom Frank
and we all felt that | should be safer in my
male attire than if exposed myself to the
dancers of the route and residence in my
proper guise.
We have now been nine weeks absent
from Melbourne and have tried three To-
calities. at the latter of which we have
been most fortunate. We are near water
"a frst-rate article, and our tent is pitch
ed on the side of as pretty valley as you
could wish to visit. / have for myself a
sort of supplementary canvas chamber
in which / sleeps cook, wash clothes-that
is, my own end Frank's-and keep watch
and ward over heaps of gold dust and mug
GETS the sight and touch of which inspirit
me when l grow dull, which | seldom do,
for have constant droppers in and to
never was, treated with greater courtesy or
respect. Of course, my sex is generally
knoun. / am called Mr.. Harry (an alb
breyiation of Harriet but no one intrudes
the more on that account. In TACT, have
become sort of necessity, as am al
ways ready TO do good turn-the great
secret, after all, Of social success; and l
never refuse to oblige neighbour, be the
trouble what it may. The consequences
are pleasant enough. Many nugget is
thrust on me whether will or no, IN re-
turn foir cooking pudding or darning a
shirt, and if all the cooks and seamstresses
in the world were as splepdidly, paid as
am, the Song Of the Shirt would never
have been written, al all events. My own
hoard amounts now 10 about 10 ID; of gold,
and if ! 60 on accumulating, even the rich
est heiTess in my family in former days
will be left immeasurably behind. Some
times when Lave few idle hours, ac-
company Frank and his comrades 10 the
digcings, and it is rare thing to watch the
avidty with which every bucket Is raised,
washed, examined and commented upon.
"Wild the life is, certainly, but full OF
excitement and hope =; and, strange as 1t is,
almost fear. to tell you, that do not wish
it to end You can hardly conceive what
merry company gather together in our
Gent every evening, or how pleasantly the
hours pass. Tea and coffee we have in
plenty, for every one brings hoard, and
milk we manage TO obtain, for among US
we have imported two COWS, which cost US
about ESQ each, but that is mere triAe.
Cake of various kinds | manufacture, thanks
TO old Betsy D for teaching me; and
as for liquor, we sometimes have little
wine brandy, or arrack, and sometimes
not. And then we dance to the music of
German flute, played by real German.
or we sing glees and quartetts, or talk OF
Moore, Byron, Rurns. Goethe, Shakespeare
and the musical glasses. &C., until mid
night, and sometimes long after it. AS to
suitors. I have them In plenty, and-sot de-
picable sones either, assure you.
STonY OF ANCIENT TlMEs.-Bran-
tome respectable French author, relates.
that in the reign Of Francis l., young la
DIV, who had very talkatlve lover, laid
her her commands upon him to observe an alb
solute silence for an unlimited time. The
lover obeyed the order for two years, du-
ring which space it was thought that, by
some accident or other, he had lost the use
of bis speech He happened on one day to
be At an assembly where he met his mis-.
tress, who was not known as such, love be-