Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-18
NEARLY TOO LATE.

WAS LETT in orphan at the age of four,
sui was brought up by q kind aunt and
uncle. Ny childhood passed merrily
enough until i was about eight, when my
xnrIe hearing Of the Australian gold
fields, determined to seek a fortune
abroad, instead OF toIinG for mere pit
lance II hume.
So w.s transferred 10 q family by
the name oi G'aham. They were mid
die-c,a,s, plaia. h5meIy people--work-
ing goldsmith, in f.ct-and lived in
Northampton Siuarc, CierEenwell.
Tney h,d b~ one child, a daughter,
named Lliiy. "-d she being only three
years younger ;ian myself, we became
great friends. was natural, also, that
As l grew ~ nj went proudly out to
earn nay few s:l::!ags 4 week, and drew
nearer Il IL sat 'i, should learn 10 love
my pretty iittiepIaymate.
circumstance vent on thus happily
antIl I VIZ, t,edy and Lilly seventeen
years 81 uJn, MI then q communication
from nv uacia n Australia informed me
that ticy a,l #tapitaI opening for me.
Vas iJti to.3tFc Idly; yet, rs l was
doing very inherently and had heard
OF sucn rapid ,.tuIcs acquired N such
short SPACES uf.im4 ~ energetic men, [
summoned eaI5h courage to tell the
Grahams md ,:.Jr Lilly that l was de-
term aai II tut) Australia.
I shall never forget oar parting at
Blackwell Pier. / shall never forget my
pretty little b;:E alInginG to my neck
and sob9;rc Aud, and imploIing me not
to 20, and /, Smuggling between love and
enterprise, Jcylr not to be coward,
When III airAdy mat 1 was one.
Il was IN yah tilat tried to cheer her.
[ think did ut look 50 very comfort
Ing, though, Ill remember rightly. [ re-
collect saying
Never mill, LIlly darling, l shall re-
turn some ,lafaud make you q grand
lady. I shat be sure to succeed, and
shal. return q make you happy
NJ tears, iilneF, were threatening to
break The l. b. burners that held them
bach. and VIXEN she said:
AL, bit suppose you never do return
it ahall br,ak my heart, Robert!''
Why, Their tniak did shed q tear OF
so: only 20 keep her company.
At las. lle boat pushed Oft, and Mrs.
Graham kind old soul still kept
her arms arOdnd Lilly, rs she waved her
final adieu o her orphan protegc.
| arrived at last at Melbourne. went
miles overland, and at last reached my
sncle's settlement, but | was not long
there ere found life in Australia less
easy than had antici pated. l STAYED
with him for "a little time, until took 8
dislike to Huntington that was what
my uncle had made most of his money at
end joined party of young fellows
starting for il new gold field farther up
the country.
Three years passed slowly away, and 1
began to gen along much better, and had
sent many nugget to Melbourne l had
only received enc dear, cherished letter
from Lilly, written on her eighteenth
birthday, and sending me a lock of her
pretty chestnut hair; yet thought I
aad no cause to fear, as | knew that writ
ing letters does not give young ladies
half the Joy of receiving them, and l
wrote often erOush h.
Well, time Nent on. l had found a
stanch. true friend about my own age,
and we were like brothers. We ALWAYS
worked together, and when We had been
four years and half, Tom Thompson
for that WAS the name of my faithful
friend and l were getting rich.
| knew that [ was nearer home, and
more likely to gain my dear little Lilly
every month worked; but I also was
also aware of the desperate deeds and
terrible crimes that were being commit
ted around us by the rangers and other
Williams. knew that our reputation was
Is dangerous as gratifying; and so ii
was; perhaps 1 should not mention the
incident, as it seems to prolong a part OF
the story that needs most brevity; hut, as
It bears directly Upon tire ultimatum OF
the tale, shall trespass upon your kind
ness to give 1t IN full.
One night Tom and had retired tc
the bedroom we had built above the base
ment of our little house, and | was al
ready doing, while Tom, having careful
iy seen to the revoiverS tor need ro
tell you how necessary they are in {
country where justice is obtained IN such
rough ana ready manner), was alsC
Welding to the drowsy god, when We
fancicd we heard something moving il
the room below.
Both we're quickly, though silently, OF
the alert. for We knew that, though no
much. we had still some gold that hac
not been dispatched to Melbourne. We
knew that somebody, acquainted with it:
hiding-piace, had, escaping our notice
secreted himself in the cabin to gair
possession OF it.
When we heard him move again, and
is we correctly thought, he had gained
our hidden nuggets, we crawled SILENT.