Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-29
would take the plunge; 60 with a premonitory

would take the plunge; 90 with q premonitory
hem he blurted ont:
valley"
He could not see what effect this communica-
tton had upon his companion. He was too tall
to be able top peer under the little straw bonnet.
She did not answer. He would try again.
Mutton on Sundays" he said.
Even this failed to arouse any enthusiasm. In
fact she seemed to be laughing. Boss was evil
IDENTIFY wrong. The young man was in despair.
The sight OF ruined hut beside the pathway
conjured up fresh idea. He grasped at it as a
drowning man to straw.
.Cockney Jack built that" he remarked.
Lived there till he died"
What did he die of ?" asked his companion
Three-star brandy" said Abe decisivey. 81
used to come over of night when he was bad
and sit by him. Poor chap! he had wife and
Polly. by the hour. He was cleaned out. hadn't
red cent /; but the boys collected rough gold
enough to see him through. He's buried there in
that shaft; that was his claim, SO we just drop
ped him down it an filled it up. Put down his
pick too, an a spade, an bucket, SOS he'd feel
kinder perky and at home"
Miss Carrie seemed more interested now.
do they often die like that2" she asked.
'sWell. brandy kills many: but there's more
gets drOpped-shOt, you know"
Il don't mean that Do many men die alone
and miserable down there, with no one to care
for them?" and she pointed to the cluster of
houses beneath them. SIS there any one dying
now? 1t is awful to think Of"
up their hand" =
81 wish you wouldn't use so much slang. Mr..
Durton," said Carrie. s'You know it isn't po-
lite You should get dictionary and learn the
proper words"
"Ah, that's It," said Bones, apologetically.
fnfx hor
you've not got steam drill, you've got to put
up with the pick"
Eyes but it's easy II you really try. You could
say that man was dying or 'moribund, if you
like"
''That's It," said the miner enthusiastically.
!" 'Moribund!' That's word. Why, you could
lay over Boss Morgan in the matter of words
'MOribund! There's some sound about that. :"
Carrie laughed.
"Its not the sound you must think of. but
MIR. burton. if any one should be i'll in the camp
you must let me know. can nurse, and
might be of use. You will, won't your
land now l must say good morning" said
Carrie, as they came to the spot where crooked
pathway branched off from the track and wound
up to Azalea Villa. ''Thank you ever so much
for escorting me-"
So poor Bones departed in a mixture of many
opposite feelings. He had Interested her. She
had spoken kindly to him. But then she had
she couldn't care much about him if she would
do that. think he might have felt little more
cheerful, however, had he seen Miss Carrie Sin
clair as she watched his retiring figure from the
garden gate with loving look upon her saucy
face, and mischieyOus smile at his bent head
and Responding appearance.
".
The Colonial Bar was the favorite haunt of the
inhabitants of Havey's Sluice in their hours of
relaxation. There had been a fierce competition
between it and the rival establishment termed
the Grocery, which, in spite of it's innocent APP
pellatiOn, aspired also to dispense spirituous re-
freshments. The importation of chairs into the
latter had led to the appearance of settee in
the former. SpttOOns appeared in the Grocery
against picture in the Bar, and. as the fire.
quenters expressed it. the hOnors were even
when, however, the Grocery led a window-cur-
tain. and It's opponent returned a snuggery and
a mirror. the game was declared to be in favor
OF the latter, and Harvey's Sluice showed it's
sense OF the spirit OF the proprietor by withdraw
Ing their custom from his opponent.
ihough every man was at liberty to swagger
into the bar itself, and bask in the simmer of
its many cOlored bottles, there was general
feeling that the snuggery. or special apartment,
should be reserved for the use of the more prom
inent citizens. On this particular evening there
was an assemDlage of nOtabilities in the snug
gerry. The rangers were the present subject of
discussion. For some few days rumors of their
presence had been flying about. and an uneasy
feeling had pervaded the colony
fresh impetus had been given to the panic
by the report brought in to-day by Jim Strug-
giles. jim was Of an ambitious and aspiring
turn of mind, and after gazing in silent disgust
at his last weeks clean up, he had metaphori-
cally shaken the clay of HarYeys Sluice from his
feet, and had started off into the woods with the
intention OF prospecting round until he could
hit upon some likely piece of ground for himself.
10 u-aS fall
trunk eating his midday damper and rusty ba-
con, when his trained ear had caught the clink
OF horses hOofs. He had hardly time to take the
precaution of rolling off the tree and crouching
down behind it, before troop of men came rid
ing down through the bush, and passed within
a stOne-thow of him.
There was Bill Smeaton and Murphy Duff"
SAID Struggles. naming two notorious ruffans;
land there was three more that I couldn't
rightly see And they took the trail to the right.
guns in their hands,"
Jim was submitted to searching cross-exam-
nation that evening; but nothing could shake
his testimony or throw a further light upon
what he had seen.
There were few, however, who were loudly
sceptlcal as to the existence of the rangers, and
the most prominent of these was O Young man
who was perched on barrel in the center of the
room, and was evidently one Of the leading
spirits In the community. We have already seen
cruel lip, in the person Of Black Tom Ferguson,
the rejected sutton of Miss Sinclair
ut 8 always the same, {" he said; eff man
meets few travellers in the bush, he's bound to
come back raying about rangers. If they'd seen
Struggles there. they would have gone off with
long yarn about ranger crouchng behind a
tree. AS to recognizing people riding fast
among tree trunks-it Is an impossibility"
Something seemed to be on his mind, too, for
occasionally he would spring off his perch and
pace up and down the room with an distracted
and very forbiddng look upon his swarthy face
1t was relief to every one when suddenlycatch-
Ing up his hat. and wishing the company a curt
"Good night, he walked off through the bar,
and into the street beyond.
Seems kinder put out, remarked Long Nc
Coy.
she can't be afeard Of the rangers. SURELY"
said Joe Shamus, another mau of consequence.
and principal shareholder of the Ell Dorado
mo. he's not the man to be afraid" answered
another. ''There's something queer about him
the last day or two. He's been long trips in
the woods without any tools. They do say that
the assayer's daughter has chucked him over"
"Quite right, too. A darned sight too good
for him, " remarked several voices.
h,xk T.