Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-07-30

Keep thy wealth, slrrlh! L wish
none of it,
at gave me great comfort to repeat
these words, and as thought over my
coming triumph forgot all about my
homesck feelings.
20 dear! don't believe you want
10 hear the rest of this story. 1t makes
me blush to think of it. We'll, il mast,
here goes.
~ very soon found out that Mel
bourne was full of men who had come
from distant lands to get rich quickly
in the Land of Promise. The city was
full of strangers of every sort; English
men, lrishmen, Americans, SpanarIs,
Cinnamon, and don't know what all. II
was pretty rough crowd, If the truth
must b, told. They were all talking OF
the gold fields and the sheep pastures,
and soon found out that these were
considered the two royal roads 10 for
tune. l mingled with the rough, rest
less crowd, and my cars burned with
the stories | heard of fabulous nuggets
of gold picked up inthe new FL Dorad).
Men looked at my smooth, boyish face,
and my stylish clothes, with SOM
astonishment, but they were accustomed
to sec all'sorts of men and boys among
them, for the gold fever is by no means
poor mans disease, and ministers and
miners often worked side by side,
cradling for the precious mineral which
makes the world so miserable,
lone day | fell in with Il smooth,
sleek man who took great interest in
me. | told him all about myself and
my plans for astonishing the governor
He said was n brave fellow, aud ad.
vised me to Join his party. which was
getting ready for the gold # 3lds, ] was
only too glad to accept. When | woke
up one morning and found that my
new friend had walked of with my
new clothes, my gold watch, my letter
of credit, and all my money, ! began to
lose faith in the gold fields, The raseaI
had left me his well-worn clothes, and,
to show that he still had conscience,
he had placed couple of gold sover'
eigns in the vest pocket.
$50 tried sheep raising, perforce
Now, | don't think / care to say much
about the two years spent, three hun.
dred miles from Melbourne, working
for a farmer at seven English shilling
n week. 1t was not a life 10 brag
about. For young man seeking hii
fortune 1t was not success. If yor
could have seen Ernest Travers, the
son of rich man, shcllng dried peas
and helping to wash sheep, and curry
ing horses, all for the princely sum o
n dollar and half week and hi.
board, | don't think you would hav,
envied the Prodigal Son bit. don
care to tell how many quarts of tears
shed on those peas, or how many, man,
times vowed that if ever got hom
again | would be n good boy for eve
after Ihoarded the pennies but tho
came slowly.
"0ne day, after two years of th
life, threw down my spade where
was digging, and started on foot fo
Melbourne. Do you know what it il
to walk three hundred miles over (
rough country Ihopc YOU never will
When | reached Melbourne my clothe
were in tatters and my shoes.wcrc al
uppers. Twas so stiff that it took nj
an hour to walk half amile, and tn
big blisters on my feet often made m
cry with pain, and | was no bab
either. Twas a pretty looking spccta
Gle! On the road u big tramp tool
away my little hoard of money, and al
l had left was few shillings which h
had overlooked. had intended to G
home as q steorage passenger. Now
must work my passage.
"But this was not so easy. Sea car
tains looked at my ragged clothes an
tangled hair, laughed, and said the
didn't want any help.
II slept at tramps' lodging-house
ut best it was almost that. For q s>
pence you bought ticket emitting yo
to nights lodging, such as it was.
ate stale rolls, and thought them goot
/ had no money to buy better fare with
Every day | passed the bank to whic
l had had letters of introduction, bu
pride kept me from going in,
zone night l spent my last sixpenc
for a lodging ticket. BY some chanc
that night the man who took up tn
tickets passed me by. i kept the tickC
in my pocket, and wondered if | coul
get another nights lodging out of i
The next day had nothing to ca
Late in the afternoon swallowed M
pride-and it was all | had left to swa
low-and went into the bank.
"'Have you any mail for Ernc.
Traverse | asked.
"Thc clerk looked at me curiousl,
"What Ernest Traverse he askei
81 mentioned my fathers name an
address
"'Wait n moment said the clerl
He went into an inner Office, and
heard whispering voices and saw cur
GUS faces peering at mo through til
glass doors. The room was whirlin
around and my head felt light and gil
dy and queer, My heart was beatin
wildly, yet wanted to laugh, and a
the while was suffering cruel agoni,
of apprehension. o, how hungry
was!
"When the clerk came back and toI
ne to call again the next morning
ten, smiled and winked ut him fami
iarly, and staggered out Of the doc
My heart felt as If it would burst.
made one final effort to find work q