Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-06-11
A GUILTY CONSCIENCE.

plaster walls, fences, barrels, asha boxes,
curb stones, land in fact almost every avail
able object, with flaming posters In
Chicago the competition in this line is
particularly keen. No sooner is the last
rail driven and new fence completed than
it is marked by the advance agent of the
bucket and paste brigade, and in the dead
of night, when all respectable people are
supposed to be in bed, as quietly and mys-
teriously as the dew from heaven, the
brigade itrelt appears upon the scenesand
covers the fence with gaudily colored 18th.
ographs, and silently disappears again
al least so it seems.
The property owners only protection
against these midnight pirates ir found IN
the familiar warning2 Post No Bills I'm
der Penalty Of the Law" which meets the
eyes in every direction. Human nature is
much the same the world over; and here,
in far away Australia, one finds the same
eternal warfare between landlord and bill
poster, but with one slight difference; here
one never hears of a bill poster-he is
called bill sticker-and warnings against
him are worded accordingly. On this
difference hangs my story
john .Shckers was of good old Scotch
descent. He and his wife had left the
home land shortly after their marriage and
cast their lot with tho colony of New South
Wales AS John brought with him letters
establishing beyond doubt that he was
q thrifty character, he had no trouble in
obtaining from the government grant of
$50 acres of bush land located some $50
niles west Of Sydney. On this tract Of
land, by dint Of hard work aud rigid
economy, he had managed to live and sup
port his increasing family for nearly IF
teen years. He had found it close scraping
however-so close in fact, that William,
his eldest son, was fourteen years of age
before his father considered himself suffi-
GENTLY well off to afford him the.educating
advantages Of a trip to the city. Yes,
William was to go to the city and stay for
week. Just think of it, To spend a
Whole week in the city with friend Of his
fathers. 1t was indeed a pleasure to look
forward to-
At last the eventful day arrived. Never
before had the sun been so long In rising;
it seemed to Will as If the day would
never dawn. But at last 1t did, and such
a lovely day it was.
It was with light heart that on that
eventful morning he kissed his mother
and sisters good-by and turned his steps
toward the railway station. Remember,
William to keep yourself straight and not
get into mischief" we're his fathers part
ing words, as the train pulled slowly out
of the station "All right, father a
cheerful smile, wave of the hand, aut-
tering handkerchief and the train was
gone. Win carefully settled himself into
a seat next to the window, so as not to
miss any of the sights along the road
Hills, valleys, lakes. and rivers, forests
and plains, passed in rapid succession and
almost before he knew it the train had
pulled in at Nudge, one of the most i'm
portant towns Of the interior, distance
of nearly seventy miles from his home.
One of the passe myers that boarded the
train here, woman Of rather tunpTeposes-
ing appearance, with pair OF horn RIM
med spectacles perched upon her small
red nose and dozen long hairs growing
from a wart on the left side OF her chin,
cpme slowly putting and blowing down
the isle, with her arms full Of bundles,
till noticing the vacant seat beside Viii
liam, she panked verself down into it
and proceeded to make herself comforta-
BILE in a way that did not leave very fare
proportion of the seat to our hero. When
the conductor entered the car, not finding
her ticket Just where she thought she had
put it she concluded that she had lost 1t
and the excitement that followed dropped
from her perse a teEshilling gold piece,
which slipping down the folds Of her
dress dropped noislessly to the floor, rolled
up against Wills foot
With sudden impulse viii raised his
hand to call her at ention to it. But, stay
she had not seen il fall; she had not miss
it; why not keep it for pocket money and
suiting the action to the thought, he put
mis- foot upon it. A few miles farther on
the woman, gathering mp her bundles,
left the train, and William STOPPING and
picking up the gold piece placed it care
fully In MS pocket,
From that moment the pleasure Of the
Journey seemed to decrease. He was for
ever thinking Of the step be had taken
thinking of the money in his possession
that did not belong to him. Do what he
could be found it impossible to drive the
thought Of the stolen ten shillings from
his mind. A thousand times he wished
that he had returned them. II was now
too late-forever too late, The miles roll
ed slowly by, and just at dusk the train
pulled into the Grand Central station at
sydney. Here Will found Mr.. Mclean,
bis fathers friend, awaiting him and to-
gether they drove to MS home. where
win was most heartily welcomed. But
there was that ten shillings still on his
mind. Ii cast shadow over the whole
evening. ana in the solemn stiffness Of tn
night the thought Of il was fearful. On
retiring to bed, it was nearly two hours
before tired nature claimed her own and
I be fell into a restless sleep, to be still fur
Their haunted in his dreams By dancing
ten shilling pieces.
Next morning ne awoke with start
from his troubled sleep. 1t was the sab.
bath, and as it was very early, viii de-
cided to slip quietly down stairs and
seek to divert MS mind by short walk
amnpo tho aaraucya sights M the CITY.