Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-02
THE NUGGET.


seven ounces, but it represented the only
result of strong mans toll for many
weeks and as nuggets go it was consid-
cred by no means bad find"
John Archer decided that the nugget
would be safer in his little daughters keep
ing than in his own.
II he caught the thief he would shoot
him, but better not to run the risk Of los
ing his treasure.
And so he gave it to Fife TO put in her
old workbox. The thieves OF The T
diggings would be too cunning TO think Of
examining such an improbable hiding
place.
You must takegre care OF IL, darling"
said John Archer. 1T is for your mother"
And Efiie slowed the little nugget away in
corner Of the old workbox-which had
been her mother's-under the cotton and
the socks she was darning for her father.
Having hidden the little nugget away,
Effie came out Of the hut TO look around
and see if any one was near who might have
seen her. No No one was near who might
have seen her-only Billy the black-King
Billy, the aboriginal monarch, who loved
rum and tobacco, and who was chopping
some frewood for her.
King Billy evidently had not seen, for he
was welding the AK with quite exceptional
vigor, and if Billy had seen it wouldn't
have nnattered very much, for Effie trusted
him
The little girls reason for trusting King
Billy, the black, was somewhat strange
and Is worthy Of being recorded, She trusted
him because she had been kind to him.
But Effie was only ~.
As the child stood in the broad light, her
tumbled hay hued hair kissed and illgm-
med by the bold rays of the sun, and her
round, trustful blue eyes shaded from the
glare by two little brown hands, watching
King Billy at his work, flock Of laughing
jackasses alighted in neighboring gum
tree and set up a demoniac cachinnation.
What made the Ill omened birds 50 madly
merry What was the joker Efie's trustS
BiIIy's gratituder They failed to explain,
but their amusement was huge and sar-
donic,
Drive them away, Billy" cried Efie,
and the obedient king dropped his ak and
threw a fagot Of wood at the tree, which
stopped the laughter and dispersed the
merrymakers.
BILLY tired nov, ." said the black grin
ning-'too much work-plenty Of wood, l."
and he pointed to the result OF his labor.
ayes, that will be enough, thank you.
You're a good boy. III give you some to
bacco"
BILLY thirsty"
"Then you shah have some tea"
"No tea Rum
"No, Billy, rum isn't good for you"
GOOD for miners, good for Billy"
"No, it's not good for miners" said Efie
emphatically; ut makes them fight and say
wicked things"
Makes black TELLER feel good, +" declared
Billy, rolling bis dusky eyes.
This last argument was effective. Ellie
went into her hut-her father had returned
10 his work-and poured a little spirits
from John Archer's flask into a "panni-
kin" Billy drank the spirits with rolling
eyes, sInacled his lips and then lay down
IN the shadow Of the hut TO sleep.
The long afternoon passed very slowly
for Fife Her few trifling duties az house
Keeper were soon done The little hut was
tidied, and the simple evening meal pre-
pared, and some hours must pass before
her father returned. How could she pass
the timer
She had only two books-a Bible and
volume Of stories for little girls which she
had won as a prize at school in Brisbane.
Archer's hut stood on the edge Of the val
ley, over against the foot OF the blue, heav-
Dy timbered hills. About 20 yards distant
moss grown rock, at the base OF which Ell
he had discovered the smallest and sweet
est of natural springs.
Thither the child ran, looking back often
to see that no one approached the hut in
her absence, 10 battle her face. In few
minutes she returned, drying her face in
her apron and shaking her wet hair in the
sun.
No one had come, but King Billy was now
awake and was slOuching lazily of toward
the bush. Fife laughed as she saw him,
his head bent forward, and his thin, mar
row shoulders bowed.
She was still laughing at King Billy az
she opened the old workbox to take another
peep at the yellow treasure and to make
sure that the heat hadn't melted It away.
And it was quite slowly that the laugh
died from the pretty eyes and mouth
quite slowly, because Of the moments IL
took to realize and accept a misfortune 10
terTible-when she lifted the coarse socks
and looked and saw no little gold nugget
saw nothing
Then horror and great fear grew in the
blue eyes, and pale agony crept over the
childish face and made II old, and the poor
little heart seemed 10 stop beating
EGie said nothing and made no cry, but
she closed her eyes tightly for a moment
and then looked in the box again.
No, IL was no illusion. The little nugget
was not there. The Grst gold Der father
had found, which had been intrusted TO her
care, which was to have been taken TO her
mother, IL was gone
She put down the box quite quietly and
walked out into the day, but the sun was
shining very strangely and mistiiy now,
and the blue sky had grown black, and the
trees seemed TO move weirdly, and the 10
Gusts had ceased humming from fear, but
the strange bird was somewhere near.
shrieking brokenly: What will father sayi
What will father say"
But as the child stood there despsirfng
her sight grew clearer, and she saw black
figure among the trees, and she was con
scious Of a pair Of dusky eyes watching her