The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-09-09

turned lining outward, were empty. Snatch
ing up his fallen pick, tore on to the log
house, knowing well whom l should find
there--my long sharp knife was in my belt
raced round to the back; the little kitchen
door was undone; the fiends in possession
had small fear of interruption. They were
in ''the squires" bedroom, making free with
some whisky which he had kept in cup
board. Gold was there also, as | knew.
BY their shouts, | fancied they had come
upon it. But let them be. Where was
Miss Helen?
found her in the sitting-room, tied in
her chair, her lips bleeding over her white
teeth; the cursed hounds had struck her.
"There are three of them, she whispered
''thOse two who cane, and another man.
They watched for my father and murdered
him-they told me so. Hark they are
coming. Ned, they have pistols, and will
shoot you where you stand. Go away this
instant-only- me first" and she lifted
her white pillar of a throat
Snow, my beauty, roared drunken
voice through the thin partition, we're
bringin' you cup of whisky to drink our
'ealths in. Amt you longin for us to
make love to you? Wen stow away the
rhine first, and then you shall have your
turn
BE quiet, whispered back to her,
hacking at the cords with my knife, and
in few seconds | had her out of the chair,
and we dashed out of the house together
Selling her hand to prevent her from fall
ing, | guided her as fast as possible from
the crew who were now following after us
with curses and howls Fortunately the
demons were too drunk to run very fast
A couple of bullets whizzed by us, striking
the tree-stems instead of our heads. In
our desperate haste. we stumbled and fell
more than once over the spreading roots,
but were up again in moment.
On and on until the last tree was at our
backs. Then we made for lane which
led to Johnson's tavern, leaving the yells
faint in the distance; there we stopped, and
there she told her tale
News spread quickly at the diggin's, and
Judge Lynch is for immediate action.
Before noon the stolen gold-includiug the
two big nuggets-had been recovered and
a couple of figures dangled from an oak
by the wayside; whilst the third villain,
not guilty of bloodshed, shed plenty of his
own beneath avenging blows. We had
habit of settling matters speedily at Green
Valley creek.
As soon as it was possible Miss Helen
started for Melbourne, whence she set sail
for England, where she would Join her
mothers relatives-very heavy swells in
deed, | believe And | followed her in
secret every inch of the way, though she
knew it not until stood by her on the
deck Of the steamer, after | had helped to
stow her boxes safely in the hold. Then
| blurted out that Ehoped she would not
be offended at my coming. but-"and then
| shut up,
.'Ned !" she cried, ''brave Ned Dear,
kind, good Ned There are debts which
can never be repaid, and | am your debtor
always-always, Ned y and holding out
her hands to me, she bowed her lovely
head upon my big brown fists and sobbed.
Don't you be confounded noodle at
the last, Straightways, l said to myself;
|you've pulled the reins in fairly well up
to the present; pull tight, my man, pull
tight" and did.
"You are very welcome, Miss Helen -
l spoke with quiet voice. ~ wish-I
wish-I could have been a gentleman for
just little while, so that | might have
served you BETTER
"a gentleman p she cried, lifting her
face, and looking full at me, and then she
raised those hard fists of mine to her soft
lips and kissed them. Yes, she kissed
them-and how was | to help it?-
the touch of those soft lips broke me down
smash, Away went all my self-control, as
if the winds had blown it, and up from my
heart, like pent stream bursting its bounds
rushed the strong surge Of love and adora-
tion, Withdrawing broken loose at last
wouldn't be driven back | can't remem-
Der clearly what | said, though I've tried
often; the whirl and tempest within were
too much. didn't plead with her; no,
no-I knew better than that, even then in
the midst OF my madness. didn't dare,
even to touch her with one of my rough
fingers, but | think | made her under
stand somehow that my heart and my life
had gone out to her for everm0re Then
| stopped, sudden, my chest heaving, my
voice choking, my sight blinded by mist
that didn't come from the sea. | stopped
because of the great start of surprise that
shook her from head to heel and because
of the red color flooding up to the roots of
her hair. Yet she was not angry nor Of
Tended She put out her little hands to
me again-I knew it-both to silence and
70 comfort me. She did not speak--for
what could she haze said s-besides, the
steamers engines were putting, and time
was up. She laid her head down on my
arm a moment, and then left with rain Of
plying tears.
When the vessel had passed completely
out of sight, and its long smokeliue had