Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-04
WINNING HIS STAR
OR THE ADVENTURES OF PAUL
.... TRAVERS.
WRITTEN FOR THE EVENING STAR BY SAN T,
CLOVER.
CHAPTER XVII.

-.
Dr. Tolman greeted the young American
very cordially when, unannounced. Paul
walked into the physicians private office at
the hospital.
why, my dear boy" he exclaimed, 'I
had about given UP all hope of seeing you
again. L have had Just one letter since you
went away. All. you youngsters are SO
tickle; the friend Of week ago is forgotten
In the friend Of today. But I'm glad to see
you looking SO well; sit down and give an
account of yourself since we parted"
For an hour Paul entertained the doctor
with the story of his trip to Fiji; his days
of ease and his days Of hardship at Sydney:
the ink peddling incident, bird-whistle trans
actions. gold-minng episode, jockey-cIub
experience. his attempt at balloon voyaging
and last. but not least, his delightful visit
among the charming South Australian
cousins.
The doctor was highly amused at the
graphic description Paul gave of his efforts
to introduce "Kaiser-TiEte" in the collegiate
circles of sydney and he fairly roared over
the manner in which the lad revenged his
Insults on Solomon, the servitor Referring
to the bird-whistIe episode, he laughngly
declared the partners deserved the drub-
bling administered by the young colonials.
whereat Paul waxed indignant and pro-
tested 1T was an honest transaction, I'm
which the Sydneyites were worsted only be-
cause they did not prove apt pupils.
''Oh that was it, observed the doctor.
dryly: well. of course. you couldn't expect
them to be as smart as two Yankees
The succeeding week. which Paul passed
with his friend. was devoted to rambles
through the botanical gardens and in de-
lightful excursions to the many charming
suburbs for which Melbourne is noted. One
day, toward the close of his visit, as the two
sat on the bench at st. Kilda idly watching
the bathers, the doctor suddenly asked Paul
IL he had any definite plans for getting back
home.
Yes and no." answered the lad. Il have
hope Of getting a berth on one of the
Orient steamers at Sy dney, which viii cary
me through to London. but whether l sue
coed is doubtful Judging from past exper-
fences. 1t isn't an easy matter. but having
come so far right side up I'm not going
to borrow trouble at this late day. After
1 reach London. I'll trust to luck to get to
New York: that looks simple enough COM
pared with the problem that confronts me
just now"
The doctor chuckled softly. You're a
queer boy, Paul. Here you are 1000 miles
from home. with barely enough money to
pay your fare to Sydney, and yet You are
as free from care as my dog. 1 confess
am envious OF so tranquil a disposition"
We'll. what's the good of fretting." re-
turned the lad II entered into this state
deliberately and of my own free will and
accord, as the lawyers say; l should be an
idiot to whine over hardships and trials
for which l alone am responsible. No, sir
when get to my troubled bridges I'll cross
them. but no worrying in advance If can
help it,
Right you are Paul; that's good. sound
DhliOSODhV / live IN
1t. After all, the more experiences you get
the better qualified you will be for the pro-
fession you are ambitious to enter. Let me
see how long is 1t since You left homer
Ten months-ten years, ! had almost
said. So much has happened in that time
L can scarcely realize a year has not yet
passed l went away from Chicago boy
perhaps mole matured than the average
lad of seventeen, for | had been an omniv-
orous reader. but the boy that goes back to
the busting city on the shores OF Lake
Michigan will be immeasurably older. 1t
isn't the number of years one lives he
added. pensvely, but the manner in which
one lives them that makes the man. l hope
l shall have nothing to regret in the future
when l look back on this eventful tramp"
You won't, my lad; you won't, If you
keep yourself pure. mentally and morally"
was the doctors earnest rejoinde-. land 1
believe you have too much good sense to
stray far off the right track"
The older man parted from Paul with
genuine regret. He had taken 4 great fancy
to the sturdy American lad whose ac-
quaintance he had SO strangely formed. AS
he said his last goodbye down at the dock
Just the bell warned all visitors ashore
there was tremor in his voice which indi-
Gated the depth of his feelings. Some day
We shall meet again. my boy, so won't say
farewell but auf weidersehen.'' as the Ger
mans so beautifully express it" Then he
slipped a sealed note into Paul's hand and
hastily crossing the gangway, disappeared
In the crowd.
In his M, affar ton paul oraoo,3 A.
letter which DR.. Tolman had so hurriedly
given him at parting. 1t contained brief
message and a bankpote to the value Of f5
The lines read:
Dear Paul-Don't refuse the little Gift I
fnclose. as IL is merely a token of my regard
for brave young traveller who has fully
demonstrated his ability to get along with
out money. But 1t will make me feel easier
to know you are not penniless when YOU get
to sydney. so l entreat you to keep il. With
deepest affection and wishing you a safe re-
turn to chicago am, sincerely you. friend,
HENRY BERTRAM TOLMAN
One Of the uses to which Paul put the
money on his arrival at Sydney was to buy
a watch charm of the famous New Zealand
green stone, on the gold mounting of which
he had engraved Paul to II. r. T Eide
liter" This he sent, with his best love to
his good friend, together with a long letter
expressing his warmest thanks for the
many kindnesscs he had received and which
he assured the doctor he could never forget
As he had OWNED getting a berth on q
London-bound steamer was by no means an
easy job. For several weeks Paul haunted
the circular quay, alongside which the col
ossal ocean steamers unload their cargoes
but, although he bearded many and assidu-
ously cultivated the acquaintance of the
understcwards. he could find no openiny
One after another he saw the big liners dis
charge their passengers and freight fiji up
again and slowly steam out into the bay
bound fer the port he SO earnestly desired
to reach.
BY carefully boarding the money which
the doctor had SO generously given him he
was able to live in fairly comfortable way
during this disheartening period but rs the
weeks slipped by his funds grew lafnen tabIy
smaller. 1t was his custom every morning
to scan the bulletin board in front of the
Herald building, in the hope of finding n
situation which might tide him over until
his prospects frightened. Running his eyes
down the lest and found" column one day
when he had been nearly a month I'm Syd-
ney. he saw an advertisement for a lost KEY
of peculiar shape, which the finder was re-
Quested to bring to the manager of the
Queensland Bank and receive a reward
1t suddenly occurred to Paul that he had
that same key I'm his vest pocket The night
before. while standing in front OF the ROYAL
Theater he had seen 1t glistening on the
pavement. and. picking It up. had slowed il
away In his clothes after a cursory glance
at It's curious shape.
He now took II out and compared II with
the description. Yes, there were the num-