The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-05
PLUNKET'S WIDOW.

cay. IL was heavy digging, but luckily
the stratum was not very thick In .ess
( than two days we were through ii and
into the gravel again. On the third day
we found a pocket" from which we took
half a dozen nuggets, varying in weight
from quarter Of an ounce TO two ounces.
Plunket and were fairly wild with joy,
Dut Macedon appeared perfectly uncon-
cerned. and after having seen the gold
carefully stored resumed his digging as if
nothing unusua. had occurred.
That was the beginning of Plunket's
madness. His eye shOne with unwonted
brightness, and as he worked he talked in
cessantly Of what he would do with all
the riches that were coming to him, for he
appeared to think the claim was going 70
prove an ineXhaustible mine Of wealth.
His wife 1--WE never knew he had one until
them should ride in her carriage, and his
boy should have a university training.
Poor PlunlSetl the sight Of the gold had
turned his brain.
The next day we struck what was
known in those days as a jewelers. shop"
In larger or smaller quantities the virgin
gold was laid bare at almost every stroke
: OF the pick, and the sides of the claim were
streaked and spangled with the shining
metal. That finished the job for Plunket;
| he went stark, staring mad. At first Ma
cedon ana thought IL was merely mt OF
temporary excitement; but l think the
sequel shows that we were wrong. He
quoted down a good deal toward night,
however, and, save for the restless SHIFT
ing OF his eyes, appeared all right as We
sat round our rude table and ate our
damper and drank our pannikins Of tea.
The extra exertion (for we had worked like
niggers after the first sight Of the virgin
gold had completely tagged me out, so
stretched myself full length on the floor,
while Macsdon calmly smoked his pipe
| by the stove. and Plunket sat thinking in
corner. For q few minutes there was
complete silence in the tent. Then sud
! denly. without the slightest warning,
! Plunket sprang up from his seat, and
! shrieking, Gold. gOld.-it's mine-an
mine"' rushed at me rs 1 lay, brandlsh-
! ing a long knife. l had no time to jump
up and defend myself, and in another in
slant the shining blade would have been
sheathed in my breast, had IL not been
for Stamper Macedon- Like a hlsh ne
whipped his revolver from his belt There
was a click, a puff of smoke, snort
sharp bark, and Jasper Plunket's lifeless
body well-nigh crushed the breath out of
me as it fell across my chest, the knife
burying itself in the earth at my side.
Replacing his pistol in his belt, Mace
don dragged the body from off me, and
We laid 1t in a corner Of the tent, covering
it over with a blanket. What was to be
done next? Stamper soon decided that
point. Putting on his cap and coat he an
nOunced his intention Of at once reporting
the matter 10 the nearest magistrate. L
tried To dissuade him; we had nothing TO
do but TO bury Plunket and nobody would
be one wit the wiser: but L might just as
well have tried to convince condemned
criminal that hanging was good for MS
health.
IF I'm logged 0he logs were the tenn
Orary prisons), see that nobody jumps the
claims. Now that Plunket is dead, L don't
see how we can hold all three claims If it
comes to a question of law; but do your
best" was his parting injunction as he
went out into the night, leaving me alone
r1rifh hn and my ref
About midnight he returned. The magis-
trate had seen fit to allow him TO remain
al liberty on his own recognizances, and
the official inquiry into the affair was to
come off the following day. The next
morning, at Macedon's suggestion, we
plastered over the sides Of the claim with
clay 50 that no prying eyes should dis
cover our secret.
Well, the end Of it all was that Macedon
was freed from all blame, Plunket was
buried and we were once more let alone
to our digging, but not before many Curl
GUS questions had been asked as to our
reasons for wasting time by digging pipe
clay, which questions we evaded as best
could. Three days afterward we bot
toned on a reef of quartz, and then we
started on one Of the other claims, still
shepherding the third. BY this time we
had nearly two hundred ounces of gold
carefully hidden away.
That's not bad, now there's only two of
to divide it between" I remarked to
Macedon.
'Three. you mean" he replied.
Three I echoed wonderingly. who's
the third?"
"P.unket's widow"
"Plunket's widow. But we don't know
where she Is, or anything about her."
urged II don't mind sharing with her
what gold we had got up to Plunket's
death. but 1 don't see what claim she has
on"
Now. look here" interrupted Macedon.
in a decisive tone; ''Plunket was equal
partner with us in this venture. Plunket's
dead and his wife inberits; and so long as
this firm hangs together the widow gets
one-thrd Of the profits after a fair sum
has been deducted for working expenses.
Dye follow me?"
This quixOtic arrangement did not by
any means recommend Itself to me. 1 tried
to argue, but I was no match for Stamper
MacedOn. The thought of parting from
him never occurred to me, and so we con-
tinued to work on as mates. and Plunket's
widow (whOever or wherever she was) was
a sleeping partner in the concern.
About the time that this conversation
took pace the news of our luck somehow
or other got abroad. The stream began to
flow back. and in incredibly short space
of time Golden Point was as busy. if not
buster. than ever. Although in the arch
ives Of that city another man is credited
with having first discovered god beneath
the pipeclay, Stampar MacedOn was re-
sponsible for more of the cary history of
Ba,larat than is commonly ascribed to him.
Several months passed, during which we
had, on the whole. fairy good luck The
gold was sent regularly to Melbourne by
the government escort, and one-third of
the net profits religiousiy set aside for
Plunkets widow, our unknown partner
One morning the usual crowd was await
ing the arrival Of the Geelong mail. When
the bag arrived and was opened II was
m 1fr nh
for Jasper P-unket Macedon, who hap
pened TO be present, claimed it, and brought
IL to our tent. 1t was directed in femi-
nine handwriting and bore the London
pOstmark.
What are you going to do with it?" I
asked as he showed it to me.
"Open it,
And then what?''
''See if it's from Plunket's widow. 1t
appears TO me Plunket must have written
to his wife when ne first came here, and
this is her answer"
So the envelope was torn open, and
three sheets of thin notepaper, closely COW
cred with writing, appeared. The letter
was dated from q Hoxton Row, ST Giles
St. Battersea, bore the signature of Clara
Plunket," and commenced Dear Hus-
band" These facts Macedon carefully
noted down, and then burnt the letter un-
read, for he had very rigid, if occasional
~ peculiar, notions Of honor. This done
he at once set off to Melbourne for n bank
er's draft, payable in London, for the
amount Of the profit due TO the widow
When this arrived, he set to work to con-