The herald., 1894-01-05
IN THE ANT CITY.

~ WHeH lelb MAUI DdNiS, my engaged
|wife, and told her that would be home
Egain to claim her in less than five
|years, being young and hopeful was al
positive about being able to do this as |
1elt about her love and fidelity.
Five years look quite long enough
10 young man of 20 to turn himself
about in a new country and make a for
June for the girl he loves; quite long
6@ough to ask any girl, no matter how
constant she may be by nature, to wait
PATIENTLY and keep herself select for,
|ehile as for wedlock it would just leave
hs old enough to know our own minds
bud young enough to begin to enjoy the
ife before us.
So with these hopes and philosophical
}shections l said goodby to pretty and
entle Maud Davis and began my ad-
Ventures.
Brisbane, Queensland, was the port
et sail for, as it was the newest colony
the time and the most doomed up In
pc papers, so that had lots of compa-
" to take make the passage cheerful
fortune hunters and nearly all as
hopeful and impecunious as l was my
elf.
We were not taking much among us
N the promised land, but felt blind
Infidence that we should get all we re-
iaired out of it and go home again to
~ ourselves with tire proceeds,
mich is very common state of affairs
Eith Immigrants to Australia.
Most people know pretty well from
poks if they have not seen it what
risballe is like at the present day--as
oble and prosperous city as any one
IAN with to settle down in. At the time
landed it had the site and makings of
be fine city it has become since, with
8 magnificent winding river and nu-
nerous hills, but it had good deal of
E,ilding to be done about it and a great
Ymount of capital to be sunk in it be-
ore it could be boasted about as a city,
-nile tho worst of it was that most of
Me inhabitants had rushed to il in the
<lune condition that myself and ship
Ettes were in, the natural results of
thich were that while the laborers were
Gany the masters to employ them were
ceedingly limited, in consequence of
Which saw more tatterdemalions hang
Eg about the streets hard up and idle
b my first day s march than had seen
fefofe in my life.
4For full week rushed about the
kfferent workshops and yards with a
owd of applicants seeking vainly for
3ys' work. | was modest at the time,
I'D there were more desperate hunters
ffore me, SO | found myself ousted on
kch occasion and at last gave up the
tZtempt of staying in the coming city.
e. picking up what few articles CON
! iered strictly needful l sold the re-
hinder of my stock at sacrifice and
mt on the tramp.
laid in pickax and spade, with a
cd steel hammer and a double bar
Ned gun, and struck toward the north,
holved to exist the best way could
81 the bush while | tried my hand at
Id digging, | had no experience at
business, but was ready to take adj
htage of anything that turned up,
lich is the proper way to tackle the
onies.
For the first year wandered about
myself, living pretty much like d
= ld man of the woods, until | was as
bwn in the face as an Indian and as
rd as a backwoodsman, while my
HFhes were as bepatched as Joseph g
kt. did not discover any gold, but
ained a great deal of experience and
Pa knowledge which served me after
rl.
st the end of the first year l took a
Nation on back station as stockman,
here put in another year, getting
wages and writing home hopeful
ers to Maud, who replied to them
ctionately, assuring me of her faith
fidelity, which were great comforts
ne in my lonely and hard life.
Then | struck out again gold seeking,
time with three experienced mates,
put me up to many lodges con-
ted with the soil and earth signs,
with whom | wandered far inland
pecting, with Indifferent luck. Still
managed to jog along and indulge
Ia occasional visit to the different
lships, where we disposed Of our
nuggets and laid in provisions for
her spell of the bush.
fS<ive years slipped away in this
and at the end of them was in
t the same condition of worldly
ion as before. We had not struck
the lucky claim, although we had
seemed close enough to it to have
elk or SO of excitement and to keep
hopeful in my home love letters.
1t Maud Davis had grown tired of
SO distant, and in one of her let
the last that received from her,
old me that she had become wea-
pf wasting her time any longer and
bout to be married to the village
r, so that | need not bother writing
Aore, unless l cared to return her
8.
at kind of settled me SO far as any
ering after the old country was con-
d, SO after reading all her letters
agaln, and | am ashamed to CON
yetting a few of them with some
snish tears, packed them up, and
ig the few small nuggets had left
into brooch sent them home
M, with the brooch as wedding
int, and then | turned my back on
huns and civilization and made
10 never, never land by myself.
(Ia T L I