Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-10-05

then to cluster OF distant islands.
The room was furnished as splok-
ing room, yet there were signs of a
woman's use, as there was piano
with litter of music on it and a
work basket. The room, as veil it
might be, from the charm of lis look
out, seemed to be the most lived in in
the house.
"You need not tell me her story,
Uncle Dan," said the younger of the
two men, George Lane, lieutenant
in the navy and just the man one
likes to think is typical OF the service.
IL know enough when l know that
Nelly has promised to be my wife,
and that l am the luckiest man Oh
earth"
"That is true enough, young one, "
said the other, gray-bearded man OF
about sixty. "Still, you must hear
her story. Iwish | had told it to you
before. But it is an ugly story to tell,
though her life has been happy
enough. You know that she is my
adopted daughter, and that | brought
her from Africa. You know that was
her mother"
He pointed to a picture on the wall,
an enlarged photograph crudely col
ored and inartistic, and yet evidently
of sweetly beautiful young woman.
when | knew her first she was liv-
ing with her father, an Irish Austral-
ian digger, Tom OBrien, one of a
family of brothers who, from the ear.
lest days of the diamond fields, were
large claimholders in the Kimberly
mine. 1t was bad day for her when
she fell in love with Dick Johnson, a
young fellow who, like most of us, had
come out to the diamond fieldsto seek
his fortune, but he never did much to
find it until he married Tom OBrien' 5
daughter.
"He managed to get over O'Brien,
and got some claims in one of the
mines for him. But that was no good.
In a few years he was sold up. Then
he persuaded his father-in-law to give
him billet under O'Brien Brothers.
He was made secretary, and for some
time was supposed to have turned
over a new leaf but he was always a
bad lot, and in year or two he and
the floor manager of the company
were caught stealing big diamond,
and they were both sentenced to seven
years. Nelly knows nothing about
this. She was child at the time"
"Why should she ever know it? 1t
will only pain her." answered George.
"But, of course, it makes no differ
ence to me. l would consider myself
the luckiest man on earth to have
gained her love, even if she had fifty
convict fathers. By the bye, what
happened to him? Will he give any
more trouble?
'He never will, but his story may.
Two years after his sentence, there
was a rising among the convicts on
the breakwater at Cape Town, where
he was sent He was in it; in fact,
he was the ringleader. 1t was m at
tempt to escape, and in the fight he
killed warder, and for this he was
tried, sentenced and hung"
Lane locker curiously into his
nephew's face as he said this, but if
he were afraid that what he had told
would make the other unwilling to
marry the daughter of man with
such history, he was at once reas-
sured.
"Nelly knows nothing about this,
/ suppose. Well, she never need.
Not that l think so much of it. How
ever Just mans punishment is, one
can understand his fighting for his
liberty" he said.
"Well, that is the story" continued
Lane. "The year that johnson was
hung his wife died. That year was
the beginning of the depression on
the diamond fields, which lasted for
some time and ruined great many
men. The firm of O'Brien Bros. came
to an end, the bank taking over their
alaims for money advanced on them.
"Tom O'Brien died, more of the
bad times than anything else. The
other brothers sailed for Australia,
and the ship they were in went down.
Nelly, who had been born the grand
daughter of the richest digger on the
fields, was left an orphan, with no
means and without relation in the
world that anyone knew of.
Now, I had been a boarder at the
'Johnson's, going there when they
we're hard up. l had taken spell at
She civil service about that time, but
When my Office was abolished, had
gone down the river, putting the
money the Government gave me into
digging spec. 1t came off pretty
we'll. don't suppose anyone ever
.'ound better in the bed of the river
than I did. 4 workt ! a patch OF
ground right out, and by the time the
tiver came DOWN again, as it does in
The summer, I had made some Els, 900
and every one was talking about my
good luck. l determined to go home,
and as there seemed-te be no one in
Che world to .lSok after httie Nelly, 1
cook her with me, ,':ahd youAknOw the
rest.
Eyes; how she grew up the sweet.
est girl who ever lived, and how she
has promised fellow who is not half
good enough for her, but who would
give his life to make her happy, to be
his wife," answered George Lane.
eyes, I suppose you were right to
keep the story from her, and yet l
hate a secret; there is always the
chance that, like an old spent shell, it
may explode"
"You are right" said Lane. "and
the mischief of it is that l think the
necret may come out soon. When
was down at the landing waiting for
you this morning, l saw stranger,
who had come by the steamer yester.
day, hanging about by the inn. They
told me he said he was from the dia-
mond fields, and he had been asking
all about me. | had thought that |
remembered his face, and when heard
that, it came across Inc that he was
Sam Dredge, the floor manager of
O'Brien Brothers, who was run in
,u;.l, NolI,o,, ,thor n ba lpaw who