Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-08-07
KATIE.

There are few more cheerful places on
a cold winter night than a smithy, with
it's roaring fire. The ruddy glow and
sparkle of light, the interested faces Of
the village loungers, the roar of the bel
lows and the cheerful ring Of the smiths
hammer on the anvil all combine to
make up comfortable rural picture Of
light and warmth.
The smithy at Godscroft on cold De-
cember evening was no exception to this
rule. 1t was warm and bright and filled
to overfowing with village gossips, met
to talk over the events of the day. The
group of men collected round the fire
was just such group as may be found
round any slnithy fire in the country
hard headed, hard featured, hard listed,
shrewd, sensible men, keen politicians
learned in polemical controversy, fond
Of argument on most subjects and able
to take an intelligent although often
prejudiced interest in almost all the
leading topics of the day.
Such were the loungers collected round
the smithy fire at Godscroft listening
eagerly to man who was in many re-
spects dissimilar to them. There were
about him an easy breadth, freedom,
an expansiveness of gesture and manner
which suggested colonial life. He had
an air as if the village street was scarce
ly wide enough for his swinging stride,
as if he felt the little world Of the
smithy, the arena of the intellectual he
roes of Godscroft, narrow and circum-
scribed. He was good looking, with sun
Drowned complexion and dark eyes with
q merry twinkle in them, while a
strong, squarely cut chin and jaw gave
character to face that would otherwise
have been only weakly good natured. A
large, wiry haired dog of mongrel and
nondescript type lay at his feet and
formed the theme of conversation.
"It's bonny dog O. it's kind, and
guild dog, Use warrant, but will never
allow that it's "a collie,'' said one speak
er.
"Did 1 ever say that it. was? 1t has
nothing of the collie about it, although
it has more than collie's intelligence.
"It's dour looking beast, said an
other. SIT reminds me of wolf once
saw in Wombwell's menagerie that came
round this countryside four years ago
come Lammas. Yell mind it, Geordie?"
"You're none SO handsome yourself,
jock" said the stranger, "that you
should object to the want of beauty in
Others Did you never hear tell Of the
old proverb, Handsome is as handsome
does?' Bill, here, is better than he is
bonny, and that he has proved. -
"Tell us all about it. It's just grand
to hear ye telling these outlandish sto-
ries," said one of the bystanders.
'It would be away out there in Aus
tralia, Use warrant" said another.
eyes, boys, it was" said the tall,
bronzed, bearded man who owned Bill,
and he tossed back his hair and gave his
forehead a rub, as if to quicken the
bump Of memory, and straightaway be-
gan.
"You want Bills story, mates. Well,
here it is. Some of you here, don't
doubt, will remember that when the old
man died in the hard winter of 10,
left the old country, that was pretty
well used up for me, to try my luck in
the Australian goldfelds. where they
used to tell us down here that the gold
might be got for the mere trouble of
lifting it up. What got, and that was
never very much, took a precious deal
of hard work, can tell you, and what
with one thing and another, tired Of
it and went up the country to a big
squatter, kenned man and kindly, for
he was one of Hunter of Godscroft's
sons, and hired myself to be one of his
shepherds I had a good berth with
him, nothing to complain of, either in
the way of work or meat OF wages, but
it was an out station, and it was terri
bly, lonesome. missed my mother, poor
old body, more than I can tell you.
Many time it would have done my
heart good just to have heard the click
of her knitting needles or seen the
whisk of the skirts of her old black
gown, and sometimes 1 laughed and
sometimes l almost shed tears when
thought how it would have amused her
to have seen me with my sleeves turned
up kneading damper or toasting a bit
of mutton at the smoky fire.
However, it was better, as I often
said to myself, to be alone than tether
ed to a bad neighbor. and my sheep
kept me in SO much work that had
very little time for thinking. Every
now and again they would take wan
dering fit, and I would get up some fine
morning and find the half Of the hirsel
gone, and nothing for it but to scour
the county, far and near till I came
upon the track of them. have seen me
ride so miles before I came upon them. "
"Eh, man, but you would be fear
some when you did?" said an old school
fellow appreciatively.
The big Australian withered him
with look and went calmly ON.
81 was out one day after g lot Of
these long legged woody trespassers, that
were as swift as deer and as cunning
as the oldest fox in your spinneys here,
and had not seen as much as print
of one Of their feet. I had been riding
since the morning broke, and 1 was
spent with hunger and fatigue, when
the night came down upon me pitch
dark, not star visible-a deep Egyp-
tian darkness that could almost be felt.
I could not SO much as sea my hand
when held it up before me-"
eye were aye baul billy" said an
other retrospective schoolfellow, "but
that would daunton ye. What did ye
do?''
"What could I do? TO turn back was
more dangerous than to go forward. l
let my horse ,sslve the difficulty. He
seemed to sec What was before him. l
could not, andswe went on and Oh and
on till I saw.a shimmering gieam flash