Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-05
KATIE.

There are few more cheerful places on a cold winter night than a smithy, with its roaring fire. The rudt1y glow and sparkle of light, the interested faces of the village loUngers, tho 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 smiShy at Godsctoft on cold De- cember evening was no exception to this rule. It 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 u group as may be found round any smithy fire in the country hard headed, hard featured, hard listed, shrewd, sensible mon, 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, a freedom, an responsiveness of gesture and manner which suggested colonial life. He had an air as if tho 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 a merry twinkle ill them, while a strong, squarely cut chin and jaw gave character to a 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.
 Its bonny dog O its kind, and a gpid dog, I'se warrant, but I will never l allow that it's a collie" said one speak CT.
 'Did I ever say that it was? It has nothing of tho collie about it, although it has more than collie's intelligence. |" "It's dour looking beast," said an- other "It reminds me of a wolf once saw ill 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 ho has proved" "
 "Tell us all about it. It's just grand l to hear ye telling these outlandish sto- ries, ' said ono of the bystanders.
 ''It would be away out there in Aus tralia, Iso warrant, said another "Yes, boys, it was," said the tall, bronzed, bearded man who owned Bill, and he tossed back his hair and gave his | forehead rub, as if to quicken the bump of memory, and straightaway be- l gan.
 You want Bills story, mates. We'll, 1 here it is. Some of you here, don t doubt, will remember that when the old | man died ill the hard winter of 70, I left the old country, that was pretty well used up for me, to try my luck in | the Australian goldfields, 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 | squattCr, & lcnnCd man and kindly, for { he was ono 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 l IlfN work nT nT W. hI1f I it was an out station, and it was terri bly, lonesome. I 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 I laughed and sometimes 1 almost shed tears when thought how it would have amused her to have sccN me with my sleeves turned up kneading dampcr or toasting bit of mutton at the smoky fire.
 However, it was better, as I often said to myself, to be alone than tether- ed to q bad neighbor. and my sheep kept ma i'll so much work that had very little time for thinking. Every now and again they would take wan, dering fit, and would get up some fine morning and find the half of the hirsel gone, and nothing for it but to scoul the country far and near till I came upon the track of them. have seen me ride 50 miles before came upon them. ,
 "Eh, man, but xoa would be fear some when you did?" said an old schoo fellow appreciatively.
 The big Australian withered hin with a look and went calmly on.
 "I was out one day after a lot oi these long legged woody trcspassers, that were as swift as Il deer and as cunning as the oldest fox ill your spinneys here and had not seen as much as a print of one of their feet. 1 had been riding since the morning broke, and l Wal spent with hunger and fatigue, whe1 the night came down upon me pitcl dark, not star visible-a deep Egyp tian darkness that could almost be felt ] could not so much as ses my hand when held it up before me-
 "Ye were aye baul billy" said an other retrospective schoplfellow, "bu , that would daunton ye. What did y do?"
 What could do? To turn back wal more dangerous than to go forward. let my horse solve the difficulty. Ht seemed to see what was before him. could not, and we went on and on anG on till I saw a shimmering gleam flasl through the mirk darkness of the nigh and heard the rush of water. It was { creek, as we call them in those parts and as the horse made no pause rod' boldly on, and, by Gods mercy rather l thann ,rnr rood c,,idnnnn xro t.a.,nl,lnE