The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-12


 me and me mates here pulled to do the far west, That was ten years ago, and we've ben trampin' this ere desolate Bush, or they ave, ever since; playin' | here and there as things turned up; and, though we've sometimes been bit rough on each other, we've never separated till this bad business 'ap~ pened Now I must tell you 'ow that came about.
 When we left yer out on the Dia- mantina, that time, sir, before the big drought, we made our way into Mar karee township, on the Paroo river; and while me mates camped on the creeked, went up to a flash grog shan ty to find out what sort of business wed be likely to play to. A nice pub 1t was, an no mistake. The landlord was down with the 'orrors in front of the bar, and Is missus. big, fat wo- man-but good lookin', for all that-1 could see she was on the royal bender. At first I didn't know Ter from HeVe, but directly I set foot inside the door she knew me and glared at me as if she'd like to take me by the throat, so that I fairly trembled.
 So, Jim Bolan,' she says, terrible quiet, you've found me out at last, ave your
 linen I seen it was my wife, and can tell you I was fairly staggered. For you must remember, sir, I had loved her more than most men love I their wives till she cleared out and left me.
 She comes round the bar and kicks | I,y;,o +l,o 1a wakes up.
 "'Get up,my lord says she, still kicking i'm in the ribs Get up, for 'eres the wirtuous 'usband come for satisfaction from your lordship. Get up, you cur. and shoot inn!
 He scrambled to Is feet and she pushes i'm toward me. I tell you, sir, I'd willingly do another five years to forget the silly, frightened look on is face as e come slobberin' across. 'E was more like a idiot boy than a man.
 "Seein' is condition. and her little game, which was to get me to kill i'm an so rid herself of us both, I didn't want to have no truck with i'm, and made as if to leave the place. But this didn't suit her, so, seein' he wouldn't do what she wanted, she picks up a re-
 volver from behind the bar, and goes
 toward him with murder in her face. I caught her by the arm to stop her from what she was goin' to do, and while we was strugglin' the pistcA.WeSt off and the other man dropped back up- , on the floor.
 Inside of five minutes e was dead
 and the woman was in fit outside. l I ba o1,,I ;oI,+
 left and made for the camp as ard as I could go.
 ] Before nightfalI we were travelin' , north; but the traps were on our tracks } and within a week was back at the . township in the Logs, committed to ! stand me trial in Charleville for mur- der My counsel was a real good 'un, and got it made manslaughter, or I'd certainly ave been 'ung. And that's the story, boss, as near as I can pitch : it."
 But my good fellow" cried in sheer l amazement "do you mean to tell me 5 that you have served five years inn prisonment for a deed you never com } mltted, without revealing the real cul- l prit?'
 } Well, sir, you see, if I had split,
 she'd have had to do it instead of me, r and after all she was my wife There's no gettin' away from that, is there?" There was not, and for some time, I 3 am willing to confess. I did not know t what to say. Then I asked him to $ shake hands with me, which he did
 with profuse apologies. Having done ) so, he turned to his mates and said:s l Boys! we've been separated nigh up- 5 on five years, and all that time I have
 not turned a solitary bender. Let's try r one for the sake of old times. e Watched with painful earnestness by } his brethren he rose from his blankets 9 and, stepping into an open space be- l fore the fire, threw three somersaults - with evedent difficulty Then resuming < his seat, he said huskily: s "Old mates! It ain't no good, the q shows busted. I too old for work d now-more than five years too old" l The fire burned to red ash, the wind
 sighed in the long grass, a. lonely cur s lew piped beside the pool, and with a n strange feeling of sadness in my heart s I went back to my own camp to smoke d and think alone.-Black and White. Il NOT COMPLAINING