Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-04-23
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CHAPTER XIII.-(CoHTINuEp.

VII Ar
Having no money at one time, | was
compelled to make longer stay than
l intended at new gold-feld where
l fell in with mate after my own
mind. We sunk shaft, and got more
gold than l had ever possessed; my
share of fortnight's work was two
hundred and seventy ounces. l didn't
like to keep so much gold about me,
nor did my mate, so we gave 1t into
the charge of man named Rlcnaru
Farley, who had opened deposit
bank My mate took the gold to him,
and brought back the receipt. l never
set eyes on the man. He didn't act
fairly to us, for one fine morning ne
made himself scarce, and 1 and my
mate, and lot of others, had to whis-
tie for our gold--and then 1t didn't
come. We vowed Death to him II ne
ever crossed our path; and l got a
description of him from my mate;
short, thin scoundrel, with iron-gray
hair on his face hanging almost from
his eyes-to hide his villainy l sug-
gested. However, we got more gold
and | saved over a hundreS ounces
which | was not fool enough this time
to part with.
Well, we had pretty nigh worked
out this claim, when had a dream
not of my wife and child; no, OF my
old mother. It seemed to me that she
was dying before my eyes, and when
woke, and found, thank God! that
aad been dreaming, the last sound 1
heard from her poor old lips, "Oh,
Amos, my son, my son!" came to me
9th mournful significance. She had
Deem a good mother to me, and 1 nad
but i'll repaid her by leaving her IN
her old age with no provision (as now
remembered for the first time, COD
forgive me), after these many years
l awoke in the dark, and l lay awake
tkCking until the sun rose; and IN the
hsSrkness of that night | saw my duty
ssear before me. | resolved to go home,
make the old woman comfortable (all
my unjust and bitter feelings toward
her had melted away, and then come
back again, If necessary, and renew
nv search. You may say that might
have sent money home, and that that
you'd have answered the purpose. so
[ might have done; but thought that
BY going home I might perchance hear
news of my wife and child. l mad not
written a line to my mother all these
long years. Not that she could have
read It, but she would have got neigh
Dor to read it for her; and it occurred
to ne all of sudden that in my haste
and hot-headedness l had neglected
the chance that might have restored to
my arms those who were so precious
to me.
astonished my mate in the morn
ing when told him l was going home.
No inducement that he could offer was
strong enough to hold me back, and
that very day was on my road to Mel
bourne. with my gold in a belt, buckled
round my waist. When / reached Mel
bourne was in no difficulty about a
ship. Hobson's Bay was full of home
ward-bound craft, and after running
nv eyes over the names, selected The
Rising Sun, a twelve-hundred-ton clip
per, then lying off cambridge, and to
sail in few days. How often have
thought that a special destiny must
have led me to select that ship out of
the large number that were advertised
for London! l don't believe, as some
believe, that our lives are ruled by
chance.