Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-08
The Finding Of Diamond Pom.
By GEORGE GRIFFITH.
Copyright. 1895. by the Author.l

face. 1t isn't nice, but we've got to.
I'm frozen clean out, and I'd better
strike out new line of some sort be-
foro I have TO pay with my liberty
when l can't pay any longer with my
purse.
But do you mean to tell me- Tom,
that such a horrible injustice as that
can be possible? That just because you
haven't got as much money and can't
employ as many kaf1irs as Macadam
and that German Jew partner of his,
Grunstein, you'll not only have to lose
your claim, but be fined like this to
your last sovereign? l don't wonder,
upon my word, at men being driven
from honest work into I. d. b. when
there are laws like that on the fields.
Why, it's worse than /. ID. b. itself.
Here they'll give man II years on tho
brcakwatcr for just being found with
diamonds he can't account for strictly
enough to please tho detectives, and yet
they'll allow one man to ruin another
and perhaps spoil all his prospects i'll
life Just because he is richer and be-
cause he has got grudge against him.
It's shameful, that's what it is, and il
had my way and was man Pd"-
"No, you wouldn"t, little girl, or if
you did there d only be another funeral
very soon after. There is only ono law
here, and that is the law of money. Ev-
cry one S here to make it, and every one,
whether he's an honest man or n thief,
is bound to uphold everything that pro-
teots it. If you have money, you can do
as you please but if you haven't you
might as we'll try to hold up tho nest
rock slip at De Beers as to try to work
against it, II l was to take it out of
rither Macadam or Grunstein i'll tho
way you mean, there wouldn't be u
man in camp to put his hand out to
save mo from being lynchcd the next
minute though there isn't Kallir or a
kopje wallopor on the fields who doesn't
Gee the swindlo.
"But what makes me maddcst Of all,
Luce is that it isn't only Macadam' s
grudge against me for hanging ON TO
that stone which fell with some of my
blue into his claim. It's that greasy,
hook nosed son of a thief Grunstein be-
ing spoons on you and wanting mo out
of the place, so that, as he thinks, he
can have the running to himself That's
why he keeps Macadam up to it and
goes in with him, and that's why I've
hung on so long.
But it's no use any longer. can't
20 on, and I'd better stop before I'm
ruined completely In another week
shouldn't have even the claim TO sell.
Now can get something for it, and
with that I'll have to clear off the fields
and try my luck over the borders. It's
my only chance. 1t looks like chuckinq
up the sponge, / know and / don't like
it, especially as it means leaving you,
little girl, almost alone, but if l were to
hang on it would really DO playing
their game for them. "
"Wcll, suppose you're right. Tom,
and if it can't be helped, it can't But
never mind, wore both of us young
enough yet, and you've all Africa be
fore you. know you'll do your bcs
and, Tom, you can remember this
that however long you are doing i
when you come back you'll find me jus
the same rs l am now. A bit older, o
course, but not so very old, hope, tina
you'll"-
uc tOilNti St'llpll tsilllc w ibl u y
end Just here or perhaps it might b
more correct to say that it was continu
ed i'll language which is not translate
BILE through the cold and unsympatheti
medium of print.
The facts which had so far forme
the basis of the conversation between
Miss Lucy Carnegie, the daughter of
fairly we'll to do diamond broker, ant
Mr.. Tom Burrows, q not particular
prosperous diamond miner, may b
briefly summarized as follows:
In the days Of the open mine workin
at the De Beers and Kimberley mine
there existed law which was the caus
of much heartburning and no little il
justice among miners y digger wa
compelled, under penalty of progrcssiv
fines, which either amounted to or aC
tually eliminated in confiscation of hi
claim, to keep pace in removing hi
"blue" with his next door neighbor
such an extent as 10 preclude his groun
falling into his neighbours claim. Sue
a regulation was really a necessity, br
at the same time it is obvious that
might be made an instrument Of bot
tyranny and dishonesty by fortuna
and wealthy diggers to freeze out the
less prosperous noighbors by drivir
them either to abandonment of the
claim or to sell at an absurdly 10
price.
This is what had happened to To
Burrows. His next neighbors Macao
am and Grunstein, were both rich
men than himself, and they own'
claims on both sides of his He ha
quarrelcd with Macadam, and CRU
stein dislikcd him and wanted TO &
rid of him for the reasons which
stated to his sweetheart. Hence the
put all the Knffir worlzmen they cou
hire into their claims and got ont the
"blue" at Il rate which Burrows, Wi
his two Kafiirs and one bushman, cou
not possibly keep pace with
The necessary result was that h
ground kept falling into theirs far fas
er than he could get it removed. II
neighbors Laid the usual information
against him, and time after time
was summoned and fined for failing
obey the law. The fines and the ext
expense that he had been forced into t
labor had now almost exhausted his l
sources, and, us he said, if it went
much longer he would lose his clail
This would have meant utter ruin al
the deferring Of his hopes for an indie