The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-20
THE MORNING NEWS, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1890
ONE MINERS LUCK.
After Hope Had Left Him lie Stun
bIed Over Nugget.
From the CornhIl Magazine

From the Cornhil Magazine.
This man had reached the very last Of
his resources without hndin- a speck of
sold, and, although men i'm such extremity
are always kind and helpful 10 each otn-
SI, ne could not expect any one to share
mis- discriminating stores with him There
was nothing for IL, therefore but 10 ulru
PACK on the morrow, while mouthfu OF
IoOu was Stdl IeIt. and TO retrace his
steps as best he might to the nearest port.
lie dwelt with a good deal of rough pa
mos on che despair OF that last days
fruitleSS work, which left him too weak
and exhausted 10 carry his heavy toois
back to the spot they called camp " SO
ne Just hung them down. and, as he said.
s'assered over the two or three miles
OF scrub-covered desert, guided by the
smoke of the campfire. Next m0rniui,
early, alter great deal of sleep auu
very little food, he braced himself Nj,
to go back and fetch his tools though he
carefully explained that he would not have
taken the trouble to do this if he mad NOT
ielt char his pick and barrow We're about
price of meal or two when it came 10
the last
1 have often wondered since if the i'm,
preston OF the Divine mercy and good
ness which was 50 strong in that mans
mind just then has ever worn of He
nWelt with selt-accusing horror on how ne
mad rallied at his luck, a fate, at every
thlnS. as he stumbled back that hot morn
ing over his tracks of the day before The
way seemed twice as long for as he said
his heart was too heavy TO carry" Al
last he saw his barrow and pick staudine
up on the fiat plain d little way of. ana
was YEARLY dragging on toward them,
when he caught his toe against stone
deeply imbedded in the sand, and fell
down; His voice sank to a sort of awe
struck whisper, as, If he We're almost az
confession, as he said:
Wen, ma am, Il you'd believe me, l
cursed awful. l fe.t as If ID was too hard
altogether 10 bear. To think that l should
80 ana nearly break my toe against the
only stone in the district, and with an
those miles 10 travel back! So lay there
ike Job's friend and cursed God and want
ed TO die. AftG a bit l felt like pas
sonate child who kicks and breaks the
thing which has hurt him. and | mad to
beat that stone before 1 could feel quiet.
But it was too firm in the sand for my
hands TO get it up, SO in my rage l Sc,
out briskly with the pick to break up that
stone. If il took al my strength. II was
pretty deep set in the ground, ! assure
you, ma'am; but at last l got IL up, and
here IL ts--solid gold and nearly as big az
a b3by's head Now, ma'am, | ask you,
did deserve thlgr
lie almost banged the rather dirty-look-
ing lump down on the table before me as
ne spoke, and IL certainly was a wonder
ful sight, and a still more wonderful
weight. He TOLD me he had searched
about The neighborhood OF that nugget all
day, but there was not the faintest trace
of any more gold So as he mad no dine
TO lose on account of the shortness of the
food and water supply. he just started
back TO the coast, which he reached quite
safely and came straight down TO Perth
in the first steamer. The principal bank
had advanced him 1900 on his nugget, but
1t would probably prove 70 be worth twice
as much. / asked him what he was gong
to do. and was sorry 10 hear that he in
tended 10 go back TO England al once and
set up a shop or a farm-I forget which -
among his own people. OF course, Ii was
not for me TO dissuade him, but / felt IL
was pity TO lose such a good sort of man
out of the colony for he was not spend