Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1899-06-29
One Miners Luck.

lQlS man udu IeaCueu tue NSAl AAS'
of his resources without finding a
speck of gold, and although men in
such extremity are always kind and
helpful TO each other, he could not
expect one to share his fast-dwindllng
stores with him. There was nothing
for it, therefore, but to turn back on
the morrow, while mouthful of food
was still left, and to retracs his steps
as best he might to the nearest port.
He dwelt with a good deal Of rough
pathos on the despair of that last
DAYS fruitless work, which left him
too weak and exhausted TO carry his
heavy tools back to the spot they
called camp" So he just flung them
down and, as be said, staggered over
the two or three miles of scrub-cov-
cred desert, guided by the smoke of
the campfire. Next morning early,
after a great deal of sleep and very
littl. food, he braced himself up to 90
back and fetch his tools, though he
carefully explained that he would
not have taken the trouble TO DO this
if he had not felt that hi, pick and
barrow were about his only posses
sions, and might fetch the price Of
meal or two when it came to the last.
have often wondered since if the
impression of the Divine mercy and
goodness which was so strong in that
man 5 minc Just then has ever worn
of. He dwelt with self-accusing hor-
ror on how he had rallied at his luck,
at fate, at everything, as he stumbled
back that hot morning over his tracks
of the day before The way seemed
twice as long, for he said, his heart
was too heavy to carry" At last he
saw hi. barrow and pick standing up
on the fiat plain little way of, and
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 sort of
awestruck whisper, as if he was al
most at confession, as he said
well, ma'hm, if you'd believe me,
I cursed awful. l felt as if it was too
hard altogether to bear. To think
that l should go and nearly break my
toe against the only stone in the dis
trict, and with all those miles to travel
back ! So ! lay there like Jobs friend
and cursed God and wanted to die
After bit | felt like a passionate child
who kicks and breaks the thing which
has hurt him, and had to beat that
stone before | could feel quiet. But
it was too firm in the sand for my
hands to get it up, so in my rage |
set out briskly with the pick to break
up the stone, if it took all my strength.
1t was pretty deep set in the ground,
l assure you, ma am but at last !
got it up, and here it is-solid gold
and nearly as big as babys head.
Now, ma am, l ask you, did l deserve
this ?"
He almost banged the rather dirty
looking lump down on the table be-
fore me as he spoke, and it certainly
was a wonderful sight, and a :till
more wonderful weight. lie told me
he had searched about the neighbor-
hood of the nugget all day, but there
was not the faintest trace Of any more
gold. SO as he had no time to lose on
account Of the shortest Of the food
and water supply, he just started back
to the coast, which be reached quite
safely, any came straight down to
Perth in the first steamer. The prin-
cipal bank had advanced him $500 on
his nugget, but it would probably
prove to be worth twice as much. !
asked him what he was going to do,
and was sorry TO hear that he intended
TO 20 back to England at once and
get up shop or FARM forgot
which-among his own people. OF
course it was not for me to dissuade
him, but ! felt it was pity TO lose
such good sort Of man out Of the
colony, for he was not spending his
money in champagne and card play
ing, as all the very few successful
gold finders did ia those first days.
On an Old Slab.
In the ancient Cathedral Of Lubeck,