The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-11-20

gassin' about? It sounded familiar, but
 hang me if I can remember it-some- thing croaky, at any rate.' | 'Ravensworth," said l. "I met him
 at the club"
 | "Oh, that will don' interrupted Jem,
 rudely, but knew chap of the name
 in Australia He was a literary party,
 too, though thorough good fellow for all that. Look here, Hapenny "a
 senseless joke on my name" twould
 do you all the good in the world if you
 were out there, too, earnin an honest | Twin for six months: 'twould make a man of you"
 overlooked the glaring bad taste of this last remark, for I was interested i'll spite of myself
 What sort of chap was hep con- tinued Jem.
 II should describe him. replied ju- dicially, folding the napkin, "as a bril- liant occasional journalist, with few convictions and no principles Jem shook his head weakly. T don't catch on, he murmured: and, indeed, with the exception of the, brillancy, which was purely complimentary, there was nothing distinctive in the descrip- ton.
 Was your acquaintance rather tall, with weak eyes?' asked.
 'Yes; carried his head on one side, like a melancholy cockatoo"
 Hair getting scant?''
 Quite so Then you knew him, Hal penny?"
 Yes, of course; he is the man Imean. We met at my club yesterday evening. He had been out of England, he said, and had given up literature. had, well, borrowed an idea- of his, just the merest outline of plot--it's common thing among literary men, but outsiders don't understand it-the motif of the play now running at the Departure, and l wished to set the matter right with him, as he had only just arrived, and tattlers might be only too glad to breed mischief so I took him to the theater and made that explanations"
 Jem shut one eye and tapped para graph in the journal with the paper knife. Exactly, Ha'penny," he said, but more gravely than before; you simply wanted to square the chap whose claim you jumped; we all saw 1t; that was the ideayou were in dilem- ma. He, he! he. But I don't think you need have taken so much trouble he is not likely to bother you, though it is a rum start!"
 How"
 Jem sat up and handed me the paper, marking paragraph with his thumb, and looking me straight in the face 1a pI h,,rf I. died of fever at Coolgardie Read that
 did It was six-line account of an epidemic which had broken out up country, with a reference to the death of MT Ravensworth of London, who had volunteered for hospital service and had fallen among the first victims
 Nat Ravensworth" I gasped, Gan it be he2'
 Yes, the very man. He said he had literature because he couldn't make anything out of 1t. How is that for high? Well, you are cool hand! He came very near making his pile, though, I remember, for, after one of his claims was sold up, the man who bought it struck gold the first day he put pick in the ground. Curious, some 1 chaps can't be lucky, no matter how hard they try, while others. But | he got even with you at the end if | that's any consolation to him."
 I thought so, too. Finding I was in | no humor for badinage, my visitor took 1 his departure at last, and I went about | my business, but did not care to run town to the club, as usual. However, I | lrew up a concise little account of my r experience, emitting all unimportant de- ! ail, for the consideration of the psychi- lal research society.
 P. S.-I have called at the club and nave changed my mind about that re- is no such thing as earnest 1ess nowadays; but l shall reconsider Iem's suggestion touching a short ab- ence from the metropolis Sketch London.)