The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-05
Nelly's Fortune.


esq, whose ancestors owned the island
of Scartha long before the English
took over the Orkneys.
The house is an old, weather-worn
stone building that stands under the
hill at the head of little bay, and
from the smoking-room window one
looks across a well-kept though storm
driven garden to the blue sea, and then
to a cluster of distant islands.
The room was furnished as a smok-
ing-room, yet here were signs of a wo-
mans use, as there was a piano with
litter of music on ii and a work.
basket. The room, as well IL might
be, from the charm of its lookout.
seemed to be the most lived in the
house.
you need not tell me her story,
Uncle Dan" said the younger of the
two men, George Lane, Lieutenant
in the navy and just the man one likes
to think is typical of the service. u
know enough when ! know that Nelly
has promised to be my wife, and that
am the luckiest man on earth"
THAT is true enough, young one
said the other, a gray-bearded man of
about sixty. "Still, you must hear her
story. ] wish 1 had told it to you be-
fore. But it is an ugly story to tell,
though her life has been happy enough.
You know that she is my adopted
daughter and that / brought her from
Africa. You know that was her moth
er."
He pointed to a picture on the wall,
an enlarged photograph crudely color
ed and inartistic, and yet evidently of
a sweetly beautiful young woman.
when I knew her first she was liv-
ing with her father, an Irish Austral-
ian digger, Tom OBrien, one Of a fam
lily of brothers who, from the earliest
days of the diamond fields, were large
claim-holders in the Kimberley mine.
It was bad day for her when she fell
in love with Dick Johnson, young
fellow who like most of us, had come
out to the diamond fields to seek his
fortune, but he never did much to find
1t until he married Tom O'Brien's
daughter.
HE managed to get over O'Brien,
and got some claims in one of the mines
from him. But that was no good In a
few years he was sold up. Then he per-
suaded his father-in-law to give him a
billet under O'Brien Brothers. He was
made secretary, and for some time was
supposed to have turned over a new
leaf; but he was always a bad lot, and
in year or two he had the floor man
ager of the company were caught steal
ing a big diamond, and they We're both
sentenced to seven years. Nelly knows
nothing about this. She was a child at
the time"
"Why should she ever know 1t? 1t
will only pain her" answered George.
But, of course, it makes no difference
to me. I would consider myself the
luckiest man on earth to have gained
her love, even if she had fifty convict
fathers. BY the bye, what happened to
him? Will he give any more trOuble?''
He never will but his story may.
Two years after his sentence, there was
a rising among the convicts on the
breakWater at Cape Town, where he
was sent. He was in it; in fact he was
the ringleader, 1t was an attempt to
escape, and in the fight he killed a
warder, and for this he was tried, sem
fenced and hung
Lane looked curiOusIy into his neph-
ew's face as he said this, but if he We're
afraid that what he had told would
make the other unwilling to marry the
daughter of a man with such a history
he was at once treasured.
Nelly knows nothing about this. !
suppose Well, she never need. Not
that I think so much of it. However
just a mans punishment is. one can
understand his fighting for his liberty
he said.
well, that is the story" continued
Lane. THE year that johnson was
hung his wife died. That year was the
beginning of the depression on the dia-
mond fields. which lasted for some
time and ruined a great many men
The firm of O'Brien Bros. came to an
end, the bank taking over their claims
for money advanced on them.
Tom O'Brien died, more Of the bad
times than anything else. The otEel
brothers sailed for Australia and ths
ship they We're in went down. Nelly
who had been born the granddaughter
of the richest digger on the fields, was
left an orphan, with no means and
without a relation in the world that
anyone knew Of
Nov, I had been a board ar at the
Johnson's, going there when they were
hard up. I had taken a spell at tie
civil service about that time, but when
my office was abolished, had gone down
the river. putting the money the gov
1t came off pretty well. don't suppose
any one ever found better In the bed Of
the river than ! did.I worked n patch
of ground right out, and by the time
the river came down again, as 1t does in
the summer, had made some Glj000
and every one was talking about my
good luck. l determined to go home, and
as there seemed TO be no one in the
world to look after little Nelly, took
her with me; and you know the rest
Yes; how she grew up the sweatest
girl who ever lived, and how she hai
promised a fellow who is not half goot
enough for her. but who would give his
life to make her happy, to be his wife,
answered George Lane. Yes, ! sup
pose you were right t. keep the story
from her, and yet l hate a secret
there is always the chance that, like
an old spent shell, it may explode"
you are right" said Lane, "and the
mischief of it is that l think the secre
may come out soon. When l was dowr
at the landing waiting for you this
morning, I saw a stranger who haC
come by the steamer yesterday, hang
ing about by the inn. They told me h,
said he was from the diamond fields
and he had been asking all about me
/ had thought that remembered hi
face, and when / heard that, it cam
across me that he was Sam Dredge, tht
floor manager of O'Brien Brothers, VIII
was run in with Nellys father. If h
knew who Nelly was, he might try ant
trade on his secret"
He would be an internal villain. anC
he would find the island of Scartht
rather close Oua rtGrs ~ he triad on tha