The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-03

assemblage Of notabiIitles I'm the snug
gerry though no such pathological cere-
mony had called them together Many
changes mad occurred Of late which mer-
tied discussion; and IL was In this cham
Der, gorgeous In all the effete luxury OF
( the mirror and settee, that Hsryey's
Siuice was wont 70 exchange ideas. The
recent cleansing OF the population was
I still causing some rerment in mems
minds Then there was Miss Sinclair and
1 her movements 10 be commented on. and
the paying lead in the Conemara- and
4 the recent rumors OF bushrangers. II
was no wonder that the leading men In
the township had come together in the
Colonial Bar
Inc rangers were the present subject of
/ discussion. For some few days rurnors of
their presence had been flying about. and
an uneasy feeling had peryaded the COL
b eny. Physical fsar was a thing little
known in Harvey's Sluiee. The miners
would have turned out to hunt down the
uesperadoes With as much zest as If they
had been so many kangaroos. Ii was the
presence OF large quantity of gold in
the Town which caused anxiety. II was
iet that the fruits Of their labor must be
secured at any cost Messages had been
sent over 20 Buckhurst for as many troop
ers as could be spared, and in the mean
'lihe the main street Of the SIuice was
paraded at night by volunteer sentineIs.
fresh impetus had been given to the
panic by the report brought in today bv
Jim Struggles. Jim was of an ambitious
and aspiring turn of mind, and after gaz-
ing IN silent disgust at his last weeks
clean up he had metaphoricalIy shaken
the clay of Harvey's Sluiee from his feet
and had started of into the woods with
the intention Of prospecting round until
ne could hit upon some likely piece OF
ground for himself. Jims story was that
ne was sitting upon a fallen trunk eat
ing his midday damper and rusty bacon.
When his trained ear had caught the
chnk OF horses hoofs. He had2hardly time
TO take the precaution of rolling, off the
tree, and crOuching down behind ii. be-
lore troop Of men came riding down
through the bush. and passed within a
stones-throw OF him.
There was Bill Smeaton and Murphy
Dun, said Struggles. naming two motor
ious ruffians; ''and there was three more
that l couldn't rightly see And they took
the trail TO the right, and looked like busi-
ness all over. with their guns in their
hands"
jim was submitted TO a searching cross
examination that evening; but nothing
could shake his testimony or throw fur
ther light upon what he had seen. He told
the story several times and at long in
tervals; and though there might be a
pleasing variety in the minor incidents.
the main facts were always identically the
same. The matter began to look serious
There were a few. however, who were
loudly skeptical as 10 the existence of the
rangers, and the most prominent of these
was a young man who was perched on a
barrel in the center of the room, and was
evidently one of the leading spirits in the
community. We have already seen that
dark, curling hair, lack-luster eye, and
thin, cruel lip, in the person of Black
Tom Ferguson, the rejected suitor of Miss
Sinclair. He was easily distinguishable
from the rest of the party by a tweed
coat and other systems of effeminacy in
in his dress. which might have brought him
into disrepute had he not, like Abe Dur
ton partner, early established the reputa-
tlon OF being quietly dangerous man On
the present occasion he seemed somewhat
under the influence of liquor, a rare oc-
currenee with him, and probably TO be as
cribed to his recent disappointment He
was almost fierce in his denunciation of
Jim Struggles and his story
Its always the same" he said. "If a
man meets few travellers in the bush
he's bound to come back raging about
rangers. If they'd seen Struggles there.
they would have gone off with a long
yarn about ranger crouching behind a
tree. AS to recognizing people riding
last among tree trunks-it is an impossi-
bility."
struggles, however, stoutly maintained
his original assertion, and all the sar-
casms and arguments of his opponent
were thrown away upon his stolid com
placency. II was noticed that Ferguson
seemed unaceOuntably put out about the
whole matter. Something seemed to be
on his mind, too; for occasionally he would
spring of his perch and pace up and down
the room with an abstracted and very
forbidding look upon his swarthy face
1t was a relief 10 every one when, sud
denly catching up his hat and wishing the
company curt Good night" he walked
off through the bar and into the street
beyond.
Seems kinder put out" remarked Long
Mccoy.
''He can't be afeard of the rangers
surely" said Joe Shamus, another man of
consequence, and principal shareholder
of the Eldorado.
''No, he's not the man to be afraid" an
swered another. There's something
queer about him the last day or two He's |
been long trips in the woods without any
tools. They do say that the assayer's |
daughter has chucked him over"
quite right, too. a darned sight too |
good for him." remarked several voices.
It's odds but he has another try" said |
Shamus. Hes hard man to beat when |
he's set his mind on thing"
ABE Durton's the horse TO win" re- /
marked HOulahan, a little bearded Irish |
man. ITS sivin to four I'd be willin' TO
lay on him"
And you'd be afther losing your mon |
ey, a-vich,' said young man, with a |
laugh. "She'n want more brains than |
ever Bones had in his skull, you bet"
who's seen Bones to-day?" asked Nc |
Coy.
1--WE seen him." said the young miner |
He came round all through the camp |
asking for a dictionary. Wanted TO write /
a letter likely"
Il saw him reading it," said Shamus. |
"He came over to me an told me he'd |
struck something good at the first show. |
Showed me a word about as long as your /
ITS a rish man he is now. l suppose"
said the Irishman.
We'll, he's about made his pile. He /
holds a hundred feet of the Conemara,
and the shares go up every hour. II he'd .
sell out he'd be about III 10 go home"
Guess he wants 10 take somebody home \
with him." said another. "Old Joshua
wouldn't object, seem that the money is
there"
/ think IL has been already recorded in
this narrative that Jim Struggles, the /
wandering prospector, had gained the rep
utation OF being the wit Of the camp. II
was not only in airy badinage. but in the
and execution Of more preten-
t,ous practical pleasantries. that jim had
earned his reputation. His adventure in
the morning had caused certain stagna-
iion in his usual flow of humor. but the
company and his potations were grad