The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1899-08-10

proper business Of
A blank of six or seven years. l
have lost count of time; and to this
day, although 1 have been tenderly
and playfully assisted by n who is
very, very lear to me, 1 cannot fix the
exact number of years | was at the
other end OF the world. Being there, l
had but n object before me, and in
pursuance of it 1 travelled thousands
of miles on foot. Wherever I heard of
a woman and child who in any way
resembled the description of those l
vas in search of, thither l directed my
steps. This will not appear so strange
to you who have not travelled in those
regions, when I tell you that on the
gold-diggings at that time there were
fifty men to one woman; therefore, a
woman could be more easily tracked
than in a big city. Neither weather
nor distance deferred me. l travelled
through flood, and literally through
fire; for l was in the Black Forest
on that awful black Thursday when
| scores of miles of silver and iron bark
trees were blazing fiercely. You may
walk through the forest On this day,
and follow the track of that terrible
fire. Many a false track did | follow,
only to be disappointed, after miles OF
weary wandering. Over and over again
| was il Forest Creek, TarrangOwer,
Bendigo and Ballarat. In the last place
l was a witness of the terrible riots,
and took part in them, being compelled
to do so to save my life. / went to ev-
cry new rush-to marlborough, Dun
oily, Avoca-but never found those
was in search of. One time l followed
a and child for six months
losing them whenever l reached the
place l was bound for, and following
them on to the next, where 1 lost them
again
1 could fill a volume with my adven'
lures during this time; but the tell
ing of them would not forward my
story. l must here record a certain
change of feeling which came over me
at about the expiration OF a couple o.
years. The desire to find my wife be
came weakened; the desire to find my
child became more and more intense
Soon 1 thought almost entirely OF my
child, and | pictured him in my i'm
agination as growing up year afte1
year, with fair hair and blue eyes, am
with features resembling those Of m!
father. B~eecroft, Mariner. This chang
of feeling led to another impression
as the years went by. l got it into m,
head that my wife might have died, blu
that my boy was certainly alive. Curl
ously enough, instead of becoming dis
heartened by my want of success,
never once lost my conviction that tn
day would come when l should holt
him in my arms.
had to work for my living, as yo1
may guess, and I was generally fortu
nate in finding more gold than my ne
cessities required. I was sober AM
steady; and l take some credit to my
self that I was not wrecked, as hun
dreds of better men than / were, Il
SLY grog-shops and public houses
Drink was the ruin Of many a fair lif
: on the gold-diggings and in the cities
but there was no temptation in it 70
, me, and 1 escaped. 1 did not escape an
i, other temptation. I was bitten by tn
=, gold fever, and I had my dreams {
: finding a big nugget Of gold, and th
day afterward of finding those I we
in search Of, and then all of us goin
|, home and living happily together.
, dreamed that dream often, and alway
regretted the waking up. One thing
= pushed resolutely from my mind, an
would not think of-that was, VIII
: I should do If I met Mr.. bruce. Whe
. it got into my head unawares, I broo'
ed over it until I came to myself, whe
I thrust it from me in fear, for the,
:, was always a mist Of blood in my ey
:. as his image came before me.
ITO BRC