The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-02-13
;. DYING LIKE
a GENTLEMAN
A Story of Australian Gold
Hunters.

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alongside the trail which led from
Hope Valley to Woona Walla.
The trail was 800 miles long and ran
up hill aud down. over plain and
| through scrub and now and then cross
| ed river or climbed Il mountain.
The feet of 1900 Australian gold
| hunters, accompanied for half the dis
tance by wagons and pack horses, had
| left such a plain road behind that the
| next 5000 could not so astray.
| AT no point on the trail could a doZ-
| en- worse men have been picked out
| than the II who sat around Jim Ag
| news campfire. They had banded to-
| gether because they were bad. Had
thes travelled sinsiy they would have
Jared badly at the hands of the crowd.
| At o'clock at night. with every
| man ripe for mischief from the liquor
he had imbibed, the camp had a caller
| two of them.
| A man turned in from the trail and
passed the fire and halted in the midst
of the quarreling gang and dropped
| burden from his back. 1t was a little
| girl or years old and sound asleep.
| He pulled a blanket from under a
man and spread it out to make a bed
| for the child and he tucked her up
with tender hand before he straighten-
ed up and looked about him and said:
81 carried her on my back from Sgd
| ney to Hope Valley, and, finding the
L e., Nalt
"And who may you be?" queried Jim
| Agnew of the stranger.
"a gentleman. sir, or the wreck of
gentleman" was the reply. You can
call me Scott"
"And is this your child?''
"No, sir; daughter of my ex-partner.
Mr.. Joe Taylor. He was another
wreck of a gentleman. She was moth
erless, and when he died few weeks
ago he left her in my charge. Couldn't
refuse to take her, sir-no gentleman
could. Very interesting young person;
bound to make lady if properly rear
ed and educated She'll be waking up
directly. and then Wen thank you for
a bite to eat"
1t was boarding the lion in his den.
After two or three minutes the men
recovered from their feeling of aston
ishment, and then there was resent
ment at the cool and nervy way their
camp had been invaded.
The man before them was ragged
and unkempt. and dissipation was to
be read in every line of his face. but
yet instinct told them that he was not
of their ilk.
No matter what he was now. he had
one day been a gentleman. There were
mutterings and threats, and presently
Jim Agnew said:
"Say, I've heard of you! You are
Scott, the gambler You used to hang
out at Red Hills
"Your information is correct. sir.
used to be a gentleman. Then | was
Scott, the gambler. At present ! am
Scott, the wreck of a gentleman and
guardian of that child. Quite correct,
SIR"
Hang your gentleman businessr'
shouted Jim as his temper began tC
boil up. "Say, boys. let's chip in and
buy the kid. Mebbe she'll bring more
luck than humpback."
Eyes; let's buy the kidp' shouted
half dozen men in chorus.
"Gentlemen." said the gambler as he
waved his hand toward the girl. who
had been awakened by the shouts
permit me to introduce Miss Ethe
Taylor of Sydney. daughter of Mr. 10
seph Taylor. deceased, eX-convict. gam
bier, sharper and bad 'un generally
; In dying he left her in charge of his
partner. the wreck of a gentleman
who has now been day and hall
without food. but who wouldn't sci
, out his trust for all the gold in Aus
tralia"
, You'd better take walk!" exclaim
ed Agnew after long look at the
gambler.
"After the girl has eaten, sir" wa:
? the quiet reply.
; 'The girl stays here"
Not unless ! am dead"