The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-01-24
DYING LIKE
p GENTLEMAN
A Story of Australian Gold
Hunters.

* Hunters. 8
@s.s.s.: =: 80: :.s.s9:sssss:~:<@9
A dozen men sat around campfire
alongside the trail which led from
Hope Valley to Woona Walla.
The trail was 300 miles long and ran
up hill and down, over plain and
through scrub and now aud then cross
ed u river or climbed n mountain.
The feet of 1900 Australian gold
hunters, accompanied for half the dis
lance by wagons and pack horses. had
left such plain road behind that the
next 5000 could not go astray.
At no point on the trail could n doz-
en- worse men have been picked out
than the l. who sat around Jim Ag
news campfire. They had banded to-
gether because they We're bad. Had
they Travelled slngly 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 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 a
burden from his back. 1t was n little
girl Z or s years old and sound asleep.
He pulled Il blanket from under a
man and spread 1t out to make II bed
for the child, and he tucked her up
with tender hand before he stralghten-
ed up and looked about him and said:
81 carried her on my back from sgd
ney to Hope Valley, and, finding the
rush on, Pm bound for Woona Walla."
"And who may you bel" 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 child2"
mo, sir; daughter of my ex-partner,
Mr.. Joe Taylor. He was another
wreck of gentleman. She was moth
erless, aud when he died n few weeks
ago he left her in my charge. Couldn't
refuse to take her, slr-no gentleman
could Very interesting young person;
bound to make n lady If properly rear
ed and educated. She'll be waking up
directly, and then well thank you for
n 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
1, "A - I, lie, faa I,tt
yet instinct told them that he was not
Of their ilk.
No matter what he was now, he had
one day been n 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 gentleman. Then ! was
Scott, the gambler. At present / am
Scott, the wreck of gentleman and
guardian OF that child. Quite correct
sir"
Hang your gentleman business:'
shouted Jim as his temper began to
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 kldr 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 Ethel
Taylor of Sydney, daughter Of Mr.. Jo-
seph Taylor, deceased, ex-convlct, gam
bier, sharper and bad 'un generally.
In dying he left her In charge Of his
partner, the wreck of gentleman,
who has now been day and half
without food. but who wouldn't sell
out his trust for all the gold in Aus
tralia."
you'd better take a walkw exclaim-
ed Agnew after long look at the
gambler.
after the girl has eaten, SIR" was
the quiet reply.
'The girl stays here"
mot unless | am dead"
The man Agnew backed off a few
feet and pulled n revolver from his
belt and raised his arm until the muz-
right eye The arm rested there, and
as his fingers curled around the trlg-
ger he said:
"Ill give you till count FIVE"
"My dear Ethel, good night and good
by" said Scott as he half turned and
lifted his ragged cap to the girl
She did not rise up nor call out. Ag-
new meant 10 kill the man before him
II he did not move off, but after his
words to the girl his arm slowly fell.
There was silence for minute, and
then the boss of the gang said:
"Cuss me, but you've got nerve! Sit
down with the gal and fill up"
1t was accounted a strange thing
with the 'rushers" TO see "A little girl
among that band of bad 'uns," each
taking turn and turn about TO carry
her on his back, and both guardian
and ward found themselves among
friends.
Indeed before the new diggings were
reached jim Agnew and Scott were ac-
counted partners" 1t was stranger
yet that little Ethel had q liking for