Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-08-15
THE LITTLE
GOLD NUGGET
A Tale of the Australian Gold
Diggings.
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John Archer decided that the mug
cot would be safer in his little daugh-
los keeping than in his own.
"You must take great care of it., dar-
hing" said John Archer. ut is for
vonr mother" And Effie slowed the
1ttle nugget away in n corner of the
old vorkbox which had been her moth
ar's under the cotton and socks she
was darning for her father. She felt
@dulv weighted with the responsibility.
She knew that this yellow earth was
of great value, for her father, leaving
her mother, who was very delicate.
with some friends in Brisbane. had
come a long, weary way TO find 1t.
Having hidden the little nugget
AWAY. Ellie came out of the hut to look
around and see if any one was near
who might have seen her. No. No
one was near who might have seen her,
only Billy, the black-King Billy, the
aboriginal monarch. who loved rum
and tobacco and who was chopping
some irewood for her.
This little girls reason for trusting
King Billy, the black, was somewhat
strange and is worthy CT being re-
corded. She trusted him because she
had been kind to him.
But Efie was only l..
As the child stood in the broad light,
her tumbled hay bued hair kissed and
. nlumined by the bold rays of the sun
and her round, trustful blue eyes shad-
| ed from the glare by two little brown
hands watching King Billy at his
work. flock of laughing jackasses
| alghted in a neighboring gum tree
| and set up n demoniac exclamation.
| madly merry? What was the joke?
EHe's trust: Billy's gratitude? They
failed to explain. but their amusement
| was huge and sardonic.
Drive them away, Billy" cried Eff
iie and the obedient king dropped his
AK aud threw faggot of wood at the
tree, which stopped the laughter and
dispersed the merrymakers.
Billy tired now said the black
grinnng. TOO much work-plenty
wood" and he pointed to the result
Of his labor:
Yes, that will be enough, thank
you. You're a good boy. I'll give you
/ some tobacco"
"Billy's thirsty"
Then you shall have some tea"
'No tea. Rum
"No. Billy. Rum isn't good for you"
Good for miners; good for Billy"
NO, lis not good for miners" said
Ellie emphatically. 1T makes them
fight and say wicked things"
Makes black fellow feel good" de
clarel Billy rolling his dusky eyes.
This last argument was effective.
Ellie went into her hut-her father had
returned to his work-and poured q
little spirits from John Archer's flask
into a pannikin. Billy drank the
spirits with rolling eyes, smacked his
lips and then lay down in the shadow
Of the hut to sleep.
The long afternoon passed very slow
ly for EtIie, Her few trifiing duties
as bousekeeper were soon done. The
little hut was tidied and the simple
evening meal prepared and some hours
must pass before her father returned
How could she pass the time? She
had only two books-a Bible and a
volume Of stories for little girls, which
"a n
Brisbane. But she was too young to
appreciate the first, especially as the
type was very small and it was difficult
reading, and she had grown beyond
augsec.ating the stories for little girls,
having known them by heart three
years before She would like to have
slept Everything around her suggest
e. ana invited the siesta-the steady
heat, the brightness of the light with.
out the hut the distant murmur OF
Alers' voices which came from be-
yall yOn1er belt Of waffle gums. the
D5a1tonous hum of the locusts in the
t.l@sr the occasional fretful cry of n
strange bird a0' he regular SHORES OF
ne fallen king. Who slumbered in the
SPADE q the hut Even the buzz Of the
annoying dies assisted the general ef-
leet ana brought drowsiness.
% remain still for a few minutes
would have m inevitably failing
asleep. Ellie fa his and remembered
.-e little gold nugget. If she slept
some thief might come and take 1t. And
.' she put on her lat and, forsaking
..e seductive crai ald shade OF the hut,
Went ont into tie lrightness and heat
Arcler's hut stood on the edge Of the
valley over against the foot Of the
-e heavily timbered hills. About 10
~.4s distant from it, hidden among
l.t trees, was t'gh moss grown roe.
t4e base Of wh.tti Fife had disco
- lAe smallest ud sweetest of na
,FsASs Thither the child ran h
es-h often to sec that no one app
tle hut In her aSsence-to kat -