The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-28

The sort to give you the green's. II was
riderless horse coming fun tilt
through the bush. with the saddle
twisted around and the stirrup-irons
ringing. With thinking l had shot
at heading him with the doctors
mare, and blocked him lust enough
to allow man who came ganoping
after to do the rest
Ihank ye, mister growled the
man. huge chap in red-checked
shlrt, with beard like w. G. Grace
but the very devil 70 an expression.
Been an aecAient2 said /. refining
up
Yes said he. scowlfng as though
he defied me to ask any more
We'll Bunny, ] may be a black
guard myself. but | don't think | ever
looked at a fellow as that chap looked
at me. But / stared him out. and
forced him to admit that it was
blood on the twisted addle. and after
that he became quite tune. He told
me exactly what had happened. A
mate of his had been dragged under
a branch and had his nose smashed,
but that was all; had sat tight after
1t till he dropped from loss of blood
another mate was with him back in
the bush
As I've said already Bunny, I
wasn't the old stager that l am now
in any respect-and we parted good
enough friends He asked me which
way | was going and when l told him
he said | should save seven miles and
get a good hour earlier to Yea by
striking off the track and making for
a peak that we could see through
the trees and following creek that
l should see from the peak. Don't
smile, Bunny ] began by saying l
was a child In those days. OF course,
the short cut was the long way round.
and 1t was nearly dark when that un-
lucky mare and l saw the single
street of Yea.
Il was looking for the bank when
a fellow in a white suit ran down
from a veranda.
Mr. Raffles? said he.
MIR Ranlesr said l laughing, as
I shook his hand.
"'You're late
:" L was misdirected.
"'That all? I'm relieved he said.
DO you know what they are saying?
There are some brand new BUSH
rangers on the road between Whittle-
sea and this-a second Kelly gang!
They'd have caught a Tartar In you,
eh?'
They would in YOU I retorted.
and my tu quoquo shut him up and
seemed to puzzle him. Yet there was
much more sense in 1t than in his
compliment to me- which was abso-
lutely pointless.
I'm afraid you'll find things pref
ty rough, he resumed, he he had un-
strapped my valise and handed my
reins to his man. It's lucky you're a
bachelor like myself
II could not quite see the point of
this remark either since had / been
married | should hardly have sprung
my wife upon him in this free and
easy fashion. | muttered the conven-
tional sort of thing, and then he said
| should find 1t all right when | set
tied as though l had come to Craze
upon him for weeks! Well thought |,
these Colonials do take the cake for
hospitality And still marvelling,
let him lead me into the private part
of the bank.
"'Dinner will be ready in a quarter
of an hour said he as we entered.
4 thought you might like tub first
and you'l find all ready in the room
at the end of the passage. Sing out
of there's anything YOU want. Your
luggage hasn't turned up yet. by the
way but here's a letter that came this
morning
Not for me-?
Yes; didn't you expect one"
- certainly did not
"'Well. here it is
"And as he lit me to my room
read my own superscription of the
previous day-to w. F. Raffles
Bunny, you've had your wind
bagged at footer, | daresay; you know
what that's like? All l can say is
that my moral wind was bagged by
that letter as / hope, old chap | have
never vet bagged yours. | couldn't
speak. ! could only stand with my
own letter in my hands until he had
the good taste to leave me by myself.
wv. f. Raffles We had mistaken
each other for w. f. Raffes-for the
the new manager who had not yet
arrived! Small wonder we had con-
versed at purposes; the only
wonder was that we had not discov-
cred our mutual mistake. How the
old man would have laughed But +
I could not laugh. BY Jove. no, 1t was
no laughing matter for me! | saw
the whole thing in a flash, without
tremor, but with the direst depression
from my own single point of view.
Call 1t callous If you like, Bunny, but
remember | was In much the same
hole as you've since been in yourself
and that | had counted on this w. F.
Raffles even as you counted on A. j.
| thought of the man with the w. G.
bloody saddle-the deliberate misdi-
rection that had put me off the track
and out of the way-and now the
missing manager and the report OF
bushrangers at this end. But | SIM
ply don't pretend to have felt any
personal pity for man whom | had
never seen; that kind Of PHYS u.s.
ually scant; and. besides all mine
was needed for myself.
II In a hole q
What the devil was l to do? l doubt
If l have sufficiently impressed upon
YOU the absolute necessity of my re-
turning to Melbourne in funds. AS
matter of fact it was less the neces-
sity than my own determination
which | can truthfully describe as alb
solute.
Money I would have-but how
but how? Would this stranger be
open to persuasion--if l told him the
truth? No; that would set MS all
securing the country for the rest of
the night. Why should | tell him?
Suppose | left him to find out his
mistake, would anything be gained?
Bunny, l give you my word that |
went into dinner without a definite
intention in my head. or one premed-
itated lie upon my lips. l might do
the decent natural thing and explain
matters without loss of time; on the
other hand there was no hurry. l had
not opend the letter, and could al
ways pretend that ] had not noticed
the initials, meanwhile something
might turn up. | could wait little
and see. Tempted l already was, but
as yet the temptation was vague, and
its very vaguesness made me tremble.
- Bad news, I'm afraid? said the
manager when at last | sat down at
his table.
"A mere annoyance, | answered
Il. ON 10 n 10