The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-24

1 ing had the more to do with his recovery. Tom, as alert in mind as honest George was slow, did not need to do much study l ing to perceive that his friend could not hope to recoup his broken fortunes dt sheep raising. This conviction strength ened him in another conviction that had | grown steadily within him ever since ;:e had entered the new land
 During the course of his wild, rowing l life, Tom Robinson had been in California | mining gold. Now, wherever he looked in | the region surrounding him he saw the same character of country as that of the golden ranges of Western America. | To George gold hunting meant nothing. Toms tales of wonderful fortunes to be gained by digging hole seemed wild im- possible dreams to the matter-of-fact Eng | fish farmer. But one day when they were | looking for a new pasture they entered suddenly on a place of rocks and gorges, and Tom, no longer able to control him self cried: We are standing on gold! infected against HIS VIII Dy HIS lIieHu enthusiasm, George followed him into | ravine, where Tom Robinson fell to dig ging furiously. They washed out calabash | after calabash, till they were plastered | with clay. Suddenly shout rang through the gorge. They had found gold at .he . bottom of the vessel.
 1 For three days they worked alone. Then | a man appeared on a crest and looked at | them. The next day were beside | them digging. As if the birds had carried | the news east, west, north and south, men came in like locusts. In a month George | and Tom were working in the middle of d buzzing mob.
 One day John Meadows, in far-off Eng land, opened letter addressed to Susan in Georges well-known handwriting. His face had a smile of anticipatory satisfac- tion, for the last few letters had shown clearly that his rival was nearing the end of his resources.
 Meadows read, drew in his breath and turned pale The letter announced the gold discovery and said that he hoped to go home in six months with a thousand pounds or even more.
 For >more than an hour Meadows sat,
 raging too furiously against fortune to think Then he became cool again. His mind centered on one spot-a- spot in Aus tralia where it saw George Fielding in pit gathering metal grains that shone in | the hot sun.
 l He arose. mounted his horse rode to town and called on lawyer, his tool and slave, over whom he held the whip hand l through knowledge of crimes that had 1 been committed by the miserable, drunk | en, fawning. cowardy creature. l "Crawley," said John Meadows, 'you are to sail for Australia on the next ship. 1 Here is a check book. You may draw , e10O month. Now listen" | The two heads came close together. | They stayed together for more than an | hour.
 | A few months after that conversation Crawley was looking furtively down into a deep pit which was the envy of the camp George and Tom Robinson, after | varying fortunes, had struck a. placer 1 there and were digging out nuggets ana
 grains at the rate of s1OO a day. With l Crawley was snother Iie"re, as evil as his | own, ana lODhlB doWu SIecdiiy. l The two turned away and whispered to- gether long while That night there | came a cry of Murder. Help" near the 1 tent where George and Tom slept with 1 their bag of gold dust underneath their 1 blankets. Startled from sleep, they leaped
 up and rushed out to see nothing. When they returned their gold was gone.
 The two robbed men rushed wildly out
 into the night, but found no trace of the | thieves. They sat down on the ground
 and bowed their heads, fearing to speak
 lest they should sob
 So they sat till dawn. stonly, worthless.
 Then George sprang up, gripped Robin
 son by the hand, held it a moment and
 turned to the claim.
 Again they found gold, but each day it dwindled. They had gathered the best
 of the deposit for the thieves.
 Tom Robinson ceased digging for a day
 tnd stole away from the camp to pros pect. He returned quietly and told George that they would pack up that
 night and go secretly ten miles south.
 where he had found surface gold.
 The next day they pitched camp in a 1 gully. when they stopped uisSins at night they had dust worth several hum dred pounds.
 Work, work" said Robinson The
 whole camp will be down on us in few days A single day may be worth a5oO to us. After the rest come we will go
 back to the old diggings and take up the
 hest of the claims they desert for this
 nlace will be exhausted in no time when many go at il"
 They did not get another whole day.
 Before nightfall men from the old dig