THE GREEN CUB MINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12725, 30 November 1904, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE GREEN CUB MINE.

■ »: .WEST ATTSTKALIAX STORY. •. ; J• * - ;:■.■■.•' .."■.■,■..: :",■■■■.■:'..■.■ . ; ■ ■■ .1 ■.-■■■,.■■,■-.■■■■■....■.■.,■ ■ >..;, '>;',, ' ' ' ■ • [nr r.our.n ■ ■b.u.v^-k.a.] w*il- : "^^»;i.-.'.: ; :-.-. ,-':-'v':.r;;^.;-v,,;,>.;,>.■,;-:-,; : :.-: i -;•■•:-.■.,;: ',■;,-;;; ' : j:';-r !i/ s f''*fp|'Vs v :; ! ;,;;::;.;:.;;;,-.'.::;■■.:;. : ;-^^-''-';^''■-;.;A''' ; ''-^.^^ ; i\"--^:; : E : i^' ; -r ' : : CHArTER 1. . s 1 "-D just returned from my bun and milk ■'- lunch,"; and was sitting down to copy a. deed v ,; Wb*n 1 received a telegram. h , ,-' ,*" Halloo, Toßimv." s«id Brown, "who on ;'-■.;. earth's sending you. a telegram? ,,; For tlis clerks in our particular depart- ■■ ■ ment of Law and Livingstone's, 171,' Kegent- - • . :>"rect, tJ.'.isgow, always gave special iiistrue- , ,;;"ti»ns-to their aristocratic' friend-, not to send "''' : 't7\" ! - to r ' m office, or the governors would be for reducing their salaries. Ho. at leftst, tliwjf • said; but sis the averago amount of th<;, 'salaries in question was something ' like eighty-five pounds a year too statement is open to doubt. I opened d, am"; a smile of delight flitted across my face as I read: > •' Central Hotel -, come - Mediately - just—B:rived.--Jmn .." I can hardly hope to ih-crih-Tihc effect produced n-.pou mo liy that signature; for Jemima was my old chum Billy Johnstone, who;© indomitable pluck and reckless boy. ishue*? ii., not " sufficed to remove the nickname winch his gentle voice and girlish face had won him, _ But what save the actual pleasure •.,»•** that i had not seen him for over two .. ye are, .had only heard from him at lone intervals, from Albany and Ooolgardio. I bad not, even' called on his folk at Cathcart, .';, oUivr interests of a.ples-Banter, if more hearttustnrbiujf nature, keeping nut generally in, the western districts of tho city." As I did not know i,„-.v long I mithi bo out, , . ■-I,s*owed,thtt,'tdegTEi v fa i to old ■ lavingstput, ~ tied readily got perny.esjou to ko. 1 rushed down to the Central, wondering what the important business, could be, and five minutes later was "shaking hands with ;..-. the best fellow known--the only one I have ever, met who was at once scholar *~-in a moderatesgß%~aud player, man ami tjoy. . * But what a change these two years had Wrought in bin! • Three inches haul been added to Ins height, and the feminine note in his face had changed and left only a. pleasant memory of it in Ins <?yes, blue and soft as of old- vet with the .same old laugh lyitjs: in ambush behind' them. The other interests already, alluded \ to .fended to make mo sentimental, but he quickly ".out; short my apostrophes with a .„:•..-... new,..;strange';business alertness which I was <;;ui;e unable to account Mr.' "Here. I didn't "send that: telegram just ;,',-/.f«r fun, Tommy. ;: 'l've gqf the finest investment m the world for you, and there's just * possibility that, in a couple of hours group chance will bo past. Have you any monevf".: X : _ ■:. _"*Ab=Dui ten or ; ti;«.ive pounds," I said, ; ■:."" ] : after a ; moment's ■" if fief tion ■•to ' consider -if ■■ there was not : anotherjjonnd to Ikj scraped ■. np •■ somewhere. • He laughed., ■ ""That- blessed mi-! Why didn't you go in for "the kirk, ' Tomiay, or boy a publichouse on borrowed money? But the law! J Oh, I could write melancholy epic's about, the lawr*. Ho hod been in a law ofiSccs-for eishi' months 3ihi«d*. "Ten pounds I And what dux. you borrow. 1 "*. ' . . ■■'"■- I final*!-!, for lam Scotch. "Is is safe}" I asked. "Safe t D'ye think, you ruffian, I'm a *r*feess L> dftm.- ' I tell you that except r, \.7a< neoessaryt to ke/>p mo for another racntli, I baven't a fartihnitf that isn't in it, t '.*-,d every dak of tli*>s» f arthingj} tsiH fa ten within listed XD&nthsS i! . .-, . ;"■:'. -. 1. beeo.rae. excited, as a prospect is! fabulous -■ wealth opened i up be fore ma.. '■■** I can:jetfifty_ pounds from f M Serv|ef, I think; and i behove I could set about another thirty." ."Nint-ty pounJ.-;. 'Tisn't so bad. Then ff&Hop and g.-t-i >'.-- be 1-. .- here within , forty jrii'ftiuts EvGiy minnte\s puro gold," ' " "But;it's impossible'!" ■ ' :.■ .■■',-'•' "You must.- It means nine .hundred pounds, Tommy, and I've heard, about some- , i-nc called IV-jrtf,. *«•«: a I, asc run: the horse oil Its i-M\. It's ten to cine just how. You'll be here by o ;'>l-bui;%" and its- thrust ;.. vae> out of'the door. i ■ ' '''>~. 1 hailed .a 1 , passing dab. ' We were mars Mian on like to be stopped for furious driving, but. I scarcely noticed, f&r'l was in a world of-iiaapolsibfe dreanw. ' 'Old' ' Service wasn't in his warehouse, and I had to hunt him up at Ids club. Ho saw the excitement '' in my face, and. Si ■.<■*.* iifinoss.iblo to strew the money an' of him without telling L-'m ail I knew. .*' Who (3 your friend!" he asksd,. suspiciously. I told him. 'He's to be txu-ted!" i" "Like Mid." '" '''■: ..i ■ "H'raf he pondered .1 was in fidgets.| ...■"I'll fell yon what.' If you're open id talis itbs risk, I'll ; give you a cheque for three hnndre<J— to go in my name.;, Kh?" ; I s'tT.t'- fainted, but risocver-iil, Jook the cheque, almost leaped ovur the stairs in my cxeiteinenfc, but ranriaged; to reach the cabdoor without misadvenhue. The c*b seem-' ■«d .to crawl along 1 '■«* wedrovo round- to tins others I wished to visit. "fault at one-twenty-fire I rushed into the hotel in .frantic exoite-mi-nt and met "Jenaiina" in d.a entranoe baJ|.S.' ' .'" ■" -' '■- " ,- M " "How much have yon got?" " One hundred and sixfy for myself, end a , hundred and fifty for Ssrvics." . ' ■ "By George ! you've done well.' Come on, f then, into the cab again." " ■• We , feret ;. " Stock Exchange, be called ' to the driver. We were there in a couple Of minutes. He sprung out and hailed .* patsing brokers , '.. -» "How are' Green Cubs standing? t '- "Fcur-nii'i-six, I believe, I'm not certain, however, Tnere'iji not many dealings in " : "ta : em." " ; " , *• liny three .hundred and / ten pounds worth, and send- the note to-- Have you a card. Tom?" I cave him our office card. *'* To' Thomas Burlianan. care of Lai? _ aad Livinßstone's, St. Iteß-i?nt.strept." "All right, 'sir," and he left us. "Jemima" turned and shook my nana. .** TJi&t's the best day's work you ever did, Tommy, mv boy.. One- sisw divided by five {■hiliinvs— -hundred and forty shares, and by this lime to-morrow: they'll be worthua pound apiece. In a month you'll get my money for them." : , ~ , . " Good gracious 1" I exelazmed, startled beyond all measure, " how 'do, you know?" . He took out a cablegram, evidently from Australia, and showed line that it contained the nop .word; "fTrio." ~ , . j "Do you know what that means? he erted triumphantly. "Ten ounces to the ton, and the best mine in West Australia!" , "But how do you know anything about it?" I asked.. -- ' ■ ' "Me! I'd like to know who sTOuld know '■■■■' hotter. I'm the 'Green Cub.'" CHAPTER 11. It would be useless for see to give a column ' of the iuterjertional remarks uttered by-me on • hearing this astounding statement, I tie more so :as "Jemima" would not volunteer : a single word of information till we had driven buck to the hotel, where, having ordered coffee, he gave me, while we drank, a full and true a«ount of what bids fan: to be the in»t famous Australian mum. . ; -; '.":"." You iremembcr my last letter t.r.m Cool. ■ gardioV" - ~, _. , I nodded. : For from prpvioufi letters I, had learned all his progress in Austr. '■,:-,, irom the day he landed in Albany to that of his arrival in the mining capital of the west. I knew all his adventures, too—how he hatl helped to lead a ship with coal »t> ; *».»,;?ji» a •..' ' day immediately on his landing-* IHs iW nislit out on the Australian plains, «80 « his ■inns tramn north to his first m.~'<m of ' ■' v/hi«h pvght be spun out to: many i .at m-, '■ 'jwftitine''-;)3ffPS-rof the life at the du-gings, vhero ie arrived on a Sunday to, »id an 1 ..tornatiwalathktic meeting in fulUwing;- ■ %nd of ill the wonder that comes Hooding on the r 'new chum,'.* and flings into prosaic '' relief the old life across the seas. Yes, I remembered, for had not the tot romance almost whirled me from my feet and whirled me, too. off in quest of phantom fortune at the gold mines? "Well I told you what a go-ahead place Coolgard'ie was; every man dead-imta on making money, and never a moment of ml I eh** full off brains, work, and monoy. and a rniahtv tight corner for a man who is pot. IX arlyblessed with any of the three 7 Won saw there wasn't much chance for roe there for let me tell you, Tommy, whet the ennneon in Cool?atd«» just now • «°» b know abeu, mining itn't worth kWOT. "So I tramped out north; and got a berth at- Scandinavia Beefs, about a hundred and iiitv miles to the n<?rth-west. I w*9 : here SaotTy tteree month*, em) hao man- . S that time, to save thirty^eund^ef none V ou know the regular wage was three- : "Sri wX and water; and, as I coU g d live ,: comfortably on n\ pouud « week, I simply ': saved hand over hand. - m t,. n "We usually atopped work: »* four when on the daj" shift,' and one day,.on coming back To m? mm fo » ml thinffs in ,r n f e :t able -disorder, ami my money gape, ■*■ o t) ce raised an alarm, end the ■.*»,:«-«». Vminers, .who hud; ic.Hts nearby, all came rushing uj>.

- .'"At that very,moment my neighbour, a * wages manlike myself, '.'eanre running 'opt of his tent, with the cry that he had b-'iai) rob • • 1 bed. - -• ■■ 'tWp all lit' -rt In tent, and found that there, toft, as in mine, tux-twhh.* was idt con■'.fusion ; J byt lifter further. examination : . his money was found nil right. '' ,-'<■' "The affair was rather a $eriaus one, 101 .:. ; there were only twenty-three in : camp at our .;. .mine,, and one of these.'it -must be ;■; the rtuer. , _ ■'•■ ■-,' : 'V-I>.iuie;r-the;.'eii : cum3t»ate.*''all -volunteered ; : to let their tents .be -examined, and. a coin- , . mi„tee of . three having been appointed a '•■ search was made, bin nothing was found. . "hen all was; over they eanio back to mv tent and made a minute examination of 'the L . ground, and as one of the three had been a tru.-.iker in the Sydney police."they were not unfitted for the , business; The "tracks had • been carefully removed by trailing the sand • : j 'oyer them, hut in one corner was found a . soiiiaiy- heel mark, and/a ''peculiar oife at ,;. that. For-on: tho'.•'inner side it-.; had'been .-j.j roughly : foliblptl 'tttid.. (ho ooai's&'pfifdi lj|i,(| 3 ; left a clearly defined impresdpri. ,-r <. 6. " Noiv, rightly: or wrongly, ' sus|iicipn "." had . ; ; fa'ilotx upon my ueighlxHir— ilftcnangjit'on 1 . was •:' his name—-and, in his absence, - his tent : was searched that very evening, and a pair of 1 spare working-boots found whoso right liee} > corresponded exactly with :, the; heel ; mark J in the tent. Still, this was too slight a duo to build a case, upon.'.'Next, day, however, ; ! two of the miners who had: left the camp a IntiQ before sunrise to try a- little prospects ing on their- own ; account, on 'h their return t brought .back the somewhat; significant news r. that they had seen Maonanghton walking , t . along the edge of a lake, a mile, distant, to report the circumstanee to the committee. The latter regarded the information 'as so " important : that',, two of them, including th? 3 tracker, slipped down to the lake. Of course ; : , the rest of the camp were at work, ant! i, no oiiie:waa aware that anything was On. Oh , '.-reaching the ..side of the lake nt the spot , indicated they found a cl<?ar trail running [ along the shore of salt: and sand for 1 half . mile, and stepping at $ large boulder Avhicfi , lay at-, the "lake's edge. ; : •■■.;,■. "■]■ ■■ v i, - J*| slmuld mention *hat the lake, like most c those in West Au/raita. was "a salt one, and covered with a shoe's of salt just like ice; ' J but:. at several ; places this • had : been broken ': | Close to the shore, and the boulder; lay half ;''.: in and bait out oftlso water at one of these j, spot?, There were ■. no an-arks:' on. tho-shore > siUfe,. l (?Q one. of the two waded into the water. ;. and, dipping his arm, felt along the foot of the, rock. At one point his hand came in l contact with'a large stone, which seemed to ', block up a gap iri the base of the" boulder, I mi *"*.*»«* to we. both bands 1 ; to lift it away. 1 ..Uu-nstuig his hand, into- the opening, lie immediately touched a canvas hag. He/drew > it out, and on operf,'ng it foiind ■ that, it • contained my. thirty pounds, neither more 4 nor .less. this was In-ought to me without j any stir being,made;'and so the first great 1 mistake was made. For, whether they, be- '- v ,u 7, members of such a small camp, ; dish'iked *.;' i doing anything without certainty,' or whether J they stomly;.. desired to ; take the : man ■■ rod- ': handed, I cannot say. At any rate, they did: not make'any attempt to 'arrest him;- ; f ;l ad that : same aftetnonn M»cnauKhfori ex- • passed his intention of leaving for the Bar. c ncr Beef, fifty miles to t-ha south?' ■■ ; "But whore was the mistake?" I inter- '.; ruptedr {-. , n "^ ,; - I ' l * will c01 ? 1& out in the sequel u Hut they should not have removed the money I » they ; wanted to ofttch him in the act. Of course it was at once seen that he was about •: to nlav mto our hands by visiting the boi.lli j.dW: where : he ; had left the* money, : and .next ~]. morning wh m lie packed 1111, and shouldered his '.;., . for the southward tramp, one of the ' i committee said that he was truing that same ■ >;'?•? to a neighbouring reef, al»out six miles • Mi.-t.-inl. and would take the chance of his ■:; . niiipanv alontr th*- road. Of course there sits no excuse for refusing such an offer,' and , ■■=■■ .two went 'off, while those in camp await- . with considerable eagerness tli& turn 'of _* k A? for mo. my practical share in the arrai.r ;■> ~.;■ over, I determined to : get thy i. irt ••.-. banked as soon as ]K)',-ih!p; so. bor.awinc a horse, I proceeded to ride to Cleari ►" '.•.. the, nearest banking station. - Mean- ; wftile, -the two hipn hat! left the camp and . tramped off to the south. 'After walking some four miles!, however, Macnausrhton cbmplainet! of su old sprain, Mold his companion he would wait for an hour, "'so', : and rub : it "with some •whisky. . The other reedn't wait, however," '"I'The other didn't wait. , but Walked for ~ , about a "uartiir of -a. mile, then-:' doubled back under -ii-n, of s?»me scrub that lav to ; the 'fast, j-apd 'faii." : rv,<,l ,u|> Ins. man. .'"The j l?'.f-r.- varied ia%[ about t<jii minutes, then" '<-■- •■•'<'. '. .-1...-", along the 'southward M(|d, mil ■■ finally"' moved back: toward the caen at a swift pace. The -watcher cut «icto«s the scr«/!>. and reached the end of th«t lake 'and by down. Soon:'afterward- ho siivr Lfaciifiujidon come out of the 'hush be- : tT,«n'the lake iind the road, and wa'k along the hj"h bank until lie reached the boulder. :; , 'j'i;-'?: : Sweu,:then;: 1m» aeemsd auspieions. and: it: was only after i catetel scrutihv of 4 the lalto, side that ho ventured -into the lake. He ; -tooped and d»iaw tin* ston<»' aside, and then, : to wive th« verts words of the who was ;:- -.looking.. 'he slawn-.we'd- against the, rock.: and' , I'm "blest.'if I didn't think he v.,..; going to 'drop..,f ■.: | ' !_,'., : . , " n ' "j belhv& fliac at that moment he must \ -nave, fancied ;tiie eyes of the? whole camp i upon bun. Up stood for a moment 'eaning >. 'bid head agaiiifit the stone, then, with the : ■manper of a hunted" animal.' crent into the i.hush and disappeared. Th» wateher at once 1 | -ran round to-the road, bufc as he was lyiug •; 'about' the nijdjje of trjp sputhern shore tlw ~ J other, ilioiiffh only the third of a mile -oft; f across th©.lake,!; was about' a mil» and a-half -.- 1 ; ahead 1 by - the :- road. ' I.V© result-"' was : that though half ho camp turned out to s-parch | the arnib they failed to find their man, J though'he was thought to be sir! : lying iri j - the " neighbouidiood. v : '- f Mistake number two; v;a now the ''Green Cub' comes ihto the -:" yarn.. - I .'* To ~'?•:-.:;.' what follows you'must -•: 1 know the lie of tho roads. From tlj'» Scandinavian Beefs yen travel five miles alono-tha Ooolgfirdie Bond to the Bin* Bouhler Mines due west; then a-seven miles' r-idi* slightly north-east ..brings.,- you : to Olearliills, - But warn' our pump.to this road is birely two" ';.. milfts: acrniia a country ; of rook ■ and - hich Bo»bi*'':'^^iotMT{i: : me than riding confidently y along this road two hours lal'ir garbed a 1' I jAysttralienrierrrif-that be iht proper .French fas it. /1. -i'elt rather proud, 1 J can, fell you. : Only elvbteen months from home, and here was I, riskedl out like the best of 'hem. and ';', .jp*t' an fofmid»b]edr!Pking. cantering across •;. ,-a. West Australian.plain.-:.You see I was' an ■ old enough hand to have ©aught the style, ■;' and knew.enough to have retained the &<mse of ! novelty. . ,;:'' : "I was just thinking how I 1 would star?' j ,- the natives if I were to ride put Oros«1i» ! l way in the same guise, and what a dach ~ Fwoa(d , cut as i I-rgalloped; through Mount ; Florida, when I saw someone hurrying for. 5 .ward half a mile ahead. I innocently yearned for company, ; and ; gave my horse a dig, and sent it forward at a gallop. . " When 'I wa« still about a couple of hundred yards behind the person turned apd . stood staring at me for a little ad I rode up. j I could perceive 'that,: whoever he was, he had had a heavy tramp, for his clothe* ware torn, aa if; with foirantr his way through the ; bush. ';'■;' At the: point where he was standing drew 1 a gray wilderness of almost leafless : ; trees, ; as : impassable as the scrub itself, and ■ -ij nto this ; he dived as I approached. ; Coming , tip to fhe spoil looked about me in 'wonderlinent. _ •'.Vow, had I pot been a-bit, of a l a - * would have ridden on with the reflection that if a man in a wild country wishes his privacy respected, it is advisable to, give him all he -deoires, But. being a jay, I dismounted and walked forward to the point at which the man had disappeared. I was still peering forward when a shot came from a point not many yards: in front.: the bullet whistling past the side of my head-: and striking the rock which bordered the other side : of the read with : a sharp click : that I .fancy I can hear yet. - "I turned and ran for my horse, but another bullet :caught me in the;. hip: , and though I con*rived ito stae-gßr to the bridle I fell, us much through fear a* pain, I fancy, Throutm; the mist of -failing consciousness came the dim vision s of a face seen tomewhere else, and then all was dark. : '.'When I name to 'be sun Was well to the west, and his 1 rays were reflected from The white road in a hoi blinding glare-which was unbearable; "so. to get out of the direct : ' heat, I crawled pain fully across * tho ron'd to -.'■ the solitary ridjje of rock on the northern side, which rose above the general level < be- ' yond like a whale's back; Irregular hush varied the monotony of the waste, and the outliers ? of the'leafless wood 1 made a thin, disappearing fringe along the: roadside. , , "one© against the rock, and partially sheltered from the heat by a <?ray trunk, I .began to consider the situation my stupidity had landed me in. It wasn't a pleasant one. , My nrecious, money was gone for a second ' 1 time, and with it the borrowed horse; and , I hero was I, la hie and faint with loss of blood, ;■' half-wav between'two stations. * sank down i ;' disconsolately, and to tell the truth I cried from mire eager 1 -' aghast the cruelty of oir r 1 cumstanoea. 'Suddenly 1 caught sight of one "L memento of : Australia—the flattened ballet !. whisa grazed my head. r , - "; j ';: - " : X picked - it- up, and - *' toe next moment ; fairly gasped..'£ Jjeme small yellowipartiolej were ■ sticking fe it. . A. few ' fragments of , rook had fallen, with the bullet. These .. I ■. picked up mm considerable ; trepidation, i They were literally sown with gold. -.'- ' I "'Despite she pain it cawed me I' stood '. up again, and examined the place where the bullet, had struck, and I believe I yelled, I didn't know nT.:cb yet about mining, still , i I knew there;wß.:;:. ;i --t a reef like.ft M .W Coblgardie. I'm ;iot joking, Topmjy—the [ gold was simply Peking in it like.pei.- '."-:>.■•-.. ■■■'","; -.'■'. : ';;.:; : -' :! .-' : ' '■'; "-Y '•' .-'■- ■.'*-.-'•'-.

jffl— '11 ifiiiiiiiiiiiriwnwwwi-wiiiWiaiitwwMiwii.iiiiiiiii'iiii wammmmim+itmim* m mi- in ■ ' • i "* . "■" "~ % ..". " 7 "~ a v ''My pain vanished like magic. I tore up if a .<('»- f - -,-•.'■ bandaged the wound the best, >-': war I could,' broke, off the branch of a tree, and, -'using it as a stick,'f crawled into; Cleart hill?, and registered the spot as my claim,'" ; i- •'■'"; '"But I thought 'you,could establish: a 3, claim by <merely, pegging out," I, exclaimed. :.;. "As a matter of fact ■; I lost my head, and r was mortally afraid' of pegging out myself,, r if I waited. But listen to the uequel. My a; ljoi'se, instead- being stolen by; my assail* -ant, 'tis ; I imagined; had galloped - back ' to. 1 Blue Boulder i, with the result that » couple -" of miners rode out.in search of me, while n,- : word was sent back to the camp and a purl.:; suit organised. . v 1 v; "Three hours later these two came riding I' intofClearhills in a fever of ' excitement. a They had come across the trail of blood from t my wound, and seen where J had crawled to. 3 While examining the spot; they had noticed ; ,1 ; the remaining particles' of rock, rediscovered 1" th& reef, and pegged out as many claims .as t they thought' they could hold. ; They galloped a up to the. registration ) office in ordur to -uiako ■ 1 .doubly gtl r< { . 'Already registered,' said the agent. ; I " 'Great Scott! ;Who- hy?* 3- "'William Johnstone, 'of Scandinavian " i" Beefs-' "' ' f '.: "'Put down bur names; for the nearest 1"- claims, and we'll see how. tiie business dollies £: Oltt.' 3 1' '.'Then they went to find me"..; I was lying -, in the 'hotel ip a wild confusion -of weakness L » aiuiintosioftting dream:-. They stood .gazing '.;.'' at me in wonder while I told thein all that i had happened. ; v ' 4 ' .' is , "..*And vou crawled in here?' said one, I "I nodded. ;• :,".'Well. I've been at the game for ten ~ years, and have mined from Qiiieenslaud. to o .Cbblgnrdia, 1 and,; have never ;■ struck it .rich'c yet -till now; and hero you go cavorting (j around like . the riUtkj,; green cub you. are, d 1 and play at ; being popped at with guns'' and, 11: hang rae, if thft blamed bullets don't go pros-..; t pecting for you! : A blopmiag little green rr cub, as we used to call r'-i' :,-. .-.• Bendigo.' f " Then ho turned with a grin to bis com- " panion. • ',:-. ''' 'HiuKr.it., .Tim, if we don't name it the t "Green Cub Mine," Wan insult! Lor', I -. wish somo bhancs-;would come along and in- , suit me! Never mind, yfjung oaorwe don't o grudge, you your ; streak'.'of luck, for if you f area cub. you're a blamed plucky one;' a he gripped my hand in a fiercely gentle way 0, that -'made'me squirpi. : . "„'- I" " I needn't bother giving you; all the do-' i tails of how I dubbed'with them and other a two ipals'of theirs, and:m;held the reef till 0 wt'i s,nUi it to a syndicate for six thousand ', pounds and - a thousand shares apiece; but '.- you! may guess how ; confident I-; am when I 0 toll you that I've „ practically sunk: every v ' penny of |fe, in the company. And now, are t you for a game of billiards?" ; - 7 *-~ e for a game of billiards?" , J." '-j-v" You forget I've tho office to go back to," v I replied. ' ■' , |. But I couldn't, have played in any case.';; 1 Tho gold fever was upon hie," and I Was T. trembling ~. with excitement. V: I rushed back \ - to the. omee, and went- to work ■at high tenf slop, v unable ;to keep my thoughts conceit- I 1" trated for five minutes. *; : That night I bought all the evening pa-; I J, persin the hope, of finding, fresh quotations, j Our buying had already sent the shares up to j •'•: six shillings,-; and my pulse danced with-the 1 thought, that I had swayed the market.; | . Jijext morning's Herald contained a'telegram i ? reportimr an ; extraordinary; crushing at: ; our ; mine, and the rest of that day I was oven ■: I'; more unfitted - for business» than the 'day ;i be-; -.- fore.' But at ten past three tho door swung. b open, and Johnstone strode in.:' He leaned 1; across the counter and caught my hand; 5 ." Best congratulations. old fellow. /Market »-: dosed '■' to-day with":' * Green': Cubs" ;at .''twenty-'. » two' and six, and selling like;wildfire I" -', ' - a 1 stared incredulously, and dropped my pen * with a sort of paralysed - laugh. However, ] I soon recovered. But the best is still to ?", come, for three months; later l J sold out at f £11 'Sa Cd, and cleared : a profit of something :?: like nine thousand |pounds'," and my visits ; to ' * the west end of the city assumed a businessr like regularity. All the wimp, I would not . recommend anyone to follow my example . .unless'he too can tret hold oif a " Green Cub." -- It's safe then—but—not otherwise. ! ■ "—;