Australian Tales and Adventures.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue XX, 6 May 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

Australian Tales and Adventures.

No. 34. The Bushranger’s Mistake. ♦♦♦ By E. A. 0. The warning bell that told of coming separation and departure from home and friends, had just sounded on board the '‘Hercules,” about to start for the distant shores of Australia. Neat the gangway stood a group of four persons, one a girl of nineteen, with a sweet, frenk expression, now somewhat saddened by the wistful look she cast upon a tall young man of three and twenty, whose handsome features were clouded by a sullen discontent apparently caused by the position in which he was placed. Beside him, wtth one hand resting lovingly upon his shoulder, was a man of fifty, of refined and gentlemanly appearance, but whose face wore the marks of some long abiding and deeply-felt sorrow; and close by, as though to sustain him in some further struggle, was the fourth member of the party, not so good-looking as his younger brother, but more stalwart in make and broader shouldered, and with an expression as kind and sweet as that of his sister, whilst there was no lack of decision or strength oi character in the firm lines of the well cut mouth, and the grave, intent look of the deep-grey eyes that now glanced so pity, ingly at his father as the latter bade farewell to the young traveller. “ God bless you, my son, and guide you in the new life upon which you are entering—write to us by your very earliest opportunity." The ono whom he addressed, turned half away, as though to avoid meeting Mr. For* tescue’e anxious gaze as be answered, almost impatiently, ' I shall do well enough, sir, when I am once away from this wretched o&dry, and I will send you a line as soon as £Bmy way clear.” careless tone and action seemed to pain and it was with a pleading aetrembling voice that he said "Do the past, Ralph, let the memory of 522

the past sad weeks keep yon ever desirous of walking in the right path, and oh, my son, remember that your name will always be foremost in our prayers to our loving Master, and earnestly seek that help that alone can keep you in the hour of temptation.” There was no reply from the yoong mao, only a deepening of the sullen gloom already mentioned, and Edward Fortesoue. who could no longer watch in silence his father's evident grief answered hastily:—"Ralph will be all right, you may rest assured, dearest father ; with the new life opening for him in that glorious Australian land, he has every incentive to do well, and we shall yet hear of his success and honor in his adopted country. Ity God's help he will send us such news ; is it not so. Rjlph?” he added affectionately, as he turned to the brother who had, in very truth, been for him and his, the “ skeleton ” said tn be hidden in so many an apparently happy home. Ju'tt as he spoke, the “ all for shore, leave," sounded over the now crowded deck, and prevented any further conversation. With an almost convulsive pressure of hi? son's hand, a murmured prayer and blessing, Mr. Portescue fumed away, leaving Edward to bring his sister after their patting words to the traveller. In another five minutes they were on their way hack to the shore, watching with aohirpheaits and saddened gaze, how rapidly the " Hercules” was bearing away one who, in spite of his many and greivous faults, was yet so dear to all of them. That evening saw them again in their now lonely home in London. Mr. Fortesoue bad been for several year? holding a position of some responsibility in the British Museum, and was greatly esteemed and respected by all who knew him. He had had many sorrows in life, three eons having died just as they reached manhood, but the two griefs that had almost bowed him to the ground and aged him before his years, bad been the death of hie wife, who was called home, just as their only daughter, Frances, had entered her fifteenth year, and the ever increasing misconduct of his youngest son, Ralph. The latter had, on leaving school, entered by his own wish, upon a mercantile career, and for about eighteen months had gone on with every prospect of doing well, but then a change came over the lad. and complaints were numerous of his irregularity and inattention to business, and two years later he was dismissed from the office. For some few months he remained at home, unable to obtain another situation, and grieving the hearts of all who loved him by bis growing indolence and recklessness of behavior. To hie father's dismay, he rapidly acquired a habit of drinking, which neither lovingeutxeatics not examples of abstinence in his own family seemed able to stem. At last, ! through the kindness of friends of the Fortescuee, the yoong man was taken on as clerk in a widely known city house, and hope again whispered that all might yet be well. Sorrow was, however, once more to rest upon the house that had been so saddened by its dark shadow, but this time it was made more bitter by the (act that crime mingled with it and that disgrace, from that day forward could be linked to the old and hitherto hon- : orad name of Fortesoue. I The news that the firm bad been robbed and that Ralph bad been suspected of the deed almost broke the father's heart. At first sight it seemed as though nothing could save the delinquent from a heavy sentence; for bis employers declared that no effort should be left untried to oaptore .he offender ! —interest, however, was again made (Ralph haring admitted his guilt] and for the father's sake, the bouse agreed to take no further notice if the amount were returned 1 and their former clerk sent off to Australia, under a promise not to return to England. Much against his will the young man agreed to the latter portion of the conditions, and Mr. Fortesoue and Edward—who had for some years past held an excellent position in : one of the London banks —met the claim, and once more sent him out in the world a { free mau. | There was no sorrow, no remorse, expressed by him for the crime |be had committed, or the grief he had brought upon hie family, and Frances sometimes found her- : self thanking God that he bad seen fit to take Home the dearly-loved and deeplyi mourned mother ere she had learnt the true l character cf the son she bad so fondly : dreamed would one day be such a comfort and a credit to them all. Arrangements were soon made for Ralph’s departure to Melbourne, and letters of introduction were procured which, it was hoped, would both give him the entree into good society, and obtain him a suitable sit- ! uation. The days passed on, and the hearts of all but the traveller himself grew heavy at the thoughts of the approaching separation; in that of Ralph there was but anger at what he chose to consider his “ bard fate ” at being sent off to a distant land where, if he desired life to be in any way comfortable, be most decide on giviug up the habits which had cost him so dear and which yet bound ; him in their chains of iron—untortonatelv a I but too willing victim—for unknown to hie ! father and brother, be bad contracted a love I for gambling, in addition to his other vioes, i which bade fait to be bis bane for life. In accounting for the reasons which bad prompted i him to embezzle the money, he bad merely { said he had been led into betting, which, ■ having proved a losing game, had involved : him in the difficulties from which he bad so > madly sought to extricate himself by plung- | ing into crime. Our etory has now been brought up to the morning on which the “ Hercules ’’ left Southampton for Melbourne, bearing Ralph Fortesoue away as one of its passengers to that port. The voyage was a .avorable one S and the beginning of December eaw the “prodigal son" commencing his new life with every reasonable hope of success. Ever careless as regarded the happiness of others, he put off from day to day writing home, and three months elapsed ere be sent a few cold lines to Frances, telling of bis being in the employ of a well known soft-goods firm. He gave no account of what he wae otherwise doing, and the Fortescues had to rest content with the bare fact that he was in a respectable situation. Another letter reached them later on, but was still less satisfactory, as it was filled with complaints of bard work and dislike of a town life. A long silence ensued, and, at last, Mr. Fortescue wrote to the firm iu question, asking (or news of his son, and mentioning that for some time their letters to him had been unanswered. A courteously, even kindly, worded reply was sent off by the next mail; but the news broke the father’s heart. Ralph bad again committed the crime of robbery, and after serving his sentence in gaol, had disappeared a year before—no one knew where. Mr Fortesoue never rallied from the blew, and before Christmas had come round, be ■was lying beside the wile he loved so wed. Edward did not give up all hopes ot finding bis brother, and communicated in the necessary quarters; but no tidings could be learnt of him, save that be bad been seen once ot twice at the races in company with some book makers. Had it not been for his sister, the young man would have sought for some situation in a Melbourne bank and prosecuted bis enquiries on the spot, but he feared the disgrace that Ralph had brought upon himself in that city might cloud the future prospects of the girl. For himself, he bad resolved never to marry—the shadow ol Ralph’s crimes should not, so far as bs was concerned, darken any other home than his own—but for Frances, the sweet, loving girl whose tender affection and sympathy had ! but shone the deeper as trials gathered I around them, he trusted there might be a different and a happier lot in life, but not in Melbourne. So he remained on in London, 1 and to bit joy, Franoei, eighteen month

after her father’s death, became engaged to a young clergyman, named Sydney Harcourt, who had been curate at the parish church they had attended for many years, but who, some six months previous to the Fortesques' loss, had been appointed to a very pretty rectory in Devonshire, He bad always admired and liked Frances, but want of means had at first prevented his alluding to the subject, and later on, respect lot the girl’s sorrow bad still kept him silent. The only barrier to the Australian scheme wa? now removed, and after seeing bis sister happily settled in her new home, Mr. Fortesoue started lor Melbourne as the manager ot the recently-opened branch in that city, of the London bank with which be bad been (or so many years connected. The offer had exactly suited hie own plans and he bad gladly accepted it. “He arrived in Melbourne in March, and for the next few weeks was so busily engaged with banking affairs, that he was unable to make any enquiries after Ralph, but the first leisure he could obtain he began to search for some traces of him. But it was in vain that he applied to the police, and in despair he employed a piivatc detective, and spent money with an open hand, advertising and seeking in every way for the brotber be loved eo dearly and grieved for. almost as a father for an erring son. Every effort, however, proved unavailing; the only extra news that oould be learnt concerning him after be had left the Melbourne goal, was that be bad been seen on two or three occasions in Little Boutke street with some most unenviable companions with whom he had afterwards left the city e* routr tor Ballarat. On hearing this, Edward, with the detective, at once started (or the latter place, but only to find the clue lost; no one appeared to know the name. “ I fear it is useless prosecuting the search any longer, sir," the detective reluctantly admitted on returning to the bote), and acquainting bis employerwith his non-success, “ Your brother must, I think, have dropped bis own name on leaving the prison ; anyway be is not known by it iu Ballarat, neither are the description nor the photo you gave me recognised by the force. Very probably ho never came up here at all, but went in an opposite direction— dodo ot the gang with whom be was last seen were then actually tn/ nh il by the police, but it is as likely as not that they were glad enough to throw erquities concerning them and their actions off the right track, and they named this place.” Mr. Fortescue nodded in assent, and the man withdrew, leaving the young bank manager to bis own depressing thoughts. There was one gleam of comfort in thi? complete disappearance; end ilia' waslhat it had caused the circumstance of the rubbery in Flinders Lane to bs well nigh forgotten by the Melbourne public, and the kind-hearted partners in the well known firm had assured Edward (when he called in a forlorn hope that they might have heard something of their late clerk) that no allusion on tluir part should ever betray their knowledge ihst any other member ol the young man’? family was residing in Victoria. It was not so much for his own sake that be eared as for I hat o! Frances and her husband. The latter bad behaved so generously, and shown such true Christian sympathy when told of the dark shadows that tarnished the name of the girl he sought to make his wife, that Mr. Fortesone wae thankful this trial of disgrace was likely to die out, and be utterly forgotten by all but himself; for even Frances, in her numerous home and social ties, might surely ae the years rolled on, lose the deep bu:- rnrm ol memory that he, alas 1 in his lonely home, could not hope would ever cease to bo hie abiding guest as long as life should endure. His stay at Ballarat was but a short one, and alter liberally rewarding the detective, who was greatly crest-fallen at his very unusual want of success, the bank manager, with a heavy heart, gave up any further idea of finding his brotber, and writing home to that effect, settled down to his daily routine of business, finding his greatest pleasure and relaxation in the numerous acts of charily which occupied his leisure hours. Edwsrd Fortescue was a true Christian man, one who loved and honored hie master, and who was not ashamed to show by his daily life that he strove to follow in the steps of Him by whom he had Eternal Life. Man; a sad heart wae cheered and comforted by simple truths told them by the young banker, and many a borne, stricken by poverty and disease, became once more bright and happy by his kindly assistance.

Jane had passed by and July had set in somewhat severely, when Mr. Fortescue found it necessary to make a trip through a rather wild and lonely portion of the bush in order to visit a township where was opened one of the country-branches of bis bank. A new maneges bad been appointed, owing to the retirement (through a sudden dangerous illness) ol the gentleman first intended lor the situation, and Edward thought it best to go np and see to affairs himself; tbe new official, tnough thoroughly trustworthy being, tbe former thought, rather young for tbs position. TO HE CONTINUED. A Wife's Dalles. file subject of making homo (ho abode of peace and happiness, is ono of unfailing interest to every mistress of a household. A great portion of the discomfort of life, to the married, arises from a defect in education—l regret to say—on the part of the wives ; other portions may arise from bad temper and general ill behaviour on the part of the husbands. I am aware that ono serious flaw in the habits of dm wives is insufficient to developo this temper, and sometimes drive the husbands elsewhere for the comforts that they ought to have at homo. Does not the responsibility of making happy homes rest equally upon husband and wife I Some people evidently think that die wives of working-men should not aspire to anything higher than tbe performance of household duties ; it is, certainly, their duty to conduct their household affairs as well as possible without making themselves slaves to work. Those instances of “misdirected industry,” are the exceptions, rather than the rule. Most women have the opportunity, could they but see it, to add to their store of knowledge, thereby making themselves hotter companions and increasing their usefulness in the world.

Schwenninger 's Way of Treating Pat Men-—Bismarck was a very fleshy man, but he reduced himself according to the Schweninger method. The plan consisted essentially in dry diet. He was not allowed to drink anything during the meal mw for two hours and a half afterwards. At the expiration of that time he was allowed to drink freely. By that time his food was digested, and the fluids were readily absorbed and carried to the kidneys, and served to wash out the system. Schwenninger also restricts tbe paticnisfo one food at a time in ease of extreme obesity. For instance, if he should take meat he could have nothing but meat. If he took bread, nothing but bread, and so with potatoes or anything he chose.

An island on tho west coast of Norway, at the mouth of the Hardanger Fjord, is the site of a gold mine which is now being industriously worked by an English company. The gold occurs in quartz. One nugget was found in 1862, but no more until twenty years later.