The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) by William H. Thomes (books to read in your 30s TXT) π
Friends To Give Them A History Of My Adventures In That Land Of Gold,
Where Kangaroos Are Supposed To Be As Plenty As Natives, And Jump Ten
Times As Far, And Where Natives Are Imagined To Be Continually Lying In
Ambush For The Purpose Of Making A Hearty Meal Upon The Bodies Of Those
Unfortunate Travellers Who Venture Far Into The Interior Of The
Country--Where Bushrangers Are Continually Hanging About Camp Fires,
Ready To Cut The Weasands Of Those Who Close Their Eyes For A
Moment--And Lastly, Where Every Other Man That You Meet Is Expected To
Be A Convict, Transported From The Mother Country For Such Petty Crimes
As Forgery, House-Breaking, And Manslaughter In The Second Degree.
Read free book Β«The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) by William H. Thomes (books to read in your 30s TXT) πΒ» - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: William H. Thomes
Read book online Β«The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) by William H. Thomes (books to read in your 30s TXT) πΒ». Author - William H. Thomes
That No One Is Coming To My Assistance, And A Poor Beau Is Better Than
None, As We Used To Say In Radcliff Highway." And When I Extended My
Hand, She Grasped It Warmly, Pressed It Strongly, And With A Display Of
Ankles That Put My Modesty To Its Severest Test, Gave A Spring, And Was
On The Ground Beside Me.
"Well, You Ain't So Bad Looking As I Thought For," Maria Continued,
Flashing A Wicked Glance At Me, With Her Large Eyes, That Stirred My
Blood, In Defiance Of Her Forwardness And Vulgarity. "We Shall Be
Cronies, I Know. Only Let Me Have My Own Way, And Make Love To Me, And
We Shall Get Along Quite Pleasantly."
"But You Forget Your Husband," I Insinuated, Seeing That That Worthy
Individual Began To Look Rather Black At The Idea Of Having A Rival In
His Wife's Affections.
"O Lord! What's The Use Of Mentioning Barney? He's A Poor Coot, And Will
Soon Get Used To My Ways; Won't You, Deary?"
The Husband Didn't Make An Audible Reply, But I Understood Him To Say
"Damn," Quite Distinctly.
"What Have You Got For Supper!" Our Female Visitor Asked. "I'm Hungry
Enough To Eat A Two-Year-Old Baby. Let Me Have Something, That's A Good
Feller, And Then We'll Talk About Other Matters."
I Didn't Admire Her Impudence, But As Fred Was Inclined To Keep In The
Background, And Smith Wouldn't Respond, I Had To Do The Honors Of The
House With As Much Dignity As Possible. I Seated Her At Our Rough Table,
And Helped Her Liberally, And Was Pleased To See That Absence From Her
Haunts In London Had Not Diminished Her Appetite, Or Caused A Regretful
Feeling In Her Heart.
"I'm Glad I Accepted The Chance To Visit This Country," She Said, "For I
Begin To Like It. The Old Fogies Promised That I Should Have A Husband
As Soon As I Arrived, And They Kept Their Word, But I Wished That I'd
Got A Larger One. I Don't Like Little Men, And Never Did."
Her Husband Was Heard To Observe That He Preferred A Quiet Woman To A
Noisy One, But The Remark Didn't Seem To Make Much Of An Impression.
"By The Way," Mrs. Barney Cried, "Where Am I To Sleep To-Night? In That
Little Room?"
Before We Could Answer Her, She Arose From The Table And Ran Towards It,
And Saw Our Patient Lying Upon The Bed.
"Hullo!" She Exclaimed, In Astonishment, "What Is That Old Fellow Doing
There? I Can't Have Him With Me!"
I Explained To Her That A Bed Had Been Provided In A Tent But A Few Feet
From The Store, Where She And Her Husband Could Make Themselves
Comfortable, If They Were So Disposed, But She Would Not Listen To Me.
"Do You S'pose," She Cried, "That I'm Such A Fool As To Sleep Out Under
A Tent, Where I Shall Be Liable To Be Eaten Up By The Savages? My Old
Man Can Sleep There, But I'm Going To Pass The Night In The Store."
We Assured Her That We Could Not Consent To Any Such Arrangement. That
All Our Papers And Every Thing That We Possessed In The World Was In The
Store, And That We Could Not Think Of Leaving Under Any Consideration
Whatever.
"Well, Who Wants You To Leave?" She Demanded, With A Flash Of Her
Amorous Eyes, That Would Have Told Powerfully On Men Of More Nerve Than
Ourselves; "There Can Be No Harm If I Stay Here. You Are Men Of Honor, I
Suppose?"
Again Did Her Large, Black Eyes Fall Upon Me, But I Was Blind To Her
Blandishments And Arts; And, At Length, Maria Appeared To Entertain The
Same Opinion, For She Threw Out Signals To Fred, And When She Found That
They Were Not Answered, She Commenced The Practice Of A Thousand Arts,
Which A Woman Knows So Well How To Use, To Make Him Feel An Interest In
Her Welfare. But All Her Play Was Useless, And Even When She Pretended
That Her Hair, Long, Black, And Wavy, Fell Around Her Shoulders
Accidentally, And When She Laughed, And Threw It Back From Her Fresh,
Child-Like Face, We Were Not Melted, For We Remembered That She Had A
Husband, And That His Rights Were Sacred.
Her Bold Challenge Was Unheeded, And Maria Felt That She Was Defeated,
Even Where She Was Sure Of Victory. She Had, Apparently, Entertained A
Different Idea Respecting Us, And For A Few Minutes She Sat Looking
Humbled, But Not Ashamed. It Seemed A Pity That One So Fair Should Be So
Rude And Vile; But The Streets Of London Soon Corrupt, And The Haunt
From Whence Maria Graduated Is Notorious For Its Wantons.
We Pitied Her Husband, Although We Had Only Known And Employed Him For A
Short Time, Yet We Had Found Him Honest And Industrious, And Apparently
Disposed To Do Well. I Could See That He Felt Grateful For The Course
Which We Had Pursued, And I Determined To Have A Long Talk With Him,
Upon The First Favorable Opportunity, In Regard To His Future Prospects.
"Well," Maria Muttered, After Sitting In Silence For A Short Time,
Suddenly Starting Up, "If I Am To Be Turned Out Of Doors. I Suppose That
I Must Go Without Delay. Come Along, Old Man, If You Are Coming," She
Continued, Addressing Her Husband, And The Latter Obediently Followed To
The Tent, Which We Had Been To Some Pains To Prepare For Her.
"Thank Heaven, She Has Gone," Said Smith, Fervently, Raising His Head,
Like A Camel After A Cloud Of Dust Had Passed Over A Desert; "Only Think
What My Wife Would Have Said, If She Had Insisted Upon Sleeping In The
Same Room With Us. And Yet I Feared That She Would Carry Her Point, For
She Is As Determined A Vixen As Ever Assumed The Form Of Woman."
The Matrimonial Life Of Poor Barney Was Not A Lengthy One; And I May As
Well Follow It To A Close, While I Am Writing Upon The Subject. At His
Request We Paid Him Off, And Hired Another Man To Drive The Second Team.
He Had Money Enough To Commence Housekeeping, Or Rather Tent-Keeping, On
A Very Respectable Scale, And With The Funds Which He Had Left,
Purchased A Mining Claim, Nearly Worked Out To Be Sure, But Still,
Considerable Sums Of Gold Had Been Taken From It, And Quite A Number Of
Nuggets Of Fair Size Had Been Secured.
The Claim Was Very Near Our Store, So That Our Advice Was Frequently
Required By Poor Barney, Who Led Rather A Hard Life Of It, Toiling As He
Did All Day Under Ground, In Wet And Cold Places, And When Night
Arrived, Half Of The Time He Would Have To Get His Own Supper, His
Amiable Wife Being On Visits Of Privacy To People In The Neighborhood.
For The First Few Weeks Of Their Residence At Ballarat The Ill-Matched
Couple Did All Of Their Trading At Our Store, Until At Length So Many
Stimulating Luxuries Were Purchased By Maria, That Barney Requested Us
To Refuse Her Credit, Which, In Compliance With His Wishes, We Did, And
Received Such A Torrent Of Abuse From The Wife For So Doing, That We
Wished Her Back To Her Old Haunts, In Radcliff Highway, And Had Serious
Thoughts Of Attempting To Recover Damages From The "Moral Emigration
Society" Which Exported Her. For A Woman With So Fair A Face, She Had
The Vilest Tongue That I Ever Heard.
After The Credit System Was Abolished, Maria Transferred Her Favors To A
Store On Gravel Pit Hill, Where, For A Time, She Was Quite A Favorite,
And Thrived Wonderfully; But Her Husband Got Wind Of Her Doings, And
Threatened To Shoot The First Man That He Saw Taking Improper Liberties
With His Property, And That Rather Dashed The Spirits Of The Gallants,
For Barney Was Bold As A Lion, And Carried A Pair Of Very Good Pistols
In His Belt, In Addition To A Bowie Knife Of Wondrous Keenness.
The Poor, Depraved Woman, Finding That She Was Watched, And That Her
Male Companions Kept Aloof, After The Threat Which Barney Made, Got Up A
Clandestine Correspondence With A Young Fellow Who Was Smitten With Her
Pretty Face, And To Put A Stop To It Barney Was Obliged To Break One Of
His Rival's Arms With A Pistol Bullet, One Morning, Just As He Was
Putting A Letter Under A Log That Stood In Front Of His Tent.
The Wife, For The First Few Days, Refused To Be Comforted, And Then She
Apparently Forgot The Matter, And Seemed To Care No More About It. To
Her Husband's Surprise, She Paid More Attention To His Comfort Than
Usual--Remained At Her Tent While He Was Absent, Forsook The Company Of
Strange Men Entirely, No Longer Run In Debt, And Such A Complete Change
Was Observed In Her, That The Rev. Mr. Blackburn Ventured To Call Once,
And Inquire If Her Sinful Heart Had Melted. What Answer Maria Returned
Is Unknown, As The Reverend Gentleman Never Divulged; But It Was Noticed
That He Left Her Tent Walking Quite Rapidly, And That He Never Ventured
There A Second Time.
I Think That It Was About Six Weeks After Barney Had Broken The
Gallant's Arm, That He Suddenly Presented Himself In The Store, His Face
Radiant With Happiness.
"I've Got Some Good News For You," He Said, Rubbing His Hands With
Satisfaction.
"What Is It, Barney?" I Inquired; "Have You Found A Nugget?"
"Better Than That," He Cried.
"Then You Have Found A Chunk."
"No; Something Better Than That--Ten Times Better."
"Well, Relate It. We Are Impatient To Learn What Good Has Befallen You."
"You Would Never Guess," Barney Said, In A Mysterious Manner, As Though
What He Had To Impart Would Bear Keeping For Some Time; "But," And Here
His Face Once More Beamed With Smiles, "My Wife Has Cut Stick."
"What Do You Mean--Run Away?" I Asked, Surprised At The Intelligence.
"That Is What I Mean. She Has Run Off With The Fellow Whose Arm I Broke
Some Time Since; And She Not Only Took Her Clothes, But She Seized Every
Thing Of Value I Had In The Tent. They Have Got Six Hours The Start Of
Me, But I Think--"
He Paused, And Seemed To Consider For A Moment.
"You Think That You Can Overtake Them," I Suggested; "I Have No Doubt
But That You Can, And The Best Horse That We Own Is At Your Disposal."
"O, Bless Your Heart, I Was Not Considering The Subject In That Light,"
He Answered, "I Was Thinking Whether I Should Advertise That I Would Not
Be Responsible For Any Debts That She Contracts."
I Told Him That I Thought He Need Give Himself No Uneasiness On That
Score; But Barney Was A Mathematical Body, And Always Desired To Do
Business On The Square; And As He Seemed So Set Upon Writing An
Advertisement, I Furnished Him Ink And Paper, And After A Laborious
Process, He Wrote The Following, Which I Copy _Verbatim_.
"Notice.--My Wife, Maria Barney, The Ugliest Woman That Ever Lived, Has
Left My Tent And Board Without Any Justifiable Cause, 'Cos I Use To Do
All That I Could Do To Make Her Pretty Comfortable, And In Spite Of My
Wishes, She Would Cut Up Like The Devil, And Run After Other Men. Now, I
Want All Men To Notice This Act Of Mine. I Won't Pay A D----D Cent Of
Her Debts, And I Hope No One Will Return Her To Me, 'Cos I Don't Want
Her. Jim Barney."
I Persuaded Barney That The Announcement Would Be Valid In Law, If He
Only Stuck It Up In The Store, Where It Could Be Read By The Miners, And
It May Be There Until This Day, For All That I Know.
Volume 2 Chapter 59 (Mike Finds The Large "Nugget.") Pg 95
What Trifles Will Sometimes Change The Destiny Of A Man!
Barney, After His Wife Had Left Him So Unexpectedly, Earnestly Desired
To Give Up Mining And Return To His First Love,--The Driving Of Cattle
And Teaming. We Tried To Persuade Him To Stick
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