A QUEER MEETING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4605, 23 December 1875, Page 3

A QUEER MEETING.

(By the "Intelligent Vagrant.") This happened—what I am going to tell you —nearly fifteen years ago. Sludgeopolis had only just emerged from the pristine chaos of a regular " diggings " into the order of a timber townhall, and a municipal council who were supposed to have filled their heads with the spare stuff left by the contractor for the building. The best of the lively times had gone by, and the land was no longer like the land of the children of Israel, when there was no judge, and each man did as seemed best in his own eyes. On the contrary, there were wild rumors afloat that Nuggetty Ned had been taken up by a daring policeman because, in their thousandth and first quarrel, he had split his wife's head open with a bottle ; and it was whispered that a summons from a storekeeper had been served in Tipperary Gully, and that the man who did it was yet alive ; but this was held to be apocryphal in the extreme. However, there was no doubt about it, things were shaking down into all the law and order for which the mining townships of Victoria are now honorably distinguished. It was at this .time I took up my dwelling in Sludgeopolis in the capacity of reader, writer, and reporter on one of its daily papers. When I say that it was the first penny paper published on a " diggings," a guess may be made at paper and township—and that guess will be wrong. In my capacity, as is customary, I soon got to know everyone, amongst others the bellman, who was occasionally addressed by a proper name, supposod to be his by rights, but who was most generally known as " What arc you at." He was a bellman ! Adventurous spirits had come from afar, and had dared to dispute with him for the position of bellman to Sludgeopolis. They always went back sadder, if not wiser, men. I remember once when a bellman of some note from " Jim Crow" encouraged by a rash auctioneer, determined upon breaking down the monopoly held by "What are you at," and presented himself in what was fictitiously called Market Square, on a fine Saturday morning, and began to ring in the aforesaid rash auctioneer's sale for noon of that day. Our local champion was a quarter of a mile away, opposite the Criterion Hotel, Bull-street, when he heard the defiant bell and voice of his would-be rival. At the time, he was pacing slowly along, either musing on the mutability of human greatness, or thinking where he could get a nobbier, to stiffen him (for his punctuality in getting drunk over night was remarkable), when he was roused by the challenge I have mentioned. He paused a moment, as if scarcely realising the audacity of the stranger, and then—after the manner of the deceased Charles Edward Stuart at Preston Pans, who drew his sword and threw away the | scabbard, he dashed his coat into the nearest gutter, and, flourishing his bell, rushed eagerly to the fray. The contest was short and decisive. The stranger could not get in a word even edgeways, and fled for ever, leaving as master of the field "What are you at," who proceeded incontinently to consume rum at the, nearest hotel, leaving his bell in pledge for the expense ; and, leaving the auction sales to look after themselves, soon slept the sleep of the drunken and the just, with his feet on a bench and his head in a spittoon. - It was not long after this that Peg Leg rush broke out, about twenty miles from Sludgeopolis, and I was despatched as " Our special correspondent" to report upon it. (The Editor said, "Lather it up, old fellow ! There's a big rush over Ballarat way, and as all the trade to Peg Leg must come here, why, in the interests of the public, we're bound to lather up our 'diggings,' or we'll be having a stampede to the other place.") Well, I got out to Peg Leg late in the afternoon, and found that there was really plenty of gold getting, only the fellows had go paddock all the wash-dirt when they got it out, for there had been no rain for months, and the nearest creek was six miles off. Consequently, there was not quite as much life as one might have wished for ; still, I found that an hotel-keeper had started a grand Anglo-Australian Music Hall, in which there was to be singing, professional dancing (both jig and tight-rope), and a grand soiree dansante to finish. I concluded to go, and found the place about half filled by the usual lot. There was the genuine digger, who worked hard and drank hard ; there was the sham digger, who drank whenevor he could loaf ; and there were plenty of people who had to make a living somehow or another out of the digger, and who contrived to do it. Amongst these last were the ladies —God forgive them ! I say it in all sincerity, for God only knows what sin, what sorrow, or temptation, brought them thither. They were brilliant in jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and purple and fine raiment, and much violet powder and much rouge, and much cheap perfumery, and" little—oh ! so very little—soap. I would rather pass them by uncommented. They brazened and bridled, as was proper, and drank Old Tom and peppermint, or gin and cloves, as was very improper ; and they were the ladies. When I got into the saloon, the tightrope was being- got ready for what were termed the Grand Antipodean Punambulistic feats of Madame Plantigrado, and so I dropped into a seat alongside "What are you at," who, I found, was at the rush on a short professional tour, in connection with a new line of coaches, and unlimited liquor. Having exercised the privilege of my profession, and made myself known'to the landlord, I got served with a drop of decent brandy, and prepared, myself for the funambulistic feats. Presently, Madame Plantigrado, who was neatly attired in red calico, paint, and pimples, took her preliminary steps on the rope. As she did so, her foot slipped, and without an effort to recover herself, she fell, striking with her back as she came down one of the supports, and lying presently a bruised, moaning, jum-bled-up heap on the boards. Her fall did not at first frighten us much, for the rope was not more than seven feet from the floor. When, however, we saw her, as it were, criinple up on the rough planks, some commotion ensued : but before I could do as the rest did—move forward to where she lay—l found myself gripped tightly by the arm, and heard a voice in my ear say, " Por Heaven's sake come along ■with me !" There was not much in the words, but when I turned and saw that " What are yon at" had spoken them, and that there was that light in his eyes, and that look in his face which only real feeling can produce, I obeyed the emotion felt by another, and left the place with him. He led me along until we came to a tree that had been recently felled (these are plentiful enough on new rushes, as we all know), where he sat down, pulling me to sit down by his side. Then he spoke as I write :- — " Look here, sir ; I'm not going to pitch you a long yarn, but, after what has happened to-night, I'm bound to tell somebody my story, and I had as lief tell you as anyone ; for you chanced to be sitting next me when it happened, and besides you ought to have, even if you haven't, some such sensitiveness as should belong to an educated man. I am as well read, well taught, well — perhaps better reared up, than yourself, though you never thought it. My real name matters nothing to you, or to anyone else, but I may tell you in very few words what brought me to my present life. I married when I was barely twenty-one, and when I was the favorite, and presumptive heir of a childless relative. I married a woman my equal in all but my expectations ; she could never hope to bo rich except through me. I thought her, as was orthodox under the circumstances, a perfect being, and, had she not been so sorely tried, I believe she would never have given me reason to change my faith. Well, we got married—you see I am hurrying up my yarn, for I would not have told it to you at all except that it was necessary before I could make the request I intend to prefer presontly—we got married, and my relative, on whom I was dependent, said we might live on all we could make out of it. I have no doubt that to be consistent with persons in novels, under similar circumstances, we should have lived happily and reared a family on three and sixpence a week, and gone cleanly clad to church every Sunday, until my piety attracted the notice of a pious merchant, who made me his clerk, and, subsequently, his partner, and so on as usual. But then, we were not persons in novels, you see ; we were simply a pair unfitted for the life into which wo so ' rashly entered. So wo lived like the grasshopper in our summer season ; and, when

our winter of destitution came, we went down hill together. I took to drink; or rather drink took to me, for it took a grip upon me which for many a year it has never loosened, except to grasp me closer the next instant. My wife got an engagement, at a shilling a night, doing " super" business in a theatre, and got to drowning care by the pattern set by her husband. Liquor soons levels all women ; it's as good as death at that ; bo when she left me for a hulking street mountebank, who blackened her eyes once a week, it did not surprise me. All that was a long time since, and I had almost blotted out the remembrance that there had ever been a past life for me, until tonight I saw her for the first time I do not know how long. That was she that hurt herself so badly just now." I am free to confess that, during this extremely succinct summary of Mr. " What are you at's" personal history, I had remained gaping with astonishment ; and, when he paused at this point, I said in a mechanical manner —" What are you going to have ?" " I'm afraid that I have been so sudden, and so hurried with you," he replied, " that you do not realise my position ; however, there is no time to waste to permit of your doing so, for that woman is at death's door I know, and I want to speak three words to her before it's thrown wide open. Will you go to where they have taken her, and try and get me these few words ? It would be no use a fellow like me going ; they would only think I was drunk, and of course they will not have her disturbed." I found myself saying Mr. ." " Oh, never mind my name ; you will never know, it. Will you do as I have asked you '> If you will, the sooner you set about it the better." I arose, and made for the hotel, seemingly acting on impulse, and putting off for a time anything like wonder or reflection. He followed me. As a member of that magnificent institution, the Press, I would, note-book in hand, have demanded admittance boldly to the death-bed of a Commander-in-Chief, so I was at once ushered into the room in which she lay, and, on my request, he was let follow me. I forgot at the moment what impromptu falsehood I told as an excuse for having so queer a fish with me. It was the only room attached to the saloon, and was a mere sandwich of a thing, coarsely boarded in between it and the bar. The bed of the spirited proprietor, who slept there for the protection of his property, was made up on a regular bush stretcher, and the superfluous poison sold by him was stored about in cases. She was laid on the bed, covered with a blanket, and two of the ladies were by her side ; one was wetting her brow ever and again with water, whilst the other chafed her hands. Despite their gauds and gewgaws, the simple acts of womanly tenderness in which they were engaged made them seem like real women once more. Propped up by Monsieur Plantigrado was "the Doctor," a distinguished medical man, who was always first at a new rush, and stayed there until some respectable member of his profession put in an appearance, when, after a short struggle against steadiness and sobriety, he levanted. The Doctor had evidently been just awoke from a boozy slumber, for his eyes kept opening and shutting like window shutters in a fitful gale, and his assistance, even could he have done anything, was very shortly denied \is, as, after whispering, with an imbecile smile, something about a post mortem, he suddenly subsided into an empty beer cask and a stertorous slumber. Monsieur left us, saying that he could be of no use; and so there were none left, but the women, the husband, and myself, in the place. One of the women spoke—- " She caught the timber in the small of her back, and her head came right against the floor." "Yes," said the other, "She'll never speak or stir again." And so it was. For, while he came forward to say whatever words had been in his head for the last few minutes, the eyelids, which had been wide open to an unnatural degree, began to come down in a quivering manner over the eyes that had been fixed and dull as the glass beads which children play with ; and so, without start or noise as they closed, we saw that she was dead. He turned about quietly and left the room, and, when I presently saw him, took no move notice of me than if he had never let mo know that he had been at one time something better than a wretched castaway. I heard him in a hotel shortly after, wildy shouting out " Bight Bower," over a game of euchre. And so he and I were back in our old places, as though what I have told you had never happened. What became of him afterwards, I could not swear to ; but I am pretty certain he drank himself to death. There was an inquest as a matter of course, of which I made a " local," and the medical evidence showed that the woman could not have been conscious for a moment after the accident happened. So that you see some ono was spared some extra pain. As for myself, being acclimatised, I took things as they came, and, beyond thinking now and then, that this was "arum start," " What arc you at" and his sad story have not occupied my mind.