LOVE AT THE GOLD FIELDS.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1046, 13 June 1883, Page 4

LOVE AT THE GOLD FIELDS.

LITERATURE.

By B. L. Farjeon. ( Concluded .) He opened his arms. What could she do ? Her pulses were beating with love for him. Had he not given her the most devoted proof of faithfulness ' woman ever was ; blest with? She fell into his arms, and received his kisses, and returned—one, and allowed her lips to rest upon his shameful smooth face. If anyone doubts that this bold enterprising lover had earned the sweet re- - ward—well, let them doubt. Pity to disturb <their over chaste souls. Oh, Charlie,’ murmured Elsie, * you are a wonderful man !’ < And you, the dearest, sweetest darling the world contains,’ he said in reply., . ‘ Tell me all about it, Charlie.’ ‘ Did yon think I was going to desert you, Elsie? You were bound to your mother by ties of gratitude and duty. Had I not recognised this-^—had I not pitied from my heart the poor fond woman sleeping in the tent, I would, indeed, my -darling, and no power on earth should have prevented me I But I felt the justice of the claim she had upon you, and I devised a way to keep my darling with me, and to be near her to protect her from danger. It was a clever scheme, was it not ? Elsie, tell me—do you like me best with a beard or not? ‘ Never mind the beard, Charlie,’ said Elsie; she was nestling very close to him ; ‘ you could grow as handsome a beard of your own if I ordered you. Go on, dear ; I love to hear you talk.’ ‘ I have had a nice job, 1 can tell yon, to disguise not only my, face but my voice. Twenty minutes at least have I been on the point of discovering myself,but T checked the impulse, knowing I should only be throwing difficulties in our way. The sweetest bits of our travels have been when I lifted you from the dray, I made light of yon, did I not; Elsie? Forgive me, I will never do so so in any other fashion.’ " ‘Yon did squeeze me rather hard, now I think of it, Charlie ; I thonght it was a way bushmen have.’ * You rogue, ybn I How could I help it! I had to bite my lips to keep myself from kissing you. It was hard lines, and your sweet face close to mine. I was afraid you would pull ray beard off if I attempted it—a pretty kettle of fish that would have been ! Do yon know that you are heavily in my debt. I’ll take an instalment of what you owe me.’ He did so on the spot, and the debt must have been a heavy one indeed .if this was only a little bit of the interest, as he said. ‘ And yon pretend you love me,’ she said, pouting. ‘Pretend 1’ he cried ; * does this look like pretence ?’ , > And he covered her face with kisses again. Sheslipped from his arms,panting. ‘ Stop, Charlie. I won’t, have it from one who is going to hand me over to another man.’ ‘My darling, I am deeper than you give me credit for. I won’t speak another word if yon stand so far off. That’s right—come closer, closer—ah, now try to get from me if you can. I argued in this way; I can’t take Elsie from her rapther—a brutal; act it would be to leave the poor old creature alone in a strange country. I must assist her in her search, . If her son is not found, Elsie is mine. If he is found, and is unmarried, and wants my girl, she shall choose between us—or I will fight him for her. She is a pearl of price, this girl I am speaking of, worth working for, fighting for, dying for. My darling, I don’t intend to lose you-r-and live. Yon see what you are to me—the life of my. life. Kiss me, and say, Charlie, I am yours.’ > What girl could resist a passion so true, so tender? She kissed him and whispered the words he wished to hear. And then they .stood in silence for many minutes, gazing at the stars in love and worship. ‘Go in now, Elsie; I will watch: over you.’ ’ ‘ But get some sleep yourself Charlie I’ * I can take care of myself, pet. Do I look in want of rest ? Good night, dear love.’ , ; ‘ Good night, Charlie dear.! She left him lingeringly, returning to his: side .more than once, there was so much magnetism in bis loving eyes. And ‘ Oh, Charlie 1’ she murmured, ‘T hope it is not all a dream V ‘ Were yon ever kissed like .this in your dreams'?’ he asked. She had to tear herself from his arms at jlength jr bnt she sent straight into Bis soul like tHe flasß of a star the kindest look and smile fond lover ever received. Truly, there beat not in all the wide world two happier hearts than throbbed that night in the old Ans tralian forest. It was with no idle purpose he bad conducted them to MTyor. He held a link which he followed up until be gathered the details of a terrible story which ended in the death of the widow’s son. This story he was now relating (still-in his 'disguise ,of the driver who had brought them from goldfield to goldfield}' to Elsie and the mother. Some part of it—the tragic portion which told of the death of the darling lad she had come over the seas to seek —had aleady been imparted to her. She wore a widow’s cap and her face was white and sad.. She looked even older than her years, as one looks who has not long to live. . .., ‘ Are yon strong enough to hear the end, Mrs Bray ?’ asked the driver. ‘ Yea, friend ; hide nothing from me,’ ‘ The two men,’ he continued, in their search for gold, wandered ton miles beyond these diggings into the interior of the country ; they never returned ; a miner who knew them-—either alarmed at their long absence, or believing that they had discovered a new goldfield—went in search of them, and after some days came upon the body of one who had undoubtedly met his death by foul P la 7-’

*My boy,’ moaned the widowed mother; ‘my dear, noble boy !’ ‘ A man gentle in his nature, much loved by those who came in contact with him, his only fault being (if fault it can be called )that he was prone to place too ready a trust in all who professed friendship for him.’ ‘He did so as a lad, and suffered much ! Too kind n nature—too kind ! But he has his reward—there,’ she raised her eye, ‘ where I shall join him I’ ‘ A just Providence avenged his death; not far from the spot on which he lay, the lifeless body of his mate was discovered; it is surmised that while he was asleep in the night he was stung by a venomous snake; his fate was deserved ; there is no more to tell, Mrs Bray.’ . .‘ Yon said you could take me to his grave, dear friend.’ ‘I am ready to do so.’ His dray being at the door, they were once more beneath the friendly awning which protected them from the hot glare of the sun. He drove them six miles out, and halted near a raised mound of earth, with a wooden fence around it. , The mother knelt and prayed, and Elsie also knelt before the grave. An hour passed, and when the bid woman rose she took his head between her trembling bands, and, kissing him, said that heaven would bless him for his kindness to her. ‘ My business in these diggings is concluded,’ he said, ‘ and I start this evening on my journey back. This is no place for you, mother, nor for a delicate girl like your child here. It will be best for you to accompany me.’ She said meekly that she would be guided by him, and she gathered a little of the earth from the grave aud took it with her, kissing and sobbing over it on the way. * # , ' * » Not even to Elsie did he divulge the truth—that of the two men the murderer was the widow’s son. ‘God will forgive me,’ he thought, ‘ for this harmless-effort to comfort a loving.mother’s heart.’ Once more in Castlemaine—a bright town in comparison with the gold-fields they have left for ever. He bids Mrs Bray farewell, saying that his journey has come to an end, and that he has sold his dray and horses. She kisses and blesses him again, and, shaking Elsie by the hand, with a significant pressure of which she understands the meaning, he_ leaves them to themselves. They talk of him for an hour at least, recalling his kind acts, his thoughtfulness, his cheerfulness, even his tenderness. ~ ‘ He is fond of you, I think, Elsie,’ said Mrs Bray, ‘ but perhaps the poor fellow is married. We shall never find another friend as good and kind. Why, bless my heart !’ For, of all men in the world, who but Charlie Raeburn should stand before them ? ‘ Mr Raeburn !’ she cried. And Elsie turned aside and smiled and blushed.' Ah, happy hour ? ‘ I thought I could not be mistaken !’ exclaimed Raeburn ; ‘it was you I saw riding in a dray this morning. Well now, only to think bow strangely things turn out d You will. shake hands with me, Mrs Bray ? Thank yon; and yon —Elsie ?’ Mrs Bray looked from one to the other, as they stood hand in hand—-he, joyful, radiant—she, gazing „■ on him tenderly." ‘ Will you give her to me, Mrs Bray ? I will deal faithfully-and lovingly by her; and will yon live with us, and share our home V ‘ Ah, well,’ said Mrs Bray, ‘ what must be—must be; Mr Raeburn, my dear son is dead—he,died a, noble death dear girl as good a husband as my poor boy would have been to her, she will be a happy, woman ;. ah, but Elsie—if our kind driver had not already a wife waiting for him ]■— ’ On the day before Christmas Charlie and Elsie were rriarried/ Let us drink their health and their family’s, and, may they live long and prosper.