ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.

Southland Times, Issue 627, 4 February 1867, Page 3

ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.

A Taradale correspondent of the M. A. Mail sends the following : — " A rather romantic incident occurred on board the Great Britain, on her late arrival in Hobson's Bay, and thereby hangs a tale. In the earlier days of the gold discoveries, one of the sons of a very respectable family, living somewhere among the fens of Lincolnshire, was afflicted severely with the gold fever, and with little ado made his adieus, and sailed for the sunny shores of Australia Eelix. Of course, like most of us, he only intended to stay here for a year or two, just long enough to make his pile. However, he arrived safely, and, hardly deigning to look at Melbourne, rushed up the country to secure some of the big nuggets that were waiting to be picked up. Well, he didn't make his pile all at once, but stopped here long enough to become " quite colonial." That is, in the first place, he dropped writing home to his relatives altogether, — donned a red sash and a pair of "Miller's moles " — many a time and oft with his swag for his pillow, made his resting place the questionable shelter of a sheoak, or the odorous shade of a peppermint bush, and woke up in the morning to find himself the cynosure of the eyes of thousands of " bulldogs," upon whose nest he" had planted his not very elegant^ " waterfcights," with his feet in themi : "He had also acquired considerable experience in the arts of wood-splitting, shepherding, diamond-cracking, &c. , and had once emulated the profession of a Mferdtew, by supplying the current gossip of the village he was then in to the nearest newspaper, at the handsome remuneration of 7s 6d per column. Being out of luck about the starting of the waterworks, our hero sought and obtained employment on one. of the contracts, where we will leave him while we mention that toward the latter end of 1865 his

father died, and had left his property, which was very considerable, to be divided amongst his three sons. The propria persona of the wanderer was required before the terms of the will could be carried out, and accordingly strenuous efforts were made to discover his whereabouts, but without effect, till one day his eldest brother — of course the scapegrace was youngest son — heard that he had been seen at a certain small digging township in Victoria, and with this faint clue determined to brave the dangers of the , deep, and search for the lost one himself. "Well, our hero, who we left on the waterworks, by dint of careful economy had managed to save a few pounds, and' at Christmas determined to take advantage of the cheap trains and enjoy a trip to Melbourne. His limited means would not, however, allow of the purchase of a holiday suit, and so, not to be spoiled of his pleasure, he went down "in the rough." Being at Sandridge, and hearing of the arrival of the Great Britain, he thought he would like to have a look at the good old steamship, and so chartered a small boat to take him on board. Arrived there, curiosity prompted him to inspect the passenger list, and, glancing through the names, one met his astonished gaze which rather startled him. Could it be his steady going eldest brother, who, never, to his knowledge, had been twenty miles from home ? He would inquire. The first person he reached he accosted with the query, did he know so-and-so on board. ." That's my name." "But yoa ain't Charley- ,of •? " " Yes, I am ; but (looking at the seedy habiliments of his interrogator, and at the same time a gleam of doubtful rememberance of the features passing through his mind) you cant be Ted ?" MutuaLjrecognition followed, and the astonished and delighted pair made the j best of their way on shore, and will, we j believe, our hero having thrown up his billet on the water-works, soon make tracks for the vicinity of the fens, where the unsuccessful gold-digger will be able to settle down comfortably in opulence, and, we hope happiness.