FIDDLER'S MONEY.

Tauranga Record and Bay of Plenty Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 21, 23 November 1867, Page 3

FIDDLER'S MONEY.

ClI VPTEU I. "NVlnt is Fiddlcr's Mon y ? -\?k Ihe Ihe boy in Ihe slrect and he will probahly nnvv:ir joii, " a b"h, a buin r. and a tizzy." Thtre are sonie peo le s' ji. lUe that Ihey nevcr liesrd oi" Fiddh rs M ncy. Pcrlia; s my readei has, an l he tiill lell me il is smill chang', ihe snia lesl u.ed u m oi ih ■ the cu irency. II iuighl tln rcfore be snppostd l .it ftddlers were liel.l in very low cs'im ilion. and were rewarded with llie very smallesl |.ossil)l.- fraclion.nl c -in oi Ihe reabn. I here musl be sonn lhing in Ihis, for we oflen hear it .-a d dcrisivelv " a drnnk as a Kiddh r" * so tliat ti musl be low aud dissolule meu, ycl

we know there are svme fi l jlers very affl ionl, who ride ,iu Ihcir ctrriago, and would b_» insulted if .th.ey w ere to be called fiddlers. They are v iolinists. I ain not a fi.hller, hui I am unforfuuate iu mv nauic, w hicli is Joseph Fiddler, and I wasonce so unforlunale as to be only occasionally cndowcd with l!ie posscssioii of Ihe diniinnlive c >ins honored hy Ihe namc of fiddler's j money. The n-ime of Ihe slory will liierel'oro seem inappropriale, for at oue lime I liad no money- How i got if, aud whai I did with it, il will he imy business lo tell if you will have palicnce (o read vvhal follows. I was al Ihe Clydesdale diggings in Ihe year 18") — reduced lo my 1 ist five pound note. I had Iried digging, prospect ing, aud fossicking wilhout success,- and our parly of *miles'! Iiaving separaled iu despair, discon- | solale and sad, I was leaning against llio door posl of one of Ihe princip 1 I stores Ihinking about hoirukand Ihe prodig il son. 4 He wcnl JRo a far courilry, aud wheu he cainA lo be iu want, no man gave unfo hin/' Which I could see clearly was lo be my case. llnl my refleclions were not allogcllier selfish. There was a troasured letlcr froui ihe far o!d counlry soniewhere (n my hreasl pocket read in slolen moments oi' reliremejil, and a linv charm conlaining a sma'.l lock of grey lnir4 hiddcn nearer Ihe region oi my heait that no eyes l.ul my own eveC saw, an ! Iliose couh? scarccly gaze wilhoul hecoming dim. As 1 Slood and looked on llie busy diggings listening lo ihe clalter of lin dishes, Ihe ro. k of cradies, and walched Ihe hnsv ininers hkeants movingover Ihe grouad, and g'ing into holes, all apparenlly aclive hui inyself, I fell a great siap on my shoulders, and berore 1 could look round licard the words : k Wiiv, Fiddler, my boy, where did you spring from ? who* would have thought of seeing you here, and liow are you gelling on, and whai are yon doing ? ' 4 Whai, Dormcr? Bless my soul, who wonld have Ihought it/ II was Dormer, an old c'uum, whom I ha I no! seen for a >eat. • AfUr 1 i.ad i;>!d iii',:"Fho v matters slood wiih me he Ihought for a mtnnenl, an l then said : — k Look here ; j- iin me. I have just bought into a claim that looks firsl rale, and I lliink when we strike Ihe lead, which we are prelly snre lo do, we shail all make a nice pile.' 4 But joj lorgel I Iiave no money/ 4 Ah, i (oi got that, and I can'l exact'y help you, for I have put a!l I had into Ihe spec. llut come inside and I'li hilroduce you lo Berresford, a very n ce fellow and one of us.' He kecps Ihis slore here/ The inlrodnclion was made, and I found Ri r. Berresford cordial and friendly. Dormer and he were apparenlly on inlimafe (erras, and llie former, wilhoul liesilation made liini acquainted with Ihe slaleof my affairsk and his proposal lorne. Wi ll, )ou see ' said Mr Berresford, ns f.n as I am c nCv rued', I shoul 1 b; very happy lo have andthen one in Ihe parly who wou'n nol wisli tocsrry i everylliing liis own wa), which (!ie rest appear lo wisli !o do, and l lliink, il niighl he managed s«:ne liow. But see ine again tliis evening. Just now I a n ncarly crazy, I iiave JiMl niissed Ihe [)ost, and have a lettcr lo regisler for ihe hank, which ought to have gonc, and ! cannot lind a messenger, I ha I I could (n slw iih it lo Ihe posl cffiee al D )wncybroo!i,lhat slarts four hours h nce.' 4 Why, hcre's your cliar.ce/ said Dormer. * Fiddler woulda'l mind going, would you ? ' I replicd that I would go with pleasure if I only kncw Ihe way. "O i you c.uTi iniss yon- way, but am al'raid jou will have lo walk, for Iiave lost my Imrse, and don't know wlicre to gel anolhcr ' I rcplied llial i did not ohject to wa kin r. Ace iritingly I startcd, and found my way wilhoul ditTicully, there. i anivcd in lime, rcgistered and posted my leller, and sel out to return The road was apparenlly so plain as 1 had comc, tarl 1 had no fear of gelt ing astr y, and jogged on complacenlly for about six miles, wheu I began lo fetl a lillle tired, and sal dowu lo resl upon a log. A giowiug red streak oi kunshiue played in the sky. U was

ncar sunsct. I then suddcnTy reflectcd that it had taken meamuch sliorlcr dime lo gct lo Downeybrook than it had taken me lo reltun Ihis f.fcr, and Ihcre was no indicalion of tlie neighhorliood of a l.usy and populous diggings as there c.ughl lo have been hy Ihis lime. I had taken Ihe wrong Irack! Here was a pretly fix. The gotden sunlighl of approacliing evening was glistening through Ihe Irees. A iroop of ubilant magpies were trolling out fricir melodious notcs in cliorus, nifiVi ng the forest ring with 'hcir evening song, while now and then a derisive laughing jacknss would ihtcrrupl Ihcm willi a screech of his d.scordaul and apparenlly uncoutr olldble Ianghtcr. Tall gum trces were arouu 1 me and above me. Ihe sc?nc was nudoubledly very prelly, but very quiel and soliiary. Nol a soal was (oheseen. nor the snfind of a hvnnn Voice. ' Oh ! solilude where are thy charms,' I said to mysclf, as I knocked t hc ashes o:il oi my [>ipc. • I must return t > Downcybrookwhiie I can see Ihe Irack/ had scarccly said or Ihought Ihis, bcfore t felt a greal poke in Ihe side, and heard Ihe words: — ' Bail u;>, male/ I slarled up. and coufronted three mcn with countenances that rnight have been taken from llie Newgalc Calcndar. Beelling eyebrows, faces, which tSiough clea'n sbaven, wero marvellously ill-favoured ; Ihroats i lat sbould have sirelched a rope, inuflled up in Ihick blick handkerchiefs shnr necked an I stooping iu ligure, 1 Ihcy were all of llie powerful hull dog characler which curiously dislinguishes men who (ake lo that kind of life. They had hands loo small to haAecvcr worked, except ln Ihe4 inrll/ or at picking locks, wore drcssed in suils of slop clolhing, and were all armcd. •Holdyour arms up,' saii one, pointing a revolver at my head. I did as I ua n told. * Now Biil,' said another, 'vou hang on to liiui and I *11 fossick him. And he was as gooJ as his trord. One held me frhin bdhind, while andt.lie rummaged my pocket s. A few papers, knife tobacco pouely p'pe ea ne cut one after another. Tlieir visagcs darkened, the 'loot '»eemed tri Png. ' I'last hirw, he's got it planted; We mu t strip tlie bloak,' said another ' ileie t is,' said tlie uian w'io was piekn g my poekets. Oat c \m my pocket b'jjk n.i out oi it mv poor last itve pound note. (To be Continucd.)