The Gold-Stealers A Story Of Waddy by Edward Dyson (reading in the dark txt) 📖
- Author: Edward Dyson
Book online «The Gold-Stealers A Story Of Waddy by Edward Dyson (reading in the dark txt) 📖». Author Edward Dyson
Shine'S Slate-Coloured Eyes Slid Up And Fell Again.
''Twas Done In The Way O' Duty. He Don'T Deny I Found The Gold On Him.'
'No, But He Denies Ever Havin' Seen It In His Life Before, An' I Believe
Him.'
'An' About That Cunnin' Little Trap In His Boot-Heel, Ma'Am?'
Chapter 3 Pg 18'It Was What He Said It Was--The Trick Of Some Enemy.'
Mr. Shine Lifted His Right Boot As If Trying Its Weight, Groaned And Set
It Down Again, Tried The Other, And Said:
'An' Who Might The Enemy Ha' Been, D'Ye Think?'
I Do Not Know, But--I Am Frank Hardy'S Friend, And You May Not Abuse Him
In My House.'
'You Have A Chance O' A Respectable Man, Missus.' Mrs. Haddon Had Risen
From Her Seat And Was Standing Over Her Visitor, A Buxom Black-Gowned
Little Fury.
'An' I Tell Him To Go About His Business, An' That'S The Way.' The
Gesture The Widow Threw At Her Humble Kitchen Door Was Magnificent. 'But
Stay,' She Cried, Although The Imperturbable Shine Had Not Shown The
Slightest Intention Of Moving. 'You'Ve Heard I Went With Frank'S Mother
To Visit Him In The Gaol There At The City; P'R'Aps You'Re Curious To
Know What I Said. Well, I'Ll Tell You, An' You Can Tell All Waddy From
Yon Platform In The Chapel Nex' Sunday, If You Like. 'Frank,' I Said,
'You Asked Me To Be Your Wife, An' I Haven'T Answered. I Do Now. I'Ll
Meet You At The Prison Door When You Come Out, If You Please, An' I'Ll
Marry You Straight Away.' Those Were My Very Words, Mr. Superintendent,
An' I Mean To Keep To Them.'
Mrs. Haddon Stood With Flaming Face And Throbbing Bosom, A Tragedy Queen
In Miniature, Suffused With Honest Emotion. Ephraim Sat Apparently
Absorbed In His Left Boot, Thrusting His Finger Into The Hole In The
Sole, As If Probing A Wound.
'You Wouldn'T Think, Ma'Am,' He Said Presently With The Air Of A Martyr,
'That I Gave Fourteen-And Six For Them Pair O' Boots Not Nine Weeks
Since.'
Mrs. Haddon Turned Away With An Impatient Gesture.
'If You'Ve Said All You Have To Say, You Might Let Me Get On With My
Work.'
'I Think That'S All, Mrs. Haddon.' The Searcher Arose, And Stood For A
Moment Turning Up The Toe Of On Off To Alcantara."
"Then He Said Nothing Of His Leaping Out Of The Window?"
"Did He Leap Out Of The Window?"
"Or Of My Trying To Hold Him Back?"
"What!" Exclaimed Lord Strathern, Starting Up. "Did He Escape By
Jumping Out Of The Window, And You Try To Detain Him?"
"The Height Was So Great, I Feared He Would Break His Neck."
"Damn His Neck!" Said Lord Strathern, Striding Up And Down The
Room. "Better A Neck Cracked Than A Reputation. Things Have Come To A
Chapter 3 Pg 19Pretty Pass. You Singing Love-Songs At Him, He Squeezing And Kissing
Your Hand--Perhaps Going Further. In These Cases, Women Never Tell The
Whole Truth! When He Would Escape By A Leap From Your Window, You Try
To Keep Him By Strength Of Arm. You Get On Finely, Madam! Three Months
In The Army Have Done Wonders For You. Three Months More Will
Accomplish You So Thoroughly, That You Will Be Fit For No Other
Society Through Life. I Will Tell You What, Mabel, I Will Not Lose A
Moment, But Bundle You Up, And Pack You Off To Your Aunt, While You
Are Yet Worth Sending!"
Between Shame And Indignation At This Unjust Assault From Such A
Quarter, Poor Lady Mabel Burst Into Tears, And Rushed Off To Her Room,
Where She Locked Herself Up, Resolving Never Again To Leave It Until
She Commenced Her Journey Homeward. It Was Not Long Before Her Hasty
Father Repented Of His Coarse And Violent Attack On Her, In a Case In
Which The Heaviest Fault Was His Own. He Came Rapping At Her Door, And
By Dint Of Apologies, Remonstrance, And Commands, Brought Her Out, And
Induced Her To Spend The Evening In His Company. And A Very
Uncomfortable Evening It Was To Both Of Them.
Two Days After This, L'Isle Rode Into Elvas, And Brought Orders With
Him That Set The Town Astir. Such A Breaking Up Of All The Comfortable
And Luxurious Arrangements Of Messes And Quarters Had Not Been Lately
Seen. For Elvas Was The Capua Of The Brigade, Which Had To Lighten
Itself Of Many An Incumbrance, Including Much Of What Shortridge
Termed Its Heavy Baggage, In Order To Bring Itself To A Condition To
March. There Was Many A Woeful Parting, Too, And Scandal Says That The
Ladies Of Elvas Might Have Laid The Dust With Their Tears. But We Will
Leave These Stories To Colonel Bradshawe.
All Was Confusion In The Household At Headquarters. Lord Strathern Had
To Bestir Himself, To Get Both His Brigade And Himself Ready To March
By One Route, And Lady Mabel Had To Prepare For Her Journey By
Another. It Was Now That Moodie'S Worth Shone Manifestly Forth. The
Old Coach And Harness Were Overhauled And Put In Order. He Secured, We
Believe, By Impressment, Another Pair Of Mules And Two Postillions.
Every Leaf Of The _Hortus Siccus_ Was Carefully Packed, And Put Into
The Hands Of An _Arriero_, Bound For Lisbon, And Jenny Aiken And
William, The Footman, Were Pulled And Shoved About In a Way That
Convinced Them That It Was Time To Be Moving; Yet He Found Plenty Of
Time To Spur Up My Lord'S Own Servants, And Push Forward Their
Preparations. Busy As Lord Strathern Was, He Failed Not To Remark
Moodie'S Prompt, Methodical, And Energetic Labors. He Pronounced Him
The Prince Of Quartermasters, And A Heavy Loss To The Army. "The Old
Fellow Would Evacuate A Fortress, Or Conduct A Retreat With The
Precision Of A Parade, And Not Leave Even A Dropped Cartridge To The
Enemy Behind Him." In Fact, Had Marshal Soult Sworn To Sack Elvas
To-Morrow, Moodie Could Not Have Been More On The Alert In Getting
Lady Mabel Ready To Leave It. Not That He Was Afraid Of A
Frenchman--He Would Willingly Have Faced Him, And Made His Mark Upon
Him--But When All Might Be Lost, And Nothing Gained By Staying,
Moodie, Like Xenophon, Was Proving His Soldiership By A Speedy, Yet
Orderly Retreat. He Was Carrying Off Lady Mabel, _Via_ The Villages Of
Lisbon And London, To His Stronghold Of Craggy-Side, Where, He
Trusted, She Would Be Safe From L'Isle And Popery.
Many Signs Of A Speedy Flitting Were Now Seen About Head-Quarters.
Chapter 3 Pg 20Lady Mabel Sat Melancholy And Alone In Her Half-Dismantled
Drawing-Room. ToFar Down In The
Rock. This Was Waved Twice And Then Withdrawn.
'Righto!' Said Jacker In a Hoarse Piratical Tone. 'Gimme The Tucker,
Black Douglas; I'Ll Go Down. You Coves Keep Watch, An' No Talkin', Mind.'
Phil Grumbled Inarticulately, And Jacker'S Tone Became Hoarser And More
Piratical Still.
'Who'S Commandin' Here?' He Growled. 'D'Ye Mean Mutiny?
'Oh, Shut Up!' Said Doon, Bitterly. 'No One'S Goin' T' Mutiny, But There
Ain'T No Fun Campin' Here.'
Mcknight Relented.
'All Right,' He Said, 'Come Down If You Wanter. S'Pose You'Ll On'Y Be
Makin' Some Kind Of A Row 'F I Leave You.'
Jacker Put The Growth Aside Carefully, And Going Feet First Gradually
Disappeared. Within There In The Formless Darkness He Stood Upon A Ladder
Made Of The Long Stem Of A Sapling To Which Cleats Were Nailed. The
Sapling Was Suspended In a Black Abyss. The Boy, With His Bundle Hanging
From His Shoulder, Started Down Fearlessly. Presently He Came To Where A
Second Prop Was Fastened To The First With Spikes And Strong Rope. Here
He Paused A Moment, And Called:
'Hello, Be-E-Low There!'
Jacker'S Character Had Undergone A Rapid Change; He Was Now Quite An
Innocent And Law-Abiding Person, A Working Shareholder In The Mount Of
Gold Quartz-Mining Company.
'On Top!' Answered A Cautious Voice From The Depths.
'Look Up--Man On!
And Now, Having Observed The Formalities, Jacker Continued His Descent,
And In a Few Moments Dropped From The Primitive Ladder And Found A
Footing On A Few Planks Thrown From One Drive To Another, Across What Was
Really An Old Shaft. At His Back Was A Drive Running Into Darkness;
Before Him Was A Small Irregular Excavation Lit With A Single Candle, And
Sitting In This, Dressed, Or, More Correctly, Undressed, Like Miners At
Their Work, Were Dick Haddon And Ted Mcknight.
Jacker Threw His Bundle On The Floor Of The Drive.
'Crib,' He Said Carelessly; And Then, After Examining The Face Of The
Excavation: 'S'Pose We Ain'T Likely To Cut The Lode This Shift, Dick?
Dick Shook His Head Thoughtfully.
Chapter 3 Pg 21'No,' He Said. 'Allowin' For The Underlay, We Should Strike Her About
Fifteen Feet In.'
The Other Boys Had Now Joined Their Mates. Each On His Way Down Had
Gravely Followed The Example Of Jacker, Who Was Supposed To Be The Boss
Of The Incoming Shift. As The Fathers Labour Their Sons Play, And For
Months These Boys Had Been Digging In This Old Mine, Off And On, With
Enthralling Mystery. The Excavation In Which Dick And Ted Were Seated
Represented The Joint Labour Of The Members Of The Mount Of Gold
Quartz-Mining Company, Though The Very Existence Of The Mine Was Unknown
To A Single Soul Outside The Juvenile Syndicate.
On The Surface All Signs Of The Shaft Had Long Since Been Obliterated.
The Quarrymen Blasting Into The Side Of The Hill Years Back Had Made A
Small Opening Into The Disused Pit At Some Distance From The Top, And
This Opening Was Accidentally Discovered By Dick And Jacker One Day
During A Hunt For A Wounded Rabbit. Investigation Proved The Mine To Be
Of No Great Depth, And, Thanks To The Pumps Of The Silver Stream,
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