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^To-day's Short Story.I L…

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^To-day's Short Story. I L I "CAPTAIN LUCIFER I "18 were a merry party in Gorseiiill Home, Inhere we had assembled for the grouse shoot- ing- one August some few years ago, and joany a pleasant hour, too, did we have in the smoking-room after the ladies had gone upstairs. One of the most entertaining of jour party was an elderly Colonial, who, having been out in Australia in the early days of the "gold rush," had, after the usual disappointments, struck luck, made his pile, an-d returned to England with an Australian fortune and an Australian wife. Naturally, he had many an interesting a.nd exciting tale to tell of those early days, when com- panies had not crashed all the romance out of gold mining, and bushrangers assisted to make things generally lively. "Ah, yes," he said one evening,"I remember 'one of those bushranging gentry myself, who flourished just about the time the gold-fever first started. The man went by the name of Captain Lucifer, though whether on account of his evil doings, or because we have it on good authority that the Prince of Darkness was a gentleman, I cannot say, for this Cap- tain Lucifer had certainly received a gentle- man's education, had at one time mixed in good society, and still knew how to comport himself therein should accident ever make it necessary. Oertainly, on the only occasion I ever met him his manner waa perfection, and I may even say it was very taking. The captain was just at his zenith at the time I first went to Blackmail's Creek to try my lack at the diggings, and uKuoy a time after the day's work was over were his doings discussed by the miners in the drink- ing saloons of the camp, in the presence of members of his gang, perhaps—perhaps even 'before himself, for it was believed that on ,eave-ml occasions he had personally visited the camps in order to gain trustworthy information* I However, he little troubled me, for so far 11 had not succeeded in picking up enouglh to pay my expenses—and sometimes hardly that —and had not much, surplus cash to be despoiled of. One d&y, however, after I had been some six months at the diggings it became neces- sary for me to go down to Sydney on busi- ness, so, leaving my claim to the oaire of my partners, I packed my traps and took a seat in the coach which was going down under escort with gold. Captain Lucifer had been very quiet for the last two or three ninths. It was a cold night with a slight totsoh ,of frost, as I settled myself down in the Syd- ney coach and looked around me to see who were my fellow-passengers. There were three of them. Two were miners, like myself, evi- < dently going down to Sydney for a. spree; bhe third was a gentleman in the ordinary tweed roii affected by Englishmen, evidently a new churn looking round Australia, for plea- Bare; in fact, he told us so. He seemed a very pleasant fellow, with a perpetual flow of anecdote and talk, and he kept us thoroughly amused, which was lucky, as the roughness of the road and the jolting of the coach, made sleep impossible, until we drew up at a small wayside station, where we received an addition to oar number in the shape of a. young a.nd decidedly pretty girl. evidently on her way to Sydney from some up-oountry station. Our English campanion had soon struck up an acquaintance with her, and chatting easily and without the slightest rnquisitiveness, scon had her story (such as it was) out of her. She was an orphan, having originally oome to New South Wales with her father, who had died soon after landing and left his daughter little but his blessing. She had succeeded in obtaining a situation as governess up country, but her pupils had now outgrown her L-are, and she was coming down to Syd- ney to try to settle somewhere again as governess cr companion. For the rest of us the time passed on slowly and quietly enough, till at last we came to a spot which rejoiced in the name of Hangman's Gulch. "The two miners, who had been very silent all through the journey, but who had been on very confidential terms with their flasks, now woke up and became excessively garrulous, while they were very emphatic as to what they would do should i that robber show his face near them. Their vapouringa were here suddenly VInterrupted by a volley of musketry; there was a shriek, a groan or two, hoarse voices were heard; then came the clatter of horses* hoofs, a sudden jerk, and the coach came to a standstill. The coach from Blackmail'a Creek had been stuck up. "'It seems, gentlemen, you im-m your oppor- tunity,' said the Englishman, as he drew his revolver, and we followed suit; then in a different and sterner tone, pointing his revover at us and not at the men who could now be seen approaching the eoooh, Come now, be sensible; can't you see when you're heat. Just drop these and come out quitely., With a curse one of the miners aimed at the speaker, and drew his trigger, but there was no report. Really, gentlemen, this trifling is abstmi. I drew the charges of these revolvers at our last stoppage. Come, now, step down. My pa-Memoe in get;r!,g exhausted.' "There was nothing for it but to obey; so throwing down our useless weapons we got out of the coaoh sullenly enough, while Luci- fer courteously assisted the poor, trembling girl, who wae our fellow-passenger. You are Captain Lucifer, I presume?' At your service, sir,' was the answer. You see the roads are so unsafe about here, and the discovery of gold has brought so many loose characters about this part of the country, that I prefer to travel on a gold coach under police escort when possible. In fact, I am partial to all the coaches that tarry the gold you worthy fellows dig up with to much honest perseverance, with so much honest toil. But come, let us to business. Short reckonings," you know, Ac.' Unarmed, and surrounded by about eight or nine scrounriels fully armed, there was nothing for us but submission, so we pro- ceeded to divest ourselves of aal the valuables we had about us. Last of all came the young lady passenger, to whom Lucifer had been so polite on the journey. With a trembling hand she held out to him her purse—'twas but a small one, yet it con- tained her all-and her only ornament a plain gold locket, with a monogram set in pearls on it. 'It was my mother's,' she fal- tered, as she gave it into the robber's hand. The man turned his face aside. There was a clink of gold against gold, and then Lucifer turned round, his face impassive as ever, his glance keen. Now, then,' he called; 'is that work finished yet?' Yes, 'Well, be off. Those two fellows who escaped may be back with help at any time, and we must pat as many miles as possible between us and the Gulch by daylight. Off you go!' And his followers dashed off, leav- ing Lucifer alone save for one follower, who stood behind him holding a horse for his leader. Good-bye, gentlemen,' said Lucifer. 'I am sorry I cannot enjoy your society longer, or accompany you on your journey. I have a pressing appointment elsewhere, besides which the air of Sydney does not agree with me. I leave tihe wounded in your care,' he added, pointing to the roadside to four d'ark figures lying in the dust, two cf whom, one could see at a glance, would never need care in this world again. And now, mademoi- selle, good-bye, and many thanks for your charming society, which whiled away the tire- some hours so pleasantly last night. Here is your purse and your mother's locket.' And he disappeared in the darkness, followed by his attendant. "Then there was a spark of chivalry in him, after all," said I, as Mr. Hamson paused. There was a dagh of romance about him; the bushranger of fiction may have a parallel, in fact?" H'm, that depends. He gave the girl her purse back certainly; but he emptied it of its contents first. "I said I heard the clink of gold, but it was her gold joining ours in his belt. As for the locket, its intrinsic value was not great, and would onily have possibly compromised 'him h-ad be kept it or parted with it. At all events, the poor girl landed in Sydney practically penniless, but her story made friends for her as soon as it was known; she got an excellent situation as a companion to an elderly lady, where she lived happily enougih for over a year and a half, and where I found her when I returned to Sydney, having struck it rich and made my piàe. Six weeks after we Ne-re married." "And Liksfar. What of him?" "The usual thing. Went on too long. Police caught, him one day with a single companion, gTrotxnded him; he made fight, got four ballets in his body, and escaped the gallows. No, his real name was never dis- covered. Well, I'm off to roost. Good night ail."

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