Whirlwind's year

Front matter

'\JOHNLoNG |= LONDON

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PURCHASED FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY FROM THE

CHAPTER I, Arter Twenty Years , A

II, THe New ARRIVAL AT THE MONARCH III. In tHE RESTAURANT A : : IV. InvirepD TO NEWMARKET . F

Vv VI. UNACCOUNTABLE ForRM VII. A ConsuLTATION . A

IX. SOMETHING ABOUT WHIRLWIND

X. WitTH Mr, FLinT ., é é XI, AN ARRANGEMENT

XII, Gossip oN THE DERBY XIII. A Pappock INSPECTION . 5 f XIV. WalITING FoR THE START : XV. WHOSE YEAR?

XVI, THE RESULT oF THE RACE XVII. A Rirt in THE LUTE XVIII. A GREAT SURPRISE .

XXII, EXPLANATIONS . 3 XXIII, THe "LEGER Day . 5 ‘ XXIV. A Man INDEED : XXV. GrREG’s SACRIFICE XXVI, ‘I WonDER” . : : : :

Amone all lovers of Sport, the name of Nat Gould has become a household word, As sportsman, journalist and globe-trotter, few men have gone through more varied experiences, and still fewer have used their experience to such excellent purpose. Since Whyte Melville and the immortal ‘“ Jorrocks,” no writer has depicted with so spirited a pen the romance of a race-course, the surprises of the cricket-pitch, or the hairbreadth escapesof the hunting-field. Writing in Longman’s Magazine, Mr. Andrew Lang said, ‘‘A Sixpenny Academy would be a lively Academy. For President, I would, if consulted, select Mr. Nat Gould, who shines by a candid simplicity of style, and a direct and unaffected appeal to the primitive emotions, and our love for that noble animal, the horse.”

vi

CHAPTER J AFTER TWENTY YEARS

TWENTY years is a big slice out of a man’s life, so thought Greg Thornton standing on the deck of the Aramoota on her way from Adelaide to Melbourne and Sydney, leaning over the side of the vessel, looking at the smooth shining water, through which the steamer cut her clear way. There were not many people on board; the overland route was more popular, faster, saved time, and in these hurrying days time is money more than ever.

The Avamoota was a small coasting steamer. She was a favourite with sea-going passengers, or rather her skipper, Joel May, was, and the captain of a vessel is an important personage.

The skipper and his passenger, Greg Thornton, were well known to each other. They came out from the old country together to try and mend their prospects in the new land.

if

Joel May worked his passage out as third mate; Greg Thornton was a passenger in the second saloon. They landed in Adelaide, where Greg obtained a post in a mining engineer’s office, and Joel accepted an engagement ona well-known steamship line. Joel May stuck to the firm, and in a way the firm stuck to him. Being of an independent spirit he was frequently at war with his employers; but the manager of the line knew a good man when he had sampled him, and consequently overlooked many faults, and was deaf to harsh words spoken in the heat of the moment. Joel captained many steamers for the company, and after nearly twenty years’ service was in charge of the Avamoota, There were many better boats in the fleet, but Joel was the only man who ever made the Avamoota pay her way. She was a peculiar craft, given to much rolling; no matter how calm the sea she swayed from side to side with a most irritating list. x For three years Joel May muttered dire threats against the Avamoota and all connected with her. The names he called his vessel were startlingly original, and his employers came in for a fair share of vituperation. The manager smiled. So long as Joel remained on the Avamoota he gave him carte blanche to say what he wished about her. 8

After Twenty Years

When the Avamoota began to pay her way the manager chuckled; he knew Joel May had done it, and he meant to keep him in charge.

This was the skipper’s fourth year on her and he . had become attached to the old tub. He seemed to be part of the craft; when Joel was ashore, the Aramoota appeared to droop and sulk until his return, but no sooner did he put his feet on her deck than she woke up and became lively.

Greg Thornton’s life during those twenty years had been very different to Joel May’s. He had tried many things. Asa mail-coach driver he succeeded fairly well, but the life was monotonous, and there was no prospect of making money. He threw up the job and tried his hand at station work. This was worse than the coach. He often spent weeks alone in a boundary-rider’s hut without a soul to speak to, his horse and his dog being his sole companions.

Once he was lost in the bush, suffered the terrible pangs of thirst, dreamed the wildest and strangest of dreams, and went through experiences just outside the gate of death that he never forgot.

He became a wonderful rider ; no buck-jumper was able to get rid of him, and his powers of endurance were extraordinary. For downright “hard graft”

there was no man to beat Greg Thornton. 9

Five years he stood this life, and during that time he saved a hundred and fifty pounds, for the simple reason he had no ways of spending it. He left the station and journeyed to Sydney. Fifty pounds went in a little over a week, and for the first time in his life Greg Thornton knew what it was to have a mighty “jag ”—a delirious unbridled spree. At the end of that week he went to Randwick races, backed three winners, including an outsider at twenty to one, found himself over a hundred pounds to the good, and “jagged” for two weeks more.

Three weeks’ perpetual fuddling ought to suffice any man, and it certainly “ filled up” Greg Thornton. He “ put the peg in,” swore off liquor, and for the fourth week lived a life of utter misery. Many a time he would have given a pound for a bottle of Bass but he resisted the temptation, more power to him, and was rewarded at the end of ten days’ sobriety by getting rid of the taste of the stuff and feeling himself again.

Sydney was no place for him and he went up country again, this time into Queensland. He got as far as Charters Towers where he obtained some knowledge of mining that stood him in good stead later on. He had a quarrel at the Towers over a young lady, half-killed his rival in a stand-up fight,

Io

After Twenty Years and then cleared out, having discovered that the defeated party was favourite with the lady in question.

In Melbourne he heard of the wonderful gold finds in Western Australia, and thither he went with what remained of his capital. He had a rough time at Coolgardie, and elsewhere, and at first his luck was dead out. It changed like magic; Aladdin’s lamp had been discovered, and he experienced one of those phenomenal runs of luck that occasionally dazzle the universe. It was quite simple. A miner disgusted with his claim sold it to Greg Thornton for the price of a week’s spree. At the end of six months Greg was unable to sell again at a similar figure, so was forced to hold on.

The day of his life arrived, as it does to most men who have grit in them and hang on to things, and at the end of that day he saw riches in sight. Greg Thornton stumbled upon a perfect golconda ; he picked out nuggets by the score, piled them up, sat upon them, and gazed around at the glittering mass in the reef. There was gold ahead of him to an untold amount. He knew enough about mining to guess he had hit upon the richest spot in the whole field. At first he was staggered at the sight of so much gold. He picked up one nugget after another, held them in his hands, tried to bite the II metal, rubbed it with his shirt sleeves, fondled it with joy untold. He had descended his mine a poor man, he went up again rich; a few hours had changed his fortune, altered his life.

This happened when he was forty years of age he was now forty-five, and had the world to play around in.

“ Greg’s Luck,” as the mine was named, turned out better than even heexpected. An expert in finance offered to float “Greg’s Luck” for him, but he declined, In this he was wise, for a financial expert is a highly explosive substance, and when it bursts up the shock is so great that the particles are shattered and scattered until the remains can only be discovered by the aid of a powerful microscope.

Greg went to Melbourne in due course, and finding a few reliable men with money he sold shares in his mine. Five shares he sold for thousands each, and after receiving over a hundred thousand hard cash he had a three-quarter share in Greg’s Luck, which at a low calculation was estimated to bring him in a big fortune yearly. The man who sold Greg Thornton the mine for a song, met him in Melbourne and congratulated him on his luck. He did not whine or bemoan his misfortune, what he said was :— 12

After Twenty Years

“Tt was a square deal, Greg. I thought you were a bit of a fool to part with the money. You deserve all you've got.”

Greg liked this; it appealed to. him. Had the man asked him for money, or said bitter things about the mine, he would have resented it. He hated a man who did not accept a blow philosophically. Before they parted he handed him a cheque which made him gasp when he saw the amount,

“What's this for?” he asked.

“You, my boy. It was your mine once; you deserve a bit out of it, and a few thousands won’t hurt me. I’m a bachelor, I have no one dependent upon me; take it, and don’t fool it away,” said Greg.

The man accepted the money, and Greg Thornton felt relieved.

“Upon my word, when I met him in Collins Street,” he said afterwards to Captain Joel, “I felt as though I had robbed him; it eased my mind when he took what I offered him.”

“Twenty years is a big slice out of a man’s life,” said Greg to himself, and made up his mind to leave Australia and go back to the old country. There was much regret at his decision. Greg Thornton was a power On the gold-fields ; he was looked up to and thought much of. There were men who considered him “wedded to money,” and thought him mean and apt to take advantage of others which his capital gave him. When he lent money he insisted upon it being repaid, which was not the proper thing for a rich man to expect—so the borrowers said. But there were others, men whom Greg had helped in life, who swore by him, and said he was “ the whitest man” they had ever known. When Greg announced his intention of leaving the fields, but retaining his hold on the mines, he had shares in many now, it was decided to give him a great “send off”. The banquet at Coolgardie to Greg Thornton was a marvellous affair. The speeches were eloquent and to the point, extolling the many good qualities of the guest of the evening until he felt inclined to hide under the table. The gathering was a glorious success, and Greg Thornton appreciated the kindness shown him. Beforg, he left the township he made over ten thousand pounds to be devoted to a hospital fund, and he gave another ten thousand to assist struggling miners. When the time came for him to leave the place where he had experienced so many vicissitudes he almost broke down; it was a wrench to part with old associations, far greater than he had expected. 14

After Twenty Years

He had been happy in this barren spot before it blossomed into a large town, and teemed with a hard-working population ; he had watched its growth, seen it rise, and he had risen with it. His pile was made, after twenty years he could rest and enjoy life, and he owed it to this sandy waste which had been kind to him, poured out its hidden wealth into his hands, made him a rich man, the owner of “Greg’s Luck,” and many more mines.

At last he got away, and arrived in Adelaide. Here he found every ore ready to welcome the principal owner of “Greg’s Luck”. He was féted and made much of. Mothers placed their daughters before him in the most attractive style, but he was wedded to a bachelor’s life and declined all offers,

He waited until Joel May arrived in port with the Avramoota ; as soon as she was berthed he hauled the skipper ashore and took him to his hotel.

They talked over by-gone days, and Captain Joel was proud of his old friend’s good fortune. Greg tried to persuade him to throw up the sea and go to England with him, but Joel was firm in declining.

“The Avamoota would never get on without me, Greg. I’m a fixture, that’s what I am, and when the old tub’s done for, it will be time for me to be broken up with her, but not before, my boy, not before.”

i)

Chapter II The New Arrival At The Monarch

IN Melbourne, Greg Thornton was a man of importance; he had money, heaps of it, and many wished to handle it. Successful miners, the workers, the men who have discovered gold, are often free with their wealth. It was expected Greg Thornton would fly round, make things hum, but expectations were not realised. Greg knew the value of money ; having worked hard for it, he meant to make the most of what he held. “Stingy” was the word applied to him, also “too mean to live” was an expression heard in the city. He smiled, he could afford it now; but there had been times when his face was gloomy, and his thoughts in harmony with his expression.

A few years before he left England he had, as a youngster of twenty or so, been engaged to a girl about his own age. Flora Heath was attractive; her father was a saddler at Epsom, and Greg met her one Derby day witha party of friends. The 16 acquaintance ripened; he proposed and was accepted; for a time life seemed rosy, although his prospects were not brilliant. Flora Heath was fond of Greg, but there was something she preferred to love—money. When Felix Eversley came in her way she forgot Greg. Eversley had money. He was twice her age, but that mattered little. She threw over Greg Thornton and married Felix Eversley. This was a knock-down blow for Greg. He did not take his defeat quietly, he made a disturbance, and at last Felix Eversley brought in the aid of the law to keep him quiet. Flora Heath heard many biting home-truths from him, and they hurt her, when she remembered them many years after her unhappy marriage.

This disappointment in love was the chief reason why he left London for the Colonies. Many a time, in lonely places, he had thought of her, wondered what her life had been, whether she was alive, or what had become of her. The years softened his feelings towards her ; he regretted sometimes, but he no longer bore her ill-will. His hard-working life, however, left him very little time to think, and by degrees she faded from his memory until he almost forgot she had been so much to him for one short year. 17 2

This early disappointment made him suspicious where women were concerned, and he avoided their society. Those he saw in mining camps were not attractive, their outrageous behaviour disgusted him; he shunned them, and they hated him while respecting him.

The Avamoota went on to Sydney and the North, leaving Greg Thornton in Melbourne. He parted from Captain Joel with regret wondering if they would ever meet again.

He remained in Melbourne two months; he had much business to transact, many arrangements to make before leaving for England.

The Melbourne Cup Meeting was held during his stay there. He went to Flemington; he was fond of racing, loved horses, enjoyed the excitement of the sport, and his usual luck accompanied him. Glenloth won the Cup at a long price. It was a pouring wet day, the course was heavy, and Greg, after looking at the horses in the paddock, decided Glenloth was just the sort of animal to have a chance under these conditions. He backed the outsider, taking a thousand to thirty several times, and Glenloth won.

He was not at all excited over the victory; he accepted it as another favour from fortune. Some- 18 how he felt certain the horse would win, as they splashed down the, heavy course to the post.

The following Monday he went to the Club and drew his money. He ordered a liberal supply of champagne for the members, and quietly vanished without partaking of any.

“Rum fellow, Greg,” said a heavy speculator. “Whatever he does seems right. Fancy backing Glenloth, and all on his own too; not a soul gave him a hint, so he says.”

“ Yes, he’s lucky now,” said a Queensland squatter ; “but I have known the time when Greg Thornton ” was glad to get a free feed and a shake-down at my place. He’s earned all he’s got, take my word for it, and those are the sort of men who ought to have ne

“Wish he’d make his will before he leaves for England, and put my name in it.”

“ He'll make a will in due time; he’s not the man to have a wrangle over his money when he’s dead. I calculate when he makes his will somebody will have a surprise,” said the squatter.

Greg Thornton arrived in London. As he sat in his cosy room at the Monarch Hotel, and looked out across the embankment at the Thames, and beyond at the wharves and warehouses on the 19

Whirlwind’s Year Surrey side, he thought of the twenty years that had rolled away since he left the great city.

A man with hundreds of thousands of pounds need never be lonely, even in London. Money buys friends, if the owner cares to spend it in that direction.

Greg Thornton, however, had ideas of his own as to how he would live his life in the old country. His name was as familiar on the London Stock Exchange as in Sydney or Melbourne. “ Greg’s Luck” was the richest mine on the market, and the man who held the bulk of the shares was naturally looked upon as somebody out of the common.

Greg Thornton, on his way to the Monarch Hotel, suddenly made up his mind to have a year of freedom if possible. He had no desire to be féted and made much of.. If he could hide his © identity for twelve months what an advantage it would be. He decided to change his name. It was not generally known that he had arrived in _ London, very few people were aware of the circumstance, for he had not travelled by the steamer in which he originally booked his passage.

When he arrived at the Monarch Hotel he gave his name as Greg Flint, the Greg slipped out unawares and he did not alter it. He took a suite of rooms, he had very little baggage, and he managed to obliterate the Thornton before it was noticed.

In a large hotel such as the Monarch a man can keep very much to himself. Whatever the manager may have thought about the new arrival he made no remark. When Greg paid for his rooms three months in advance, it was a sure pass to a favourable reception, The manager wasa high and mighty person, he seemed to regard his guests as people specially sent to the Monarch to make things pleasant for him. He was seldom visible, and it was as difficult to obtain an interview with him as the Prime Minister. He sat on a throne, was monarch at the Monarch, and the scores of employees regarded him with awe.

When Greg Thornton sent for this august personage, the man who delivered the message fled precipitately before the wrath of the manager descended upon him.

Greg waited half an hour, then rang again.

“T sent for the manager, where is he?” he asked.

“Tn his room, sir.”

“ Did you deliver my message ?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then repeat it.” 2i

The manager came. He entered the room with a lordly air. Greg left him standing.

“You wished to see me,” said this haughty being.

“ Half an hour ago I sent for you,” said Greg.

“My time is valuable. I was engaged.”

“So is mine,” said Greg. “I think we had better understand each other. I have taken these rooms for three months, they suit me, well and good. You are the manager of this hotel. I expect you to look after my comfort, it is what you are paid for. I presume this hotel is a company ?”

The manager signified that it was.

“Very well, You are the servant of the company. I shall not grumble at any reasonable charges, but I expect attention from the manager. You kept me waiting over half an hour; my time is too valuable to waste. On the next occasion I hope you will attend with more alacrity.”

The manager was angry. He grew red in the face; the great man was unaccustomed to be lectured ; many of the guests stood in awe of him.

“There are several hundreds of people in this hotel, ” he began.

“T am glad to hear it—for the company’s sake,” said Greg.

“And I cannot pay special attention to any particular visitor,” said the manager.

“You consider it a special attention to come to me half an hour after I send for you?”

“You wished to see me at a most inconvenient time.”

Greg laughed as he said, “Do you wish me to remain here?”

“ Certainly.”

“Then you will have to look after me well.”

“We always attend to our visitors,”

“ Quite so; but ’mnotan ordinary visitor. When I wish to see the manager of an hotel in which I stay, I send for him. If he does not come I inquire the reason ; if the reason is not satisfactory I leave. I propose to leave now.”

The manager was taken aback, this was a sudden move, he knew this was a man who would not brook any impertinence, so he said :—

“JT beg you will reconsider your decision.”

“On one condition.”

“That is?”

“That you will do me the honour to see me sometimes—when I send for you.”

“T shall be most happy to do so.”

“ You will not be happy, but that is immaterial; so long as I see you, and you listen to what I have to say, I shall be satisfied.”

‘You have something to say to me now?”

“T have. Will you oblige me with the names of tradesmen who will furnish me with what I require; here is a list.”

The manager glanced at it and said :-—

“Tt requires consideration, I must think it over; you shall have a list in the course of the day.”

“ Very good.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Greg smiled. The manager’s tone had changed ; he was quite polite.

“ Not at present.”

“ You are satisfied with these rooms?”

< Ouite.”

“Tf there is any alteration you would like I will see that it is made.”

“Thank you. I think we shall get on together.”

“J hope so,” said the manager.

“T may remain here twelve months, perhaps longer.”

The manager knew what this meant. Mr. Flint must have heaps of money, the Monarch was an expensive hotel.

“T trust you will remain with us as long as you can, Mr, Flint.”

Greg started at the name, then smiled; he had forgotten he was Mr. Flint for the moment.

When the manager left the rooms he did not abuse his visitor behind his back. He knew he had to deal with a man who would not be trifled with, a man who knew the world, had travelled, possessed money, and was more than capable of holding his own. Like a wise man he determined, under the special circumstances, to yield, and try to humour the new arrival.

Chapter III In The Restaurant

THE restaurant of the Monarch was a fashionable rendezvous for the Smart Set. Greg Thornton, such he may be called without confusion, was not fashionable, but he had the good sense not to make himself conspicuous by dressing in strange attire. The manager quickly put him in touch with the tradesmen he desired, and his tailor did him very well.

The cut of Greg’s clothes was not exactly fashionable. A frock-coat he regarded as heathenish attire; it reminded him of a black fellow he had seen in a top hat and a shiny tail-coat. He cared very little whether his trousers had been duly pressed between the mattresses, to save expense, or whether the crease was in a straight line. He wore no jewellery, not even a gold watch chain; but he looked scrupulously clean and healthy as he walked into the Monarch restaurant, and took his seat at a small table overlooking the gardens. There were 26 many fashionable people in the room and several of them looked at him with interest, especially the ladies, and the younger men.

He was tall, robust, powerfully built, with keen yet not unkindly eyes. He was quite at his ease; the possession of wealth, and a vast knowledge of men, and things in general, gave him confidence.

The room was attractive, and before sitting down he looked round. There were ladies in beautiful costumes, triumphs of art, worth large sums, and he fancied somebody had to pay pretty stiffly for them. He wondered how they would look stripped of their finery and clothed in a bush costume. He met several flashing eyes with a composure that daunted their owners, His gaze lowered theirs ; they could not meet those piercing eyes for long.

He ordered a modest repast and a choice bottle of wine. He drank the wine but ate very little.

Shortly after he began his luncheon a young man entered the room and sat at the next table, facing him. He was tall, almost as tall as Greg, and had a military bearing.

“Tn the army,” thought Greg.

“Wonder where I have seen a face like his?”

He had no intention of staring but the newcomer’s appearance attracted him, and he looked frequently in his direction. At last the young man noticed him and resented the inspection; in order to show his displeasure he rose from the table and took the chair on the other side, turning his back on Greg.

The action was noticed by one or two people near, — who smiled.

Greg was not in the least put out ; he regretted he had given cause for the change in front, and for the life of him he could not make out why he was interested in the man.

He finished his luncheon and left the room.

“Who is that man?” the young officer, for such he was, asked the waiter.

“That. Mr. Flint, sir.”

“Flint, who’s Flint ?”

“Comes from Australia I believe He’sa very rich man they say, he occupies the best suite of rooms in the house.”

“ Rich is he?”

“Very, rolling in money, sir, anything else, sir?”

“ No, thanks.”

“ I wonder why he stared at me so,” he thought. “J don’t think he intended to be rude; perhaps I treated him badly, turned my back onhim. He’s not likely to forget it, or perhaps he will not consider it worth remembering. I like his looks; seems a keen 28 sort of man. Wonder how he made his money? Speculation, I suppose.”

At this moment a lady with two gentlemen in attendance entered the room. Her eyes met those of the young officer and she blushed slightly; the two men nodded to him. Hatty Ardmore and Lieutenant Harry Eversley had met several times, and the young officer was head over ears in love

with her. Her father, Sir William Ardmore, was a ~ well-known man about town ; a clever financier, not over scrupulous so it was said. He was one of the gentlemen with her; the other was Niel Crouch, an American, reputed to be rich, the predominant partner in a huge trust.

It was Sir William’s intention to bestow his daughter upon Niel Crouch, The American millionaire was fascinated with Hatty Ardmore, but she had no liking for him. There was nothing she particularly objected to in Crouch, but he was not the kind of man she cared about. Lieutenant Eversley was much more to her fancy ; he was her idea of a man.

Harry Eversley was a handsome young fellow, an officer in the Guards, and a promising soldier, so his colonel said. Unfortunately for Harry Eversley he came into a-fortune too early in life. His father and mother were dead, and left to his own resources he got into a fast set. At twenty-four years of age he had run through thousands of pounds. He kept a large racing establishment which cost him enormous sums, and he was in a crack regiment which cost him a lot more. He liked soldiering ; the active life suited him. He was a fine rider, and popular with his brother officers and the men.