The Gilpins and their Fortunes

Gilpins and their Fortunes, by
William H. G. Kingston

Project Gutenberg's The Gilpins and their Fortunes, by William H. G.
Kingston This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Gilpins and their Fortunes A Story of Early Days in
Australia
Author: William H. G. Kingston
Illustrator: Archie Webb
Release Date: May 15, 2007 [EBook #21464]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
GILPINS AND THEIR FORTUNES ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The Gilpins, A Story of Early Days in Australia, by William H G
Kingston.

_________________________________________________________
______________
The story opens with a couple of school-leavers discussing what they
will do with their lives. One of the boys, a Gilpin, whose father is a
hard-working farmer, is determined to go along the same route, but in
Australia, as he and his brother have often dreamt of doing.
They reach Australia, and an incident on the Quay in Sydney, where
they save a family from destruction in a carriage whose horses have
bolted, makes them valuable friends, leading to an appointment as
managers, or overseers, of a cattle and sheep station somewhere out
beyond the Blue Mountains. The previous manager had let the place
get run down, and was actually rather a crook. Some of the other
workers on the station were as idle and crooked as he. Not surprising
as most of them had been sent to Australia for some offence in England.
A few of the men were decent enough. There is such resentment among
the idle men that they prevail upon some aborigines to attack the
buildings and set them on fire, a plan which is foiled by one of the
better workers.
Eventually the great Australian bubble bursts (the Australian economy
is always a bit overheated) and the Gilpins are ordered to slaughter the
cattle and sheep. They discover a source of salt on the station, so they
are able to salt down some of the meat, which was otherwise going to
waste.
Using the opportunity of buying valuable stock cheaply, they acquire
the station and start the business again. They rescue a drowning man,
only to find he is the other schoolboy in the conversation that starts the
book. We will leave it to you to find out what his adventures had been.
It takes about 3.5 hours to read this book.
_________________________________________________________
_____________
THE GILPINS, A STORY OF EARLY DAYS IN AUSTRALIA, BY

WILLIAM H G KINGSTON.
CHAPTER ONE.
Arthur Gilpin and Mark Withers walked down the High Street,
arm-in-arm, on their return to their respective homes from the
well-managed school of Wallington.
They were among the head boys, and were on the point of leaving it to
enter on the work of active life, and make their way in the world. They
had often of late discussed the important question--all-important, as it
seemed to them--"How are we to make our way--to gain wealth,
influence, our hearts' desires?"
"For my part, I cannot stand a plodding style of doing things," said
Mark. "It is all very well for those without brains, but a fellow who has
a grain of sense in his head requires a more rapid way of making a
fortune. Life is too short to be wasted in getting money. I want to have
it to spend while I am young and can enjoy it."
Arthur was silent for some time. At length he remarked, "It strikes me,
Mark, that the object of making money is that we may support
ourselves and families, and help those who are in distress. My father
often says to James, and to me, and to the rest of us, `I don't want you,
when you enter business, to be thinking only how you can make money.
Do your duty, and act liberally towards all men, and you will have a
sufficiency at all events, if not wealth.'"
"Oh! your father's old-fashioned notions won't do in the world, and
certainly won't suit me, that I can tell you," answered Mark, in a
scornful tone.
"My father is considered a sensible man. What he preaches he practises;
and though he has a very large family, no one calls him a poor man,"
argued Arthur. "He says that, considering how short life is, it cannot be
wise to spend the time, as many men do, in gathering up riches and
setting so high a value on them. But here comes James! Let us hear
what he has to say on the subject."

"Oh! of course, James has got the same notions from your father that