86
XX. Gold and Roses 91
XXI. The Foundation of the Gold League 96
XXII. Women's Ways 101
XXIII. Forewarned, Forearmed 108
XXIV. The Goldsmith Comes to Town 112
XXV. Fishing 119
XXVI. A Small, but Important Link in the Story 124
XXVII. The Signal-Tree 127
XXVIII. The Goldsmith Comes to Town the Second Time 130
XXIX. Amiria Plays her Highest Card in the Game of Love 134
XXX. In Tresco's Cave 139
XXXI. The Perturbations of the Bank Manager 145
XXXII. The Quietude of Timber Town is Disturbed 147
XXXIII. The Gold League Washes Up 150
XXXIV. The Goldsmith Comes to Town the Third Time 153
XXXV. Bail 156
XXXVI. In Durance Vile 160
XXXVII. Benjamin's Redemption 164
XXXVIII. The Way to Manage the Law 173
XXXIX. Tresco Makes the Ring 178
EPILOGUE 183

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Carlyle Smythe, in his interesting reminiscences of Mark Twain,
printed in _Life_, says that, of all the stories which interested
the great American writer while travelling with him through Australasia,
the tragical story which is the basis of "The Tale of Timber Town"
fascinated the celebrated author more than any other. The version which
Mark Twain read was the re-print of the verbatim report of the most
remarkable trial ever held in New Zealand, and perhaps south of the
Line, and there is no cause for wonder in his interest. I, too, have
studied and re-studied that narrative, with its absorbing psychological
and sociological problems; I have interrogated persons who knew the
chief characters in the story; I have studied the locality, and know
intimately the scene of the tragedy: and even though "The Tale of Timber
Town" has in the writing taxed my energies for many a month, I have by
no means exhausted the theme which so enthralled Mark Twain.

I have tried to reproduce the characters and atmosphere of those
stirring days, when L1,000,000 wort