Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-17

ItrOm the New 1ork I1mes.I
Jake" said I, the other day, "where did you
learn vour bucinpss ~

/ tue table, and was LOST IN admiration at the
| three distinct dents they left in the wood.
"Out west on the plains" was his reply
"Teamster first, then stage driver for the Pacific
mail. There was long gap on the road
eighty five miles-and one of the worst: just in
the Indian track, Many is the time" and here
he smiled, as if enjoying the recollection
many Is the time have cut them horses out oil
their traces, mounted the passengers on 'em
| and streaked it through, with a whole camp Of
| bowling lnjuns after us. Once it was narrow
| shave; me and a school marin on the same
horse-me behind, with an arrow in my shout
der blade. | got tired of that kind of work
You see had pet team, and lost all of them
| through lnjuns one day, and so | thought
| would do spell of waiting in one of them
| houses the company had built along the road
| 1t was mighty mean kind of a place, and in
| an ugly hollow, and liable 10 surprises. There
was only three men as staid there steady-me as
| waiter, a cook, as was daIkey, and a hoster
| That was waiting and fighting most of the
| time. 1t was kind of a promiscuous sort of a
| thing, sometimes fighting with passengers, but
| mostly with IGjuns. It's all very well for you
| as is here to walk in, look over the bill of fare
and say Coffee and cakes" or "Corn beef, fat
| with beans, and you are served; there it was
| different. You see, here just hollers out in a
| quiet way to our cook in the back room, and in
| comes your victuals; but often out there it was
cut and run, you with plate of biscuits in one
hand and seven shooter in the other, lest an
| lniun should Just take pop at you over the
| fence, for the cook house was most fifty yards
| from the house. Inside of the main house il
was pretty cosy, seeing that the logs it was built
of was lined close and an IDiun couldn't well
| reach through the cracks. Them was good
times, and makes this kind of waiting here 60
aoin me. What's the use of being waiter
when there amt no fighting to be done about
| i'll Occasionally we puts man out here be-
cause he is the worse for liquor, or don't pay
| for his meat and drink; that kind of thing puts
hand in hur IL don't banppn a week -
Here an expression of whitening scOrn stole over
| his countenance, and Jake found relief for his
feelings in manipulating spoon, which became
| plastic under his magic fingers, and was dou-
bled up, Zone day" he continued, 81 see the
coach driving up most two hours ahead of time,
and the horse a-reeking. The driver was a
steady hand, and know'd something was up
from bis looks. Says he, Jake, haven't said
nothing to the passengers yet. There is HI be-
hind us. | seed In Jun trail in the ten-mie ca
non, aud know ] it was cut and run. They
showed their hand too soon, and | lodged 'em.
But it's my opinion that they has doubled on
us, and made a loop to catch us at the ford,
six miles beyond. It's no use of budging from
here. Mebbe they is now closing round; and
there amt soldier within twenty mile.
What's your notion? says he. Land them pas
Sengers,' says |, and give them some
thing to eat, and then, if there is
| fight in them, they kin stand up to it,
| The next thing is to take your best horse
| and mount the niger on it, and let him ride 10
| the fork, that's Jest seven mile there is Sar-
| gent there with ten men, taking charge of a
broken down wagon. He is a plucky Niger, and
| kin git through Jest so, jake says he;
and I'll land the fare, though it amt much of a
fighting lot. Ones lecturing man with gold
specs, the others mining engineer; then there
is an old woman, and with her daughter. as is
ill, consumption likely. guess it's that, seeing
that the alkali dust has been making her cough
straight through the last thirty-fve mile
got the whole party from the coach inside, and
commenced waiting on EN-. Says |, Look
here, friends, we are in tight place Them
hungry soldiers as passed here yesterday just
eat us clean out, most All the grub we has is
box of them fish sardines, one can of mutton,
| this here leg of antelope, two peck OF meal, no
| coffee, nary tea, pound Of sugar, and a can OF
| peaches. We was TO have had our stores in yes,
| terday, but from what hearn, Iujuns is around,
| and it mayn't be tomorrow nor the day after
that when we get EN-, seeing as it's possible that
| the lniuns may keep the supply party off for q
| while ITS Infamous, says the man in the
Spectacles, for the company TO put us through
in that way, risIing the liyes of its passengers.
III make every lyceum and speaking hall in the
country ring with it 'Shet up says |; 4
amt done yet. How many shooting things has
you bet youP They showed up a revolver
each. That will do says !. Now it's short
| commons with us all, excepting the women
folks. Seeing you had your belly full, you men,
| row. It's only the women as eats
Seeing was kind of determined, they give in,
did the men folk. Now said /, its lust as
likely as not them bowling thieves will be around
here atore dark. Them bosses here is sure to
hive 'em. We have got to keep 'em off all
night, and part of tomorrow. | have sent a
man after the soldiers, and he is bound to fetch
'em. The women folks is TO have them beds
| (theTe was two me and the men slept on), TO
| keep off a chance shot. / have only time now
TO cook something for the women 1t was lest
| about shutdown then, and knew that cooking
of mine was hasty. l amt much on biscuits
| but | guess them biscuits | baked that night
| was the hardest on this ere continent The sick
| girl didn't eat nothing, though, what from
| coughing. The driver-he was a plucky fellow
| was stationed on top Of the coach for a look
| out, and sure enough, Just at nightfall, heard
| him signal me, and knowd it was fight as
was up. A minute afierward the lnjunS STAN
| peded them horses, and then we had it heavy
| for an hour or two. The lecrure man showed
more pluck than thought, and the mining boss
| was good man. Of course, all we had to do
| was 10 keep them off the house for fear they
| might burn us up, and we managed to do that
| None too slow it was sun up next day, and
| knowd the worst was over. We hadn't had q
| scratch, though maybe dozen balls had raked
| the house. knowd help was a-coming. All hands
| got to be pretty peckish. IL wasn't safe how
| ever. to go to the ook house; so opened the fish
box and the can of mutton, but that was spilled
and nobody could eat that. So all hands
made kind OF poor feed. | kind Of ptied that
young woman. She was so pale and quiet, and
wasn't complaining. Says I, missile, amt there
nothing as will tempt youP Says she, 4 think
| you said you had some canned peaches; think
| might eat just one piece-seeing l am SC
thirsty ! forgot to tell you we hadn't had
drop of water for some eighteen hours. Dang
it, says |, that's hard. l thought I'd brought
them here. They must be in the cook house
I and % nrT, Il 1T
was, for | know'd some of the thieves wa
proving round, ready to pick off the first fel
low that showed. But somehow or other, the
idea Of that poor sick missile going without any
grub at all riled me. 1t was kind of dull jus
then in that room, awaiting for help and mont
a-coming. ] jest made up my mind that tina
young woman must have her sweetening
kind of reconnoitred before trying it. 1t wa
sort of foggy, but all was quiet. | looked clost
at my revolver, and made for the cook house
STOPPING low behind the fence. got in thu
cook house, and sure enough thar was the car
of peaches on the top shelf. 1t didn't take lonl
TO get it, and made for the house, with the cal
in my hand. | hadn't made five steps before
see the ugliest lnjun ] ever clap'd my eyes on
with his rife pintIng at me, and he on GU
side of the fence. The rascal had been waiting
for me. He let me have it-pnt blank fel
my left hand kind of jerk, and felt tn
blood on my arm and finger. | let him hav
two barrels quick, though, not more than three
inches from him, and he Just wilted. Just then
the mining man came running full bolt yell
ing for me from the house, and we made double
| quick for the main house. 'HurtP says he. 3
don't know says I. 4 think I got hit some
where, because felt the blood But says
| let's see'-we were running, of course, all thu
| time. It's the bloody peaches, says /, laughing
| as has been shot through, and most all the
| Juice is split | managed, though, to plug my
| fingers through the two holes the bullet had
| made, and didn't lose much of the gravy
| That young woman got her peaches. 1t aiDt
| much more OF a story. Four hours, at most
| aiterward, half q company Of dragons came
| tearing up. We hunted for dead buck Iniun
| There was plenty of blood around but likely
| his friends had toted him off They does that
| kind o. thing. | didn't get his scalp"
That was waiting for you" / said my adj
| mlration for the American waiter warming up
| to a fever heat. How much more OF
| the story Of the waiter l might have heard
| and what further adventures | might have
chroniced, was interrupted just here.
81 wish you would hurry up, waiter. have
been calling three times for some more milk, +"
said some guest near me.
"The thunder you have" said Bill. "Well,
hollo agin like calf for COW, aud maybe
you'll be helped the sooner"
NEW SORT or SUNDAY SERVICE The
Rev. Frederick Silver, Of the church Of England,
was some twenty years ago preaching in a
parish in Shropshire, which was noted for
drunkenness and Vce. HAVING g0mc wealth al