Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-04-25

ana tne driver, II Sne insisted upon al
outside seat.
But Mrs. Page did not insist. She whis
pered Sam to open the coach door, anC
quietly took seat inside and Sam, with
a sense of irritation very unusual with
him, climbed reluctantly to his place, Civ
ing the cayusses" the lash in way thai
set them off on keen run. BY the time
he had gotten his team cooled down, the
unusul mood had passed, and the longing
returned to hear the sweet voice and watcI
the bright eyes that had made his happi
ness on former occasions. Puzzled as hi
was, and panied by the evidence he pos
sessed of her connection, in some way
with the victim of lynch law, that seem
ed like dream in the clear, sunny air o.
morning, while the more blissful past as
serted its claim to be considered reality
Not lark, warbling its flute notes by the
wayside, not a pretty bit of the familiar
landscape, nor a glimpse of brook, thai
leaped sparkling down the mountain, bu
recalled some charming utterance of Mrs
Dolly Page, as he first knew her-as ht
could not now recognize her in the pale
nervous, and evidently suffering woman
sitting, closely veiled, inside the coach
Occupied with these thoughts, Sam fell
a disagreeable shock when the outside
passenger-in a voice that contrasteG
roughly with that other voice which wa.
murmuring in his cardigan remark
about the mining prospects of Lucky
Dog.
''Some rich discoveries made in the
neighborhood, Ell Did you ever try
your luck at mining ?"
"Waal, no. l own a little stock
though" answered Sam, carelessly.
=" In what mine ?"
I" In the Nip-and Tuck"
"Good mine, from all hear about it
Never did any prospecting ?" asked tht
stranger, in that tone which denotes only
desire to make talk, with a view to xii
time.
NO" in the same tone.
'Fhat's odd," stuffing a handful of Gu
tobacco into his mouth ''Id have sworr
twas you saw swinging a pick in the
canon east Of camp, last night"
"Pm not much on picks" Sam returned
with a slowness that well counterfeiteC
indifference. II was visiting lady las
evening, which is a kind of prospectins
more in my line"
eyes. understand; that lady inside tn,
coach. She's a game one."
''It strikes me you're devilish free il
your remarks" said Sam, becoming irri
tated again.
"No offense meant, I'm sure. Take
cigar2 We may as well talk the matter
over calmly, Mr.. Rice. You see, it's ter
to one that you are implicated in this bu
siness, being very attentive to Mrs. Page
Made several trips together. Let hey han
die your horses, so she could take theh
out of the stable for them thieves. Iur-
led her thieving, gambling basbapA 1or
her. You see the case LO0Io baf, any
way; though I'm inclined 20 thlrh you We
just been made tool of kpJw shes a
smart one. 'Taint osen you find one
smarter"
Sans ewes scin 4llated. He was strongly
minded to pitcb che outside passenger off
the coach. Jne struggle in his breast be-
tween convection and resistance to convic-
ton amcdnted to agony. He could not,
in that supreme moment, discriminate
between the anger he felt at being falsely
accused, and the grief and rage of being
81 horribly disillusioned. The combined
anguish paled his cheeks, and set his
teeth on edge; OF all of which the outside
passenger was coolly cognizant. As they
were, at that moment, in sight of the first
station, he resumed:
"Let her get up here if she wants to;
I can ride inside / don't want to be
hard on her; but mind, if you breathe q
word to her about my being an officer, III
arrest you on suspicion. Let every tub
stand on its own bottom. If she's guilty
you can't help her, and don't want to,
neither; if she's innocent, she'll come out
all right, never fear. Are you on the
square, now?"
Have you got a warrant?" asked Sam
in low tone, as he wound the lines
around the break, previous to getting
down.
"You bet! but Pm in no hurry to serve
it. Piney-woods Stationn do just as well
Telegraph office there"
Mr.. Rice was not in any haste thi.
morning, being, as he said, ahead of time
He invited Mrs. Page to take her usua
place on the box, telling her the gentle
man had concluded to go inside; anG
brought her glass of water from the
bar. While he was returning the glass
the passengers, including him of the out
side, being busted assuaging their thirs
with something stronger than water, 8
was heard, and, lol Mrs Dolly Page wa
discovered to be practicing her favorit,
accomplishment of driving skin handl
When the "outside" recovered from hi.
momentary surprise, he clapped his hanC
on the shoulder of Mr. Rice, and said, il
voice savage with spite and disappoint
ment:
arrest you, sir"
"Arrest and be blamed r' returned Sam
eff you had done your duty, you'd have
arrested her while you had the chance"
"That's so-your head is level; and i
you'll assist me in getting on to Piney
woods Station in time to catch the runa
way-for she can't very well drive be
yond that station, I'll let you off,"
"Youll wait till I'm on, / reckon. M
horses can't go on that errand, and yol
darsn't take the up-driver's team. Pu
that in your pipe and smoke it, ole
smarty l'-and Sans eyes emitted stee
blue lightnings, though his face wore
fixed expression of smiling.
Upon inquiry, it was ascertained tina
horses might be procured mile back from
the station; and, while the baffied officer
and such of the passengers as could no
wait until next day, when in pursuit O
them, Sam mounted one of the ''cayusses,
and made what haste he could after tn
coach and Wells, Fargo 81 Company's ex
press box Within a mile or less o
Pineywoods Station he met the keeper
the grooms, and an old man or two, tina
CHANGED to have been about the place, al
armed to the teeth, who, when they say
him, halted in surprise.
"Why, we reckoned you was dead,
said the head man, with an air of disaI
pointment.
"Dead?" repeated Sam. "Have yo
seen my coach?"
"That's all right, down to the station
and the plucky gal that druv it told US al
about the raid the road agents made o
you. Whar's the passengers-any on 'er
killeds"
Passengers are all right. Where
Mrs. Pager"
"She cried, and TUX on awful about we
an borrered hoss to ride right on dow
the road to meet the ether stage, an Il
'em know what's up"
'She did, did she?" said Sam, yer
thoughtfully. "Waai, that is odd. Why
she ran away with my team-that's wins
she did; and it's all a hoax about th
road agents. The passengers are back 6
the other station" Sam had suddenly b.
come ''all things to all men," to degre
that surprised himself He was wron
about the horse, too, as was proven by II