Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-02-27
SAVED BY A DREAM.

The Aldine.
SAVED BY A DREAM.
PERMIT me to introduce the SPEAKER,
Mr.. Haskell, Western stage driver-a man
muscular, and with an eye as keen and
unfiinehing as an eagles.
drove the stage from New Sharon to
Wexford, distance of thirty miles. In
the spring and fall when the travel was
bad, always tarried over night at Wex-
ford, going down to New Sharon the next
day, but during the summer only tarried
night. liked that plan better, for it
gave me some leisure to be with my
family.
The night of which I am going to tell
you, was late in autumn 1t had been q
mighty tough storm, all the way up-a
north caster, just as full of needle points
as they could stuff in. Fine hail, you un-
derstand, and rain freezing up and FROST
ing your beard, giving one remarkable
if not a pleasing cast of countenance. l
had but two passengers up, an old man
with very white hair and beard, and q
younger man with slight stoop, and no
other popularity, that noticed. l took
the mail bags outside with me under the
apron.
5 / wasn't particle sorry when the vii
lage of Wexford blinked at me with its
numerous eyes from crevices in the show
ers of driving sleet.
Wexford was dignifed by the name of
village, or South Wexford, more proper
", for there was only a meagre collection
of five or six houses, and drove through
this place, usually putting up at the half.
way house, as it was termed, Beyond
this halfway house was Wexford proper.
with quite bustling business air in its
one huge smoke stack, and the row of
stores we'll punctuated with drinking
dens. The other stage route ended here,
on account of the roughness of the road
the pOstman jolting the distance between
the halfway house and there, to connect
the mail line. This halfway house had
sorry reputation, on account of the
villainous class of roughs that frequent
ed it, to have a game Of poker or a
bit of ring fight. l had watched
the games scores of times, without
allowing myself to be drawn into them,
or disturbed by them.
AS said, l only tarried at Wexford
during the bad weather of early spring
and late autumn. But to come back to
the night OF the storm. It was much as
might be expected. A small number of
rufhanly fellows were in the bar-room,
but the night was rather threatening for
the mass to come out. In fact, brought
ia the stage about all the noticeable per-
sons destined to study the cloudy heavens
that night, through the bottom of mine
hosts glasses. There was black Dave
an appendix general to the tavern, as
clumsy piece of clown as one would
care to see; and Powder Bill, second
class ruffian, who had gained his cogno-
men by having had his face somehow
blown full of powder. Besides these,
there were several loafers in no wise re-
markable. OF this, l was glad, for was
aware that the mail bag was unusually
heavy. knew that there was quite large
sums of money expected by different
persons about that time, and l should be
glad enough when the responsibility was
off my shoulders.
We passed sociable evening. The
chatting turned upon practical Joking, and
the danger oftentimes resulting there
from. The person who participated
least in the conversation was my passen-
ger up-the man with stoop shoulders.
had learned that his name was Jenks
. While this one and that one told their
tales, his sharp, downcast eyes would, in
spite of himself, turn continually toward
that corner of the room where had toss
ed my mail bags On the other hand. the
old fellow with the long, white hair, was
the most boisterous talker of the group.
His laugh was the l6udest, his puffs of
smoke the most frequent, and his voice,
strengthened with his rising spirits lost
much of the quiver noticeable in oldish
persons.
was both astonished at him and de-
lighted also. To find a man slipping
down the shady side of life's hill, gay and
disposed to make merry with his friends,
is as rare an occurrence as it is exhilarat.
ing to witness. He had peculiarity
about the face which you sometimes see,
and which gives an effect singular if not
pleasant to the beholder. He had very
bright, rapidly revolving eyes, under
busify black eyebrows, brows shaggy
enough to suggest miniature crows nests,
roughly piled together. He called him
self Stowell, and I judged him to be a
stranger in those parts. In truth he in.
cautiously made mention of the fact that
he was on Government business At
mention of this, I found jerks furtively
and steadily regarding him from the cor.
ner of his eyes. My feelings had settled
I into fixed distrust of jerks before the
evening was half spent; on the other
hand the entire company, if I except
jerks, mentally pronounced the old fel.
low just the one to while away dull
evening.
After some quite loud heasting of cour
age, and brave deeds by several of the
party, and this one telling what he eoulG
! do, and that one affirming what he woulG
not do under such and such circumstan
ces, motion was made for bed. The ole
! fellow, with separate good night to all
was shown to his room first, at his OWE
request, jerks and myself going last
8 The glances which this fellow cast at the
: bags as / took them up to my room. were
not particularly reassuring. 1 though
at first to speak of my suspicious to tn,
landlord, and then felt ashamed to d.
SO, and went into my room. Turning OF
the Threshold was unpleasantly surprised
to see jerks standing outside of his room
and regarding me with fixed gaze.
"Blundering fooI!' said I to myself
'sif his intentions are to rob me he ha
taken the mode of proceeding to put m
on my guard. !" -
closed my door and locked it secure
sly, dumped the mail bags in the corner
and being weary, Immediately undresse,
a and retired.
as sIlay for along time, turning this wa,
and that, made restless, suspected, b.
continually thinking Of jerks and hi
strange conduct. grew angry at las
with myself, for allowing him to keep 8,
before my vision, but this state of min,
did not tend to sleepiness, I assure YOU
While lay tossing about, I heard on
after another of the members of the fam
lily go to bed. Still that internal Jenk
kept before me. I muttered anathema
and turned over again.
Now comes the singular part of tn
affair. must have fallen asleep for
moment. i dreamed that was in tbs
very house, in that very room and bed
that 4 had fallen asleep and woke up wit
the impression that there was some on
under the bed; that did not know no,
to ascertain the truth of it without eau
ing the robber and murderer to sprin
on ms s1nawares; that having a boyis
trick of stufang my pockets with every
II fn1k e.