Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-20
SAVED BY 4 DREAM.

PERMIT me to introduce the speaker,
Mr. Haskell, Western stage driver-a man
muscular, and with an eye as keen and
unfiinching 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
for fresh horses there, and returned by
night. I liked that plan better, for it
gave me some leisure to be with my
family.
Tie night of which I am going to tell
YOU, was late in autumn. 1t had been a
mighty tough storm, all the way up-a
north easter. Just as full Of needle points
as they could stuff in. Fine hal, you I'M
derstand and rain freezing UP and frost
ing your beard, giving one remarkable
if not a pleasing cast Of countenance. /
had but two passengers up, an old man
with very white hair and beard, and a
younger man with a slight stoop, and no
other peculiarly, that | noticed. l took
the mail bags outside with me under the
apron.
/ wasn'ta 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 dignified by the name of
village, Or South Wexford, more proper
ly, for there was onlya meagre collection
of five or six houses, and drove through
this place, usually putting up at the halt
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 postnan jolting the distance between
the half way house and there, to connect
the mail line. 1his halfway house had
q sorry reputation, on account of the
vilainous class of reughs that frequent
ed it, to have q game of poker or
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
ruffianly fellows were in the bar-room,
but the n ght 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
1ost's glasses There was black Dave
an appendix general to the tavern, as
clumsy q piece of clown as one would
care to see, and Powder Bill, a second
class Tutlian. who had gained his cogno
men by having had his face somehow
blown full Of powder. Besides these,
markab1e OF this, was glad, for was
aware that Tie mail bag was unusually
heavy. l 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 a 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 jerks.
While this one and that one told their
tales, his sharp, dcWncast eyes would, in
spite of himself, turn continually toward
that corner Of the room where l 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 loudest, his putfs of
smoke the most frequent, and his voice,
strengthened with his rising spirits lost
much Of the culver noticeable in oldish
persons.
was both astonished at him ard de-
lighted also. To find man slipping
down the shady side of life's hill, gay and
disposed to make merry with his friends,
is as rare al occurrence as it is eXhilarat
ing to witness. He had peculiarly
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
bushy black eyebrows, brows shaggy
enough to suggest miniature crows nests,
roughly piled together He called him
self Stowell, and 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, l found jerks furtively
and steadily regarding him from the cor
ner Of his eyes. My feelings had settled
into fixed distrust of jerks before the
evening was hals spent; on the other
hand the entire company, if except
jerks, mentally pronounced the old fel-
low just the one to while away a dull
evening.
After some quite loud heasting of cour-
age, and brave deeds by several of the
party, and this one telling what he could
do, and that one affirming what he would
not do under such and such circumstan-
ces, a motion was made for bed. The old
fellow, with separate good night to all,
was shown to his room irst, at his own
request, jerks and myself going last.
The chances which this fellow cast at the
bags as / took them up to my room, were
not particularly reassuring. 1 thought
at first to speak of my suspicious to the
landlord, and then I felt ashamed to do
so, and went into my room. Turning on
the threshold was unpleasantly surprised
to see jerks standing outside of his room,
and regarding me with fixed gaze.
"Blundering fool" said I to myself,
II his intentions are to rob me he has
taken the mode Of proceeding to put me
on my guard"
closed my door and locked it secure
~, dumped the mail bags in the corner,
and being weary, Immediately undressed
and retired.
lay for long time, turning this way
and that, made restless, l suspected, by
continually thinking of jerks and his
strange conduct I grew angry at last
with myself, for allowing him to keep so
before my vision. but this state of mind
did not tend to sleepiness. assure you.
While lay tossing about: heard one
Al