The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-05-02

got amt nOthln to some f0lkS GneI'S got
hosses that kin win 'em money at races,
but"
The Colonel abruptly ended the CONVEX
sation, and approached the stage. He was
very chivalrous, but Cranks' sarcastic ref
erence to Tipsie needed avenging, and as
he could not consistently with business ar
rangements put an end to Cranks, the old
lady would have to suffer.
81 beg your parding, ma'm,'' said the
Colonel, raising his hat politely with one
hand while he opened the ceach-door with
the other, ''but we're taking up coliec-
ton fur some deserving object. We wuz
a-goin to make the gentlemen fork over
the whole amount, but, ez they hahn got
enough, we will hev to bother you."
The old lady trembled, felt for her pocket
book, and raised her veil. The Colonel
looked into her face, slammed the stage
door, and, sitting down on the hub of one
of the wheels, stared vacantly into space.
"Nothing?'' queried Perkins, in whis-
per, and with face full of genuine SYM
pathy.
s'No-yes, said the Colonel, dreamily.
ssThat is, unite 'em, and let the stage go
ahead, he continued, springing to his feet.
Jpn hurry back to the cabin" And the
Colonel dashed into the bushes, and left
his followers so paralyZed with astonish-
ment that Old Black afterward remarked
that " eff ther'd been anybody to hold the
hosses, he could hev cleaned the hull crowd
with his whip"
The passengers, now relieved of their
weapons, were unbound, allowed to enter.
the stage and the door was slammed, upon
which Old Black picked up his reins as
coollya as if he had lain them down at a sta
ton wllne horses were being changed, then
L l.
off. while the Colonel's party fastened back
to their hut, fondly inspecting as they went
certain TASKS they had obtained while trans
acting their business with the occupants.
Great was the surprise of the road agents
as they entered their hut, for there stood
the Colonel in clean white shirt and in
suit of clothing made up from the limited
spare wardrobes of the other members Of
the gang.
But the suspicious Cranks speedily SUI
bordinated his wonder to his prudence, as,
laying on the table a watch, two pistols, a
pocket-book and heavy purse, he ex-
claimed:
"Come, Colonel, bizness before pleas
ure /; let's divide an scatter. Eff anybody
should hear bout it, an find our trail, an
ketch the traps in our possession, they
might"
"Divide yerselves!'' - said the Colonel,
with abruptness and great oath.
don't want none of it.
Colonel said Perkins, removing his
own domino and looking anxiously into
the leaders face, 'sbe you sick? Here's
some bully brandy found in one of the
passengers pockets"
g hain't nothin',' replied the Colonel
with averted eyes. g Pm goin' and Pm
retirin' from this bizness forever"
"Ain't a-going to turn evidence?" cried
Cranks, grasping the pistol on the table
"I'm a-goin' to make a lead-mine out
of you eff you don't take that back -
roared the Colonel, with bound, which
caused Cranks to drop the pistol and retire
precipitately forward, apoloogizing as he
went. ssI'm goin' to tend to my own
bizness, an that's enough to keep any
man bizzy. Somebody lend me $50 till
see him agin.n
Perkins pressed the money into the Col
onel's hand, and within two minutes the
Colonel was on Tipsie's back, and gallop-
ed On in the direction the stage had taken.
He overlook it, he passed it, and still he
galloped on.
The people at Mud Gulch knew the
| Colonel well, and made it rule never to
| be astonished at anything he did; but they
made it an exception to the rule when the
Colonel canvassed the principal bar-rooms
for men who wished to purchase horse !;
and when gambler who was flush obtain
ed Tipsie in exchange for twenty slugs
] only thousand dollars, when the Colo
| had always said that there wasn't gold
enough on top of the ground to buy her
Mud Gulch experienced decided sensa-
| ton.
One or two enterprising persons speedi-
/ 1xT1 fhof fho in
| communicative mood so every one re-
| tired to his fayorite saloon and bet accord
| ing to his own opinion of the Colonels
motives and actions.
But when the Colonel, after remaining
| in a barber-shop for half an hour, emerged
with his face clean-shaved and hair neatly
| trimmed and parted, betting was so wild
| that cool-headed sporting man speedily
made fortune by betting against every
| theory that was advanced.
Then the Colonel made a tour of the
stores and fitted himself with a new suit of
clothes, carefully eschewing all of the gen.
erous patterns and pronounced colors SO
| dear to the average miner. He bought
new hat, and put on a pair of boots, and
pruned his finger-nails, and. stranger than
all, he mildly declined all invitations to
drink.
| principal saloon where the stage always
stopped, the Challenge Hill constable was
seen to approach the Colonel and tap him
on the shoulder, upon which all men who
bet that the Colonel was lodging some
body claimed the stakess but those who
stood near the Colonel heard the constable
say:
SsColonel, / take it all back, an own up
fair am square When seed you git out
of Challenge Hill, it come to me all of a
sudden that you might be in the road-agent
business, so / fo1lered you-duty, you
know; but when seed you sell Tipsie, /
knowed was on the wrong trail. would
n,tsuspeet you, now, i all al the stages in the
ton any way you want it."
"It's all right said the Colonel, with a
smile. The constable afterward said that
nobody had any idea of how curiously the
Colonel smiled when his beard was off.