The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-12-24

l arose >hlNcrin- from the uftarN
breakfast. and hunted up the landlord
Of the inn. He was easily found, and
was no better or warmer looking a man
than his accommodations promised him
TO be paid his eNtravagant charges
and then informed him that | wished To
reach a. quickly n possible the nearest
railroad station, and 10 take the first
train for TIE east.
1.-The nearest station Is AZ Ilium
Ilium i - miles distant; yoa cannot
get there before night, il Al all. | think
you won't get there AZ all.
All this was spoken rehectively, and
with deliberation.
=. II | can get there by 10 o'clock to-
night. can make the eastern express ?''
.'You can, but doubt if You can set
there Al all.
"why ," | asked.
lie was not L man 10 waste words.
He only said:
1.-The stage won't go-on account Of
the Storm"
Are YOU sure of that?" l ventured
10 ask.
.Quite sure and he closed his lips
with snap, a il he knew all about il.
"Who owns the stage?"
al do" he replied "And | won't
let it go. because the road lies over that
mountain yonder; il runs close 10 the
edges of precipices several hundred feet
high, il i rough and slippery, the snow
is deep now, and getting deeper every
minute, and / don't believe any horse
could pull through it."
thought Of the little children wait
Ing for me yonder; Of their bitter dis
appointment If I did not come. Then
| said: II am very anxious 10 90, and
l am willing to pay well for being
taken
The landlord leaning over the bar
asked:
"How muchsr
told him what Was willing TO pay
I'm 20 and Get the stage ready" he
said. After all, II was only the higher
price he had been waiting for.
In five minutes the stage was AT the
door. II was an ordinary box wagon
on good strong springs. havinga cotton
cover open in front. The horse was a
half-starved. jaded-looking beast. |
took all this in As | stood on the porch
waiting for the driver. Getting inn
patient At last. | asked
"Where is the driver?"
The Landlord, without speaking, point
ed 10 an ill-clad boy standing at the
horses head looked closely at him.
He might be. thought. fifteen years
old, or he might be not more than ten.
His eyes were clear blue. and he, hear
inc my question. turned them full upon
mine. frank, boyish smile rebnking
the diStrust my words implied, and
lighting up ever feature Of his delicate
face His complexion was like that Of
a girl, his mouth small and tender. his
hair yellow, his figure slight and sinu-
Gus.
looked at him. standing there shiv-
ering with the cold. out through the
driving storm, along the snow-covered
mountain road we were to travel to-
gether. and asked: '.Are YOU not afraid
TO go?r
The landlord interrupted:
1t don't matter if he j. afraid. lie
belongs 20 me He SiaN co.
"No. - said q. he shall not 20, il he
j. not quite willing
81 am not At all afraid the boy To-
piled, '.and am quite willing 10 60. /
have gone often and often, through !
worse storms than this"
There was an earnest, manly grace
even i'm the way he shook the gathered 1
flakes from his tattered cap, and in bis I
voice there was such hearty, CHEEKY I
ring. that from that moment / trusted |
and loved the boy.
jumped into the stage, took the back I,
seat, drew my great frieze coat close \
about my legs. and we drove off from 4
among TIE gaping, sooty crowd Of min I
ers into the lonely mountain road; into 4
the cruelest storm of wind and snow /
that ever saw.
The boy sat on the front seat. wait I
ing to be spoken 10. looking straight I
ahead
When we were quite clear Of the .
struggling huts of the miners on the 4
ouiermost limits Of the town, ] asked T.
him his name.
They call me Lewis shively," he I
said
allow old are you. LewisT' was my .
next question.
Fourteen. next April, sir
"Do you live at home, with your IA
fher and mOfhcry
THAT man yonder is all the father
or mother have, and his stable loft Is \
the only home have had since he took 4
me from the poor-house. That was bet
ter than the stable though. for they 4
taught me something there"
There we're no complaining chords in 4
the tones in which these bitter words I
were said, and while he was speaking \
he wa drawing the whip gently across
the horses back, brushing off the snow
that had fallen on it.
"Have you been driving on this road
long," inquired