The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-07-29
'eyoiyers OF The road agents.

COS my friend here's got his weapons cock
ed an his fingers is rather nervous. Amt
got handkerchief, hev yer?" asked be of
the hrst passenger who descended from the
stage. "liey? Well, now, that's lucky.
Just put yer hands behind you, please-so
that's 1t" And the unfortunate man was
securely bound in an instant.
lie remalning passengers were treated
Hlth similar courtesy, and the colonel and
hb friends examined the pockets of the cap
tises. Old Black remained III uolested, for
who ever heard of stage driver haying any
msney?
"Bays," said the colonel calling his
broth-r agents aside, and comparing the
reesipts, "taIn't much Of a haul; bat
there's one woman, and she's old enough
to be feiles's grandmother. Better let
her alone eLl''
Like enough she'll pan out more than
all the stage put together" growled Cranks,
carefully testing the thickness of the case
of gold watch. ''Jest like the low-lved
deceitlulness Of some folks, to hire an old
woman to carry their money, so it'd go
safer Mebbe what she's got amt nothing
to some folks that's got horses that kin wiz
EN- money at races, but"
The colonel abruptly ended the CONVEX
sation, and approached the stage. lie was
very chivalrous, but Cranks' sarcastic re.
ference to TIpsie needed avenging, and as
! he could not consistently with business ar
rangements put an end to Cranks, the old
! lady woGil have Co suffer.
Il beg your parding, ma am" said the
colonel raising his bat politely with one
hand while he opened the coach door with
the other, "but we're taking up collection
fur some deserving object. We wuz 60
ing to make the gentlemen fork over the
full amount, but, they han't got enough,
and we will have to bother YOU
The oldlady 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
"Nothmg?" queried Perkins, in whis-
per, and with face full of genuine sympa-
! thy
"No-yes, said the colonel, dreamily.
'That Is, unite EN-, and let the stage 90
ahead" he continued, spriuging to his feet
'lll hurry to the cabin" And the colo
mel dashed into the bushes, and left his
followers so paralYzed with establishment
that old Black afterwards remarked that eff
ther'd teen anybody to hold the hosses, he
i aonl3 hay eleaueA ous tho l,ru crowd with
his whip"
I The passengers, now relieved of their
weapons were unbound, allowed to enter
the stage and the door was slammed, upon
ahish old Black picked up his reins as
cody as if he had lain then, down at sta
tion while the horses were being changed,
then he cracked his whip and the stage roll
ed OF, while the colonel's party hasteued
back TO their hut, fondIy inspecting as they
went a certain flask they had obtained
while transacting their business with the
occupants of the stage.
Great was the surprise OF the road agents
as they entered their hut, fer there stood
the colonel in clean, white shirt and in a
suit Of clothing made up from the limited
spare wardrobes OF the other members of
The gang.
But the suspicious Cranks speedily sub
ordinated his wonder to his prudence, as,
! laying on the table watch, two pistols,
a pocket-book and heavy purse, he ex-
claimed:
"Come, colonel, bizness before pleasure;
let's divide an scatter. Efany body should
hear bout it, an find our TRAIL an ketch
the traps III our possession, they might"
"Diviie yerse!ves!' said the colonel,
with abrubtness and great oath. II don't
want none of it"
Colonel" said Perkins, removing his
own domino and looking anxiously into the
leaders face, abe you sick? Here's some
bully brandy l found in one of the passen-
gers pockets
~ haln't nothin',' replied the colonel
with averted eyes. "I'na going, and I'm
retirn' from this b;zness forever
CANT going to turn evidence?" cried
Cranks, grasplng the pistol en- the table.
''I'm a goin to make g lead mine of you
/ ef you don't take that back" roared the
/ colonel, with bound, which caused Cranks
to drop the pistol and start precipitately
/ forward apoiogizing as he went. "Tm goin'
to tend to my own bizness, an that's enough
to keep any man bizzy. Somebody lend
me $50 till | see him aginn
/ Perkins pressed the money into the colo
nels hand, and within two minutes the
colonel was Oh Tipsies back, and galloped
on 10 the direction the stage had taken.
lie overlook it, he passed it, and still he
galIoped on.
/ The people at Mud Caleb knew the colo
mel well, and made it 4 rule never to be as
tonished at anything be did; but they made
! it an exception to the rule when the colonel
/ canyasseG the bar rooms for men who wish
ed 70 purchase horse; and W hen gamb-
/ Ter who was flush obtained Tipsie in ex-
change for twenty slugs- only thousand
dollars, when the colonel had always said
there was not gold enough on the top of
! the earth to buy her-Mud Cuich expert
enced decided sensation.
One or two enterprising persons speedi-
I ly discovered that the colonel was not in q
communicative mood; so everyone retired
/ TO his own opinion of the colonel's mo.
tiyes and actions.
But wien the colonel, after remaining
! in barber-shop for half al hour, emerg-
ed with his face elean-shayed and hair