The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-09
MY Strange Travelling Companion.
nCTRANGERln

and down the narrow, darkening trail.
No one in the fringe of alder ahead no
one on the quilted slope behind.
on ! stranger |"
This time little impatiently. The
California vocative, "Oh," always
meant business.
looked up, and perceived for the first
time, on the ledge, thirty feet above me,
another trail parallel with my own, and
looking down upon me through the
buckeye bushes small man on black
horse.
Five things to be here noted by the
circumspect mountaineer First, the To-
cality-lonely and inaccessible, and
away from the regular faring of team
sters and miners. Secondly, the stran-
gers superior knowledge of the road
from the fact that the other trail was un-
known to the ordinary traveller. Thirdly
that he was well armed and equipped.
Fourth[y, that he was better mounted.
FVthly, that any distrust or timidity
arising from the contemplation of these
facts had better be kept to oneself
All this passed rapidly through my
mind as returned his salutation.
Got any tobacco ?" he asked.
had, and signified the fact, holding
up the pouch inquiringly.
"All right, I'll come down. Ride on,
and I'll jine We on the slide"
"The slide 2" Here was new geo.
graphical discovery as odd as the second
trail had ridden over the trail dozen
times, and seen no communication be-
tween the ledge and trail. Nevertheless,
went on hundred yards or SO, when
there was sharp cracking in the un-
derbrush, shower of stones on the
trail, and my friend plunged through
the bushes to my side down grade that
should scarcely have dared to lead my
horse. There was no doubt he was an
accomplished rider-another fact to be
noted.
AS he ranged beside me L found was
not mistaken as to his size; he was
quite under the medium height, and but
for pair of cold gray eyes, was rather
commonplace in feature.
"You've got good horse there,' 1
suggested.
He was filling his pipe from my pouch
but looked up a little surprised, and
said, OF course" He then puffed away
with the nervous eagerness of man
long deprived of that sedative. Finally
between the puffs, he asked me whence
L came.
replied from Lagrange" HJa
He looked at me few moments curl
ously, but on my adding that had only
halted there for few hours, he said: 81
thought 1 knew every man between La
grange and Indian Spring, but somehow
sorter disremembered your face and
your name" t,LE
Not particularly caring that he should
remember either, / replied, half laugh
ing, that as 1 lived on the other side of
Indian Spring, it was quite natural. He
took the rebuff-if such it was--so quiet
ly, that, as an act of mere perfunctory
politeness. asked him where he came
from.
lagrange"
"And you are going To-"
swell that depends pretty much on
how things pan out, and whether 1 can
make the rifle" He let his hand rest
quite unconsciously on the leather hol-
ster of his dragoon revolver, yet with a
strong suggestion to me of his ability
''to make the riffie' If he wanted to, and
added: "But just now was reck' min
on taking little pdsear with you."
There was nothing offensive in his
speech save its familiarity and the re-
fection, that, perhaps, whether / OBJ
jected or not, he was quite able to do as
he said; I only replied that if our pasear
was prolonged beyond Heavytree Hill /
should have to borrow his beast. To my
surprise he replied quietly. "That's So,
adding that the horse was at my disposal
when he wasn't using it and half of il
when he was, Dick has carried double
many time before this" he continued
land kin do it again; when your mus.
tang gives out III give you a lift, and
room to spare"
L could not help smiling at the idea Of
appearing before the boys at Red Gulch
en- croape with a stranger; but neither
could help oddly being affected by the
suggestion that his horse had done dou
BILE duty before, son what occasion
and whyS" was question kept tc
myself. We were ascending the long
rocky flank of the Divide; the narrow