Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-10-05
BRET HARTE'S LATEST.
"whO wasmy quiet Friend9''

"Stranger!'
The voice was not loud, but clear
and penetrating. looked vainly
up and down the narrow darkening
trail. No one in the fringe of alder
ahead; no one on the quilted slope
behind.
90! stranger!!"
This time a little impatiently.
The Californian vocatlve, go" al
ways meant business.
Hooked up, and perceived for the
first time, on the ledge, thirty feet
above me, another trail parallel
with my own, and looking down up
on me through the buckeye bushes
small man on black horse.
Five things to be noted by the
circumspect mountaineer. First,
the locality-lonely and inaccessible
and away from the regular faring Of
teamsters and miners. Secondly,
the strangers superior knowledge of
the road from the fact that the other
trail was unknown to the ordinary
traveller. Thirdly, that he was well
armed and equipped. Foatrthly,
that he was better mounted. Fifth
In, that any distrust or timidity aris-
ing from the contemplation of these
facts had better be kept to oneself.
All this passed rapidly through
nv mind as l returned his saluta-
ton.
"Got any tobaccoP" he asked.
I had, and signifed the fact, hold
ing up the pouch inquiringly.
"All right, I'll come down. Ride
on, and rll jine ye on the slide"
''The slider" Here was anew
geographical discovery as odd as the
second trail. l had ridden over the
trail a dozen times, and seen no COM
munication between the ledge and
trail. Nevertheless I went on a
hundred yards or so, when there was
sharp cracking in the underbrush, a
shower of stone Oh the trail, and nv
friend plunged through the bushes
to my side down a 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 a pair of cold gray
eyes, was rather commonplace in
feature.
"You've got a good horse there"
/ suggested.
He was filling his pipe from my
pouch, but looked up a little sur.
prised, and said, "Of course" He
then puffed away with the nervous
eagerness of a man long deprived
of the sedative. Finally, between
the puffs, he asked me whence
came.
1 replied from Lagrange"
| He looked at me few moments
curiously, but on my adding that
had only halted there for a few
hours, he said: 81 thought | knew
every man between Lagrange anG
Indian Spring, but somehow l sorte1
disremember your face and vour
name"
Not particularly caring that ht
should remember either l replied
half laughingly, that as 1 lived the
other side of Indian Spring, it wal
quite natural He took the rebuff
if such it was-so quietly, that as al
act of mere perfunctory politeness,
asked him where he came from"
"Lagrange."
Sand are going to
"Well! that depends pretty mucf
on how things pan out, and whethe
l can make the rifle" He let hi
hand rest quite unconsciously on tn,
leathern holster of his dragoon re
volver, yet with strong suggestion
to me of his ability "to make tn,
rifle" if he wanted to and added
"But just now / was reck'nin' OF
taking little pasear with you"
There was nothing offensive il
his speech save its familiarity AM
the reflection, perhaps, that whethe
| objected or not he was quite abl
; to do as he said. l only replied tha
# ourpGsedr was prolonged beyon,
Heavetree Hill | should have to boz
row his beast. To my surprise b
replied quietly, "That's So" adding
t that the horse was at my disposa
when he wasn't using it, and halt O
it when he was. "Dick has carrie,
t double many time before this" h
continued, 'sand kin do it again
when your mustang gives out II
give you lift, and room to spare.
l could not help smiling at tn
idea of appearing before the boys a
s Bed Gulch en- cyoupe with tn
I stranger; but neither could l bel
!; being oddly affected by the sugge'
I tiUn that his horse had done dOubl
e duty before, "On what occasion
E and why?" was question kept I
5 myself. We were ascending tn
long rocky flank of the Divide; th
narroWnaaa of the trail obiiGed ne I