The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-10-18
STAGE ROAD LANDLORDS.
Some Anecdotes About Them-uow n Judge
ForaEed n Meal-Ben Stictncy's Ruse--
A Costly Guest--Stories of Stages, stage
Passengers and Landlords.

| FOrnEed n Meal-Ben Stickncy's Ruse-
A Costly Guest--stories of Stages, stage
Passengers and Landlords.
The race of the stage road Boniface is
dying out rapidly. Pullman dining cars
are doing for him what railroads have
already done for the Jehus of the stage
coach. The places that once knew them
will soon know them no more, and many
old travellers over our Western plains
and mountains who enjoyed the ready
wit and cheerful off-handedness of the
one, and the rude hospitality and
abundant cheek of the other, will sadly
miss these types of Western Ameri-
canism.
It was more common years ago than it
has been recently for landlord and stage
driver to have an understanding with
each other, whereby, for consideration
paid the driver, hungry travellers were
scarcely allowed time to comfortably seat
themselves at table, when the driver
would announce the immediate departure
of the stage, thus cheating people out of
a meal who paid for one. 1 remember
being one of stage load of hungry
travellers crossing the Sierra Nevs das
before railroads had spanned it, when a
noted Judge, still on the bench, and an
equally noted professor of an Eastern
college were of the party. Our arrival
at dining station was hailed with de-
light by all the party, and we filed into
the dining-room to attack the savory
viands, the landlord, however, first
taking care to collect the fee for the
meal from each of us. We had GER
tainly not been five minutes at the table,
and some of us, in waiting to be helped
to coffee, had not tasted a mouthful of
food, when our driver shouted "All
aboard. I'm behind time, and can't
wait minute longer" A look of min
gled CONSERVATION and disgust spread
from face to face rs we sprang from the
table, but the Judge remained cool, as he
touched the professor on the arm.
"Will you see to the bread supply,
if take care of the meat ?" he queried.
The Professor caught at his purpose
and promptly assented. In another in
slant the Judge had conveyed a large
turkey and couple of spring chickens,
ready carved, from their platters to two
napkins, while the Professor emptied
the contents of the bread plates into
another, and led by the Judge they
marched triumphantly to the coach.
Their example was contagious each of
the passengers hastily confscated some
article of food-meats, vegetables, even,
and pastry-until the dining. room was
pretty thoroughly stripped of every
thing that went to make up the concom-
infants of good meal, and the interior
of the coach bore the appearance, I
imagine, of bivouac of Sherman 3
bummers after raid, while the bewild-
cred and amazed look on the face of the
speechless landlord as we drove off
would have proven a priceless study to
any artist. The roars of laughter it
caused us proved good condiment to
our strangely improvised meal.
The way Ben. Stickney got over q
tricky ,Boniface of this stamp is more
amusing. Ben. was manager of one of
the silver mines on the "Comstock. ;"
and made frequent trips between the
mine and San Francisco. The landlord
at Strawberry, where the stage stopped
for meals, prided himself on setting as
tempting table, 80 far as looks went,
as any tirst-class hostelry in San Fran
cisco. Certainly the table linen was Of
the whitest, the china a genuine article,
the silver service rich and abundant.
and the spoons and forks solid silver (:
but as to the quality of the viands
served on this sumptuous table, the
memory of stage travellers vouched not,
for owing to the understanding between
stage-driver and landlord, none of them
were ever known to have secured a
whole meal there. Ben Stickney having
been victim to their little game good
ak 1oa< l.. i
to get his moneys worth the next time
he travelled that way. Occasion soon
led him there among stage load OF
hungry travellers, who were only COM
fortably seated at the table of mine host
of the Strawberry, when they We're hur-
ried from their scarcely tasted meal by
the threat of the driver to go off without
them. But Ben, with utter unconcern,
sat still while the stage drove away, and
enjoyed the good things with which the
table was laden. Ben ate enough at
that meal to supply good sized family
with sufficient provendcr for day. He
was just putting in the finishing touches
when the landlord approached him, pale
and excited
Pardon me, SIR" he stammered,
"but-but my silver spoons and forks
are missing"
"Well, You don't suppose I have
them, do You q Ben demanded, looking
up haughtily.
"Oh, no, not at all, but I thought
you might know if any of the stage pas
sengers had taken them that is, I
mean, If any OF them acted suspiciously,
you know?"
HWell ansvered Ron in q p,oll;fa5
tone, " that does remind me that I saw
one of them-a pretty hard-looking fel,
low-handling the contents of the spoon
holder very fanhliarly."
"Would you be able to recognize
him, sir ?" eagerly questioned Boniface.
Excuse me, but the stolen articles
were solid silver. never set down any
other kind for my guests, SIR"
"Yes, I'd know the rascal anywhere"
Ben replied, confidently.
elf l hitched up team and overlook
the stage, would you be kind enough to
point him out to me?"
Certainly can spare the time, and
villainly ought 10 be exposed"
A few minutes later the landlord AMI
Ben, seated behind a spanking pair,
were whirling down the 4" grade toward
Carson Valley at two-forty gait. But
1t was no easy matter to overtake Pho.
neer coach, drawn by six untamed mus
tangs mercilessly lashed by the whip.
Ben enjoyed the ride, however, and
when, after two hours of wild driving bv
Bonlface, the coach was hailed and stop
ped, much to the wonderment and alarm
OF its inmates, and the pursuers with