Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-03-18
Misrenanw,
THE DRIVERS STORY.

A New Mexican sketch-By Joe Flufier.
Written for the Kansas City Journal.
Keep off until the ladies are sc ated,
said the driver, as | climbed to the top Of
the stage coach for a ride outside.
at is a rule of the company" he con-
hnued, soitening his manner, "and the
old man won't stand any foolishness about
here" Fortunately for me the ladies pre-
ferred seats inside, and the driver beckOn-
ed me up again, as he stopped to take the
reins from the hostler's hand. accepted
his offer gladly, Notwithstanding his crus-
tiness, for the sake of the scenery and the
exhiliration Of the mountain air.
With few reassuring jerks here and
there at the straps that bound the bag
gage, a general supervisory glance at the
rig in its entirety and a cheerful admon.
ition to look out for road agents at San
Jose, the ''old man" told us to go" In
stantly at the talismanic word the six
handsome gray horses started with a
prance and a jerk that sent the coach roll.
ing like ship in storm, and directly
the dirty crooked streets Of the little
adobe town were undistinguishablc in the
cloud of dust behind us.
The familiar appellation given 10 the
superintendent illustrates the scope
frontier imagination, the 'old man" in
this case being possibly thirty years of
age. Instead OF being term of reproach,
however, it is an epithet Of the fondest
endearment and veneration. And the
greater the regard the more antiquated he
becomes. Contempt is expressed in the
terms kid" "softy," "tender foot" and
others more forclble than polite, but that
which implies age also implies love.
Aside from whatever spontaniety there
may be in the language, there is policy in
it, for the superintendent is the king bee
OF the stage line and holds sway with the
free will Of the despot. He establishes
routes, purchases equipments, contracts
for supplies, issues time cards and employs
an army of men, or discharges
them, arbitrarily. At headquarters
he is entrenched behind absolute authority
and when he passes over the line he out
ranks every man in the broad domain
Passing through Devils Gap, the nomen
clature Of the frontier has natural pro
clivity towards the devil, we placed the
barrier OF the foot hills between us anC
the plains with the feeling Of the sailo
who guides his storm-tired vessel into th,
tranquil waters of the bay.
Behind us the arid waste, boundless a
the sea. spread away in sickening monot
ony until it blended with the FURNISHED
sky. Before us were oval hills dotted witt
pines, with here and there hocks of goat
tended by lazy Mexicans; and valley
threaded by silver streams whose murmur
ing waterfalls mingled their music witt
the tintinlating bells. And higher an,
beyond these, grand old Rincon lifted hi
defiant front, from whose caverns fv
rivers run down to the sea. And higher
still, and still beyond, Bernel, temple o
the Penitentes, shrine Of the bandits; an,
beyond all, peak overlapping peak OF ser
rated mountains outlined against the sky
No transition of panoramic scenes wa
ever more sudden, marked or refreshing
and for a time the great masterpiece 0
nature wrought spell upon us. And al
the more fascinating for the memories @
the place, the variegated history of splen
dor and Of blood; the conquest of centu
ries ago, the rise and fall of royal rulers
and temples that antedate the Pilgrims Q
Saint Augustine. When at last venture
upon conversation, the driver readily en-
couraged me. Fine scenery? Yes, sil
but tiresome after all, from its very exten
and variety. 1t satiates and exhaust
ones powers of appreciation; overburden
his faculties of enjoyment of the beautifr
in nature; impalrs rather than strengthen
ones love for the picturesque; oppresse
his senses; wears him out; don't 70
think so, sir?"
my friend" said |, show long have'yo
been stage driverp"
"Long enough to get to the top, he ar
swered, evasively, and added, interrogi
torily, slow calling, eh?"
mo; not exactly-but ="
"Yes, see, but, and he chuckled Q
he lifted one Of the leaders off his feet wit
| the whir, and sent us careening around
ledge where the sight of the tree tops fa
below sent q chill through the blood at u
disabilities Of such recklessness. I'VE
presume it is low calling" sal
he, "but l have seen something Of life
:. its various stations, and | must say that u
and down the whole scale it Is the ma,
and not the place, after ALL"
/ became interested in the noble fello
as he sat there in magnificent pose wi,
reins and whip in hand, study for o
: artist; and as / scanned his intellectu
features and athletic form, my fancy il
vested him with the attributes of q king
, his throne with sceptre in his hand.
felt sure the man had history and |
dint Of importantly, at length prevail,
upon him to unravel the tangled skein
hta life