Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1881-01-19

One rose Of memory CLOVIS!
Youths Companion.
from Worne's London International Annnal.)
The SWARTHY MANS STORY,
By FRANC B. wMKIE (Po11UTo).
There was sitting in the shadow of the
stove, with his feet hoisted on barrel.
and displaying an immense pair of min
er's boots, man who seemed to be in a
brown study. Either the stories did not
interest him, or else something had taken
possession of his mind. He was very
dark, like one who had been much ex-
posed to wind and sun. He had pulled
over his brow great SLOUGH hat, such as
IS worn by frontiersmen; and 80 immova-
bic was he that he might have been
asleep or dead.
There was silence of some little drra-
ton after the last story was concluded.
Everybody except the dark man had told
something, and now they were waiting
for him to contribute his share to the
entertainment. He did not move, and
they began to show some signs of impa-
thence. There was some muttered re-
marks to the effect that lodgings must
be paid for in advance; and that man
who slept with SO much feet out of bed
was very apt to take cold. Finally, the
young man, who seemed to be more au-
dacious than the others, went over,
slapped the apparent sleeper on the
cho1111or or1 oo1yoS Is~> 1,o4 l.,
would like to be called for his breakfast,
and whether he didn't think he had better
tuck in the bedclothes around his boots.
In reply, the other lifted his boots
down from the barrel, tipped his broad
hat back on his head, and turned SO as
to face the stove and the company. He
said:
have not been asleep, as you seem to
suppose. You wish for a story. You
know that have just come back from
the mines; and although have heard all
that has been said, / have been living
over again a few moments of my life,
which were sufficiently exciting to war
rant my abstraction. You wish for
story. Perhaps the best thing I can do
is to go over this experience.
In going from Denver to the Leadville
mining regions there are two routes, and
such is their character that, whichever
one you take, you will be sure to wish
that you failed to take the other. One
OF them is across the mountains by rail
to the Arkansas valley, and thence by
coach to the desired point. The other is
by coach all the way through the noun
talns, and includes a pass of several
thousond feet above the sea level. For
same reason-perhaps that I had often
gone by the tormer-I selected the lat.
ter. This, as I afterward learned, was
the worst thing could have done, for,
atrocious as are both of the routes, the
an-coach is infinitely the most danger
Gus one in any part Of the Rocky noun
talns. But, you see, you never know
what should or should not be done till
you have done it; you can't tell what is
IN vein till you have put down your
shaft.
Wewere all off at daylight. The coach
was one Of the old and well-known Con-
cord build, and nearly as large as Noah's
ark. 1t is swung on leathern hinges so
arranged that it is capable Of every con-
ceiyable motion. It lurches, pitches,
rolls like ship in the trough of the
waves, rears and kicks like horse, jolts
like a camel, and has the solid and
colossal shake-down connected with the
gait of an elephant. Like all the coaches
which are used for the carrying of pas
sengers through the mountains, it has
mechanical appliance, within the easy
control of the driver, which enables him
at moments notice, to detach the
horses from the vehicle. This is to be
used to save the team in case the coach !
Is thrown over prec1pice. OF course,
the occupants count for nothing, 80 far
as this machine is concerned;. but it
preserves the horses, and, as general
thing, the driver, who can Jump from
his seat in time to avoid being carried
with the coach. In one sense it is
premium on cowardice, for the reason
that there is now and then an instance
in which coachfrl of passengers io
dashed down among the rocks, where,
had the driver stuck to his place, it is
believed they might have been saved.
There were three seats inside, on each of |
which were three passengers, who were
so wedged in that in case of an overturn
there was no extrication, but all must 20 |
as one person. Outside there we're two |
seats, of which the front one is for the |
driver, and behind this resting on the
roof of the coach, is the other.
On each Of these seats there were
three persons. Every place was thus
occupied. There were nine inside and
six outside inclusive OF tne driver: or in
all, fifteen souls.
It was not cold when we started out
the second morning. had managed to
secure place directly behind the driver.
My two companions on this scat were no
matter who, as they cut no particular
figure in anything which occurred on the
trip. By the side Of the driver was
seated young woman, who was quite
pretty, and who, as I afterward learned,
was q variety actress. She was going
over the mountains to get an engage
ment at Leadville. The other passenger
IN the same seat was an Englishman of
some 40 years of age, civil engineer,
who had been sent out by some European
capitalists to look up the new carbonate
regions of the Elk mountain district.
Finally, there was the driver, who is
always, as you all know, as important o
character as is the captain on the ocean
steamer. He was only about % years
of age; and presented no very salient
points in his features. He was very
blonde in his hair, and was smoothly
shaved, except as to moustache, which |
was bleached to milky whiteness. He
were one of those gray sombreros, with
an immense rim and round top, which |
are so much affected by the Texas cow
boy and the stage driver; and he had let !
his hair grow till it had reached his
shoulders. He seemed to me to be very
young for the business of pulling the
ribbons over four horses upon q route
which is regarded as one of the most
dangerous in the Rockies. found that
the present journey was only his second
Trip; ana that before coming to this line
he had been driving in the San luis VAL
ley. This was not in his favor. for the
reason that the valley is plain, and
affords one no training for mountain
driving such as that which was now given