The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1882-02-17
that il ther'd been anybody to mind the
horses he could have cleaned out the
hull crowd with his whip.

that If ther'd been anybody to mind the
horses he could have cleaned out the
hull crowd with his whip.
l. The passengers now relieved of their
weapons, were unbound, allowed to en-.
ter the stage, and the door was slam
med, upon which Old Black picked up
his reins as if he had laid them down
at the station, while the Colonel's party
hastened back to their hut, fOndly in
spectihg as they went certain TASKS
they had obtained while transacting
their business with the occupants Of
the stage.
Great was the surprise of the road
agents as they entered the hut, for
their stood the Colonel in clean white
shirt, and a suit of clothing made from
limited spare wardrobe of the other
members of the baud.
| But the suspicious Cranks speedily
subordinated his wonder to his pru.
dence, as laying on the table "a heavy
purse, he exclaimed
Come, Colonel, business before pleas
ure let's divide and scatter. If any
body should hear about it and find our
trail an sketch the brads in our possess
sion they might
Divide yourselves! said the Colonel.
with abruptness and a great oath. Il
don't want none of it,
Colonel said Perkins, removing his
own domino, and looking anxiously into
the leaders face, be you sickp'
1T hain't nothing replied the Colonel
with averied eyes. Pm goin', and I'm
retirin' from business forever
Amt agoin' to turn evidenced? cried
Cranks, grasping pistol on the table.
I'm agoin' to make a lead mine of
you eff you don't take that back. roared
the Colonel with a bound that caused
Cranks to drop the pistol and retire pre-
cipitately, apOlogizing as he went. Pm
agoin' to attend to mind my own bust
ness, an that's enough to keep anybody
bizzy. Somebody lend me $50 till see
him again.
Perkins pressed the money into the
Colonel's hand, and within two minutes
the Colonel was on Tipsie's back and
gallOping off in the direction the stage
had taken.
He overlook it, passed it, and still he
galloped on.
The people at Mud Gulch knew the
Colonel well and made it rule never
to be astonished at anything he did, but
they made an exception TO the rule
when the Colonel canvassed the princi-
pal barrooms for men who wished TO
buy horse, and when gambler who
was flush obtained Tipsie for twenty
slugs-Only $l,000-when the Colonel
had always said there was not gold
enough ON top of the ground to buy
her, Mud Gulch experienced decided
sensation.
But when the Colonel. after remain
ing in the barber shop for half an hour,
emerged with his face clean shaved and
his hair nicely parted, betting was so
wild that cool-headed sporting man
speedily made fortune by betting
against every theory that had been ad-
vanced.
Then the Colonel made a tour of the
store and fitted himself with new suit
of clothes, carefully eschewing all of
the gorgeous patterns and pronounced
colors so dear to the heart of the aver
age miner. He bought new hat and
put on pair of boots, and pruned his
finger-nails, and, stranger than all. he
mildly declined all invitations to drink.
AS the Colonel stood at the door of
the principal saloon, where the stage
always stopped, the Challenge Hill con-
stable was seen to approach the Col
onel and tap him ON the shoulder, when
all the men who bet that the Colonel
was dodging somebody claimed the
stakes. But those who stood near the
Colonel heard the constable say: Col
onel, take it all back. When l seed
you go out to Challenge Hill it came
to me that you might be in the road
sell Tipsie knew was ON the wrong
trail. 1 wouldn't suspect you now if
all the stages in the world was robbed;
and I'll give you satisfaction any way
you want it,
its all right said the Colonel, with
a smile. The constable afterward said
that nobody had any idea how curiously
the Colonel smiled when his beard was
off. Suddenly the stage pulled up to
the door with u crash, and the male
passengers hurried into the saloon in a
state Of utter Indignation and impecu-
mostly. The story of the robbery at
tracted everybody, and during the ex,
element the Colonel slipped out quietly
and opened the door of the stage. The
old lady started and cried: 'George!
And the Colonel jumped into the stage
and, putting his arm tenderly around
the trembling form of the old lady, ex'
claimed. .MOtherl