Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-11-17
What the Passenger with One Eye Did.

L
There was an army officer. q suffer-
surveyor and two men who might have
been mine inspectors in the stage when
it drew up at Burt Hill to take on an
other passenger.
'Howdy;' said the new passenger,
rs he crowded in.
As he stood for moment in the light
of the station lamp, all saw that his left
eye was gone. He wore no shade or
patch to conceal the loss, and those who
gave him second look felt that the fire
in his remaining eye was bright enough
To answer for two. Dark as it was in
the stare he seemed to have ''sized up"
every man inside of minute, and,
seeming to be satisfied regarding the
crowd, he settled himself back in his
seat and had no remarks to make.
BY and by the army officer mentioned
something about road agents, and di-
rcctly the conversation became inter-
csting. Coaches had been stopped at
various points on the line within a
week and it was pretty generally be-
liercd that bad gang had descended
on the route and were still ripe for bust
ness. The man with one eye had moth
ing to say. Once or twice he raised his
head and that single eye blazed in the
escaped his mouth. The Captain had
said what he would do in case the coach
was halted, and this brought out the
others. 1t was firmly decided to fight.
The passengers had money to fight for
and weapons to fight with.
The man with one eye said nothing.
At such Il time and under such circum-
stances there coul be but one interpre-
tation of such conduct.
A coward has no business travelling
this route" said the Captain, in a voice
which every man could hear
The stranger started up, and that eye
of his seemed to shower sparks of fire.
hut after moment he fell back again
without having replied.
If he wasn't chicken-hcartcd why
didn't he show his colo-s? If he in
tended TO fight where were his weapons2
lie had no Winchester, and, so far as
any enc had seen rs he entered the
coach, he was without rcvolvcrs. Every
body felt Il contempt for 4 man who cal
culated to hold up his hands at the or
der and permit himself to be quietly de-
spoiled.
Pop, pop! laltr'
The passengers were doing as the
sal tie of the road agents reached their
ears. The coach was halted in a way
II tumble everybody together, and legs
and bodies were still tangled up when a
voice at the door of the coach yelled
out:
"No nonsepsc. now! You gentle
men climb right down here and up
with your hands, The first man who
Hi Ks on me will get a bullet through
his hcad"'
We had agreed to fight The Captain
had agreed to lead us. We were listen |
ing for his yell of defiance and the click |
Of his revolver, when he stepped down |
and oIt as humbly rs You please, The |
sutlcr had been aching to chew mp 4 |
d'zcn road agents, and now he was the
second man out. The surveyor had in
I mated that he never passed over the
route without killing at least three high J
waNInrn, bat this occasion was to be an |
exception. In three minutes the five of |
us were down and in line with hands |
up. and the road agent had said:
Straight matter of business! First |
onr who drops his hands won't ever
know what hurt him.n II
Where was the man with one eye?
The robbcr appeared to believe that we
were all out, and he was just approach
ing the head of the line to begin his
work when a dark form dropped out of
he coach, there was 4 yell rs if from Il
wounded tiger. and Il revolver began to
crack. The robbcr went down ut the |
Iirst pop. His partner was just coming
around the rear of the coach. He was
a mamc man. He knew what had hap
rcned, but he was coming to the res
rue. Pop! pop. pop. went the re-
,olvcrs. their flashes lighting up the
night until we could see the driver in
his seat.
II didn't take twenty seconds. One
Df the robbers lay dead in front Of us
HE other under the coach, while the
man with one eye had a lock cut from
his head and the Craze of Il bullet across
his cheek. Not one of us had moved Il
finger. We were five fools in a row.
There was painful lull after the last
shot. and it lasted n full minute before
HE stranger turned to lis and remarked,
in quiet, cutting manner.
Gentlemen, We kin drop Yer hands!'
We dropped. We undertook to thank
him, and we wanted to shake hands.
and somebody suggested n shake-pursc
for his benefit, but he mOtioncd us into
the coach, banged the door aftcrus. and
climbed up to a seat beside the driver.
His contempt for such crowd could
not be measured.-M. Qtdd, i" Detroit
Free Press.