Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-02-08
A W0MAN'S WIT.
BY WARREN WALTERS.
Crack, crack, crack -!

OraCk, crack, crack
One of the horses dead The driver
tumbles down from his scat, Il second
later followed by an outside passenger.
The crash of glass, flying splinters,
the shri.l whistle of rifle balls Over
and above all, the unearthly yclls of
tho savages Taken prisoners-Billy
and Dave Hopkins, known on theatri-
cal posters us ''the Balsamo Brothers."
'Mademoisellc Helene, the Queen of
the Floating Wre," in private life,
Mrs. Billy Hopkins; "El Nino, the
child-wonder;" in fact, Billy Hopkins,
Jr. Dead-thc driver and two passen-
gers.
The Balsamo Brothers, Mademoisclle
Helene and FL Nino, were en- route to
fill an engagement in Denver, just
then assuming the importance OF q
mining city.
The prisoners were tied upon the
coach horses and hurried some ten or
fifteen miles away. When night ap-
preached, u green spot was selected by
a running stream, and the party en-
camped.
Words fail to portray the anxoties,
the agonies of the prisoners. When
the fire was built, the victims imagined
a fiery death; when the chiefs touched
their knives or so much as turned to
look at their captivcs it seemed rs if
they were experiencing in advance the
delights of laccrating and mangling
human flesh.
The Indians were altogether different
from the "noble red men, represented
on the stage. These iends were dirty,
lacking even the lincry and feathers
which 90 to make up the dusky bravo
who poses upon the bill boards. In
their faces could be read the record of
brutal, bcastly, bloody, natures.
Poor little woman How she re-
preached herself, in an agony of tears
for she it was who urged the accept
ance of this western engagement The
salary, which was something wonder.
full in figures, was to bo paid in gold.
It's dazzling light blinded Mrs. Lucy to
the risk of which they had spoken, and
at which they had laughed; the salary
which would 90 so far toward paying
for the little home they had meant to
buy, and for which they had been
boarding ever since their boy was born.
Great heavens, Dave! what are we
to do? These devils mean to torture
us. See, they are collecting wood for
the purpose! My wife and child may
be saved for worse fatc!n
at would have been much better for
us all to be lying on the road, stiff and
stark, like those other poor fellowsm
81 tell you what, Dave, | mean to
give them trouble yet"
"What can We do, BillyP Our hands
are tied, and wherever We 80 we are
guarded.
The two men rolapsed into gloomy
silence.
For some time the Indians amused
themselves over the wardrobe of the
show people. Especially were they
delighted with the stage jcwelry, and
the fluffy skirts in which the 'iQueen
of the Floating Wire" appeared in
public.
"The tights" belonging to the Bal
samo Brothers, however, occasioned
much wonderment. Over these they
gesticulatc( and voclferated as they
were passed from hand to hand.
Presently, a couple of the braves
brought the garments forward and
reeled off words, the purport of which
the brothers might not have fathomed,
had the gestures been omitted. 1t was
evident they asked an explanation of
the uses or merits of the singular af-
fairs.
81 say, Dave" spoke up Billy, quick
ly, "they want to know what these
tights are for five can only persuade
them to allow us to do some stage
business it may save our lives q day or
two"
"Or they may take us for medicine
men," answered Dave. If we get our
hands free we may escape somehow"
With this idea in their minds they
went through a great amount of pam
tomimic dialogue, and succeeded in
conveying some ideas into the brains
Of their dusky captors, which resulted
III uiou uVlnS lolOuocu, stll CuIclullJ
guarded, however:
They swung the trapeze from the
bough of large oak-performers on
this contrivance always carrying the
necessary ropes and bars with them.
The savages watched every move
ment with the deepest interest, their
curiosity increasing with every move
ment.
Billy managed to exchange few
words with his wife, and was glad to
find sho had her hands free.
"Lucy, when you see these fellows
looking their eyes out, take the boy
and slip away. Follow that star, and
you will strike some town before
long"
"And leave you, my husbandP New
erl We can die together!"
"You must fly, my darling A
worse fate than death awaits you. Oh,
my God, Lucy, do not hesitatel We
will keep them interested as long as
we can. You must hasten away with
all your might. l would plunge a
knife in your heart myself rather than
leave you to the mercy of these worse
than brutes.