Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-08-02
STAGE COACH DIALOGUE.
The cheyenne Miner and the Siam Mis-
siOnary Clash.
Correspondent Philadelphia Press. ]

Correspondent Philadelphia Press.
The seat of honor and pleasure in jour
ney overland is by the driver, and there is
always scramble for it, and the one VINO
succeeds in securing it is regarded as lucky
fellow. [ got left in my contest for seat
on the top, and found myself, recently, inside
of the stage with clergyman and man
whom | took for miner, during trip to
Silver City, n M. The preacher and sat
on the back seat and the native sat facing
us. He was dressed in the regulation cos
tune of the country-dark pants stuck I'D
his boots and held up by six-shooter
buckled around the waist, blue flannel shirt,
flaming red necktie, and a great sombrero
A knife was stuck in his boot, and he car
ried a Winchester rifle on the seat beside
him. Taking him all in all, he was about
as ugly looking specimen OF humanity as
! have met. AS the stage rolled along, the
miner looked out of the window as II III
deep thought. The preacher and | entered
into conversation, during which he asked
nv business. l told him, when he asked:
'Do the great papers buy the literary ar
ticles 2"
Eyes, sir, when they are good"
"Do they pay for them liberally?"
"They do when they accept the articles
"Well, l have got some very interesting
subjects I could write about" he continued
as the stage jolted along over the rough road
making it little hard to distinguish what
he was saying. "For five years l was mis-,
sionary at Siam, and saw many strange and
even startling things"
"What were these scenes you refer to"
asked.
"Well, the punishment of criminals was
exceedingly strange and is worthy OF de,
sc1iption. When a person is convicted OF
crime there he is taken out upon the public
square for execution. His neck is barred
well down upon his shoulders, and the exc
cutioner dips his fingers in mud and with II
makes mark upon the neck of the doomed
man."
"What kind of mud ?" shouted the miner
in a voice like a thunder clap, while he
glared at the parson savagely. l noticed
that, although he kept peering out OF the
window, he had followed our conversation
for some time.
"a sort of yellowish mud" replied the
preacher, evidently disturbed by the miners
look and manner
But he continued: "The executioner then
takes his sword and with one quick and de.
cisive blow sewers the victims head from his
body"
And 1 was barber there for seven years
and never shaved you, neither"
"My friend, that cannot be; for the people
never shave there"
"That's another one of your Internal lies
They are as clean shaven set OF people as
there are in the We :. You're a nice man
to be giving the town bad name after you
have left it, If it weren't kind Of agin the
fashion to hit parson I'd knock your heac
off of you for lies," cried the miner, getting
madder every minute.
"My dear friend" said the minister i'm
ploringly, there certainly must be some
mistake. You do not mean to say that yor
were barber in the Kingdom of Siam
where the people never shave?"
"Oh, I thought you were talking abou
Cheyenne" said the miner, as he fell bacl
into his seat disgusted,
l was the only man who seemed to enjoy
this amusing incident, and even found i
good policy to show as little disposition t.
laugh as possible. The stage rolled on TO
miles after it occurred, and not word wa
spoken by any one. The miner looked NOR
intently than ever out of the window, ant
vet there was not an expression on his stolit
face to indicate what his thoughts were
The preacher looked as intently out from
the opposite side of the stage, and 1 spen
my time watching the miner, looking at tn
strange region through which we were pass