The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-03-14

deserving object. We was goin' {
| make the gentlemen fork over th
, hull amount, but ez the amt &c
enough, we will hev to bother you.
} The old lady trembled, felt fo
her pocket book and raised her vel
, The Colonel looked into her facs
, slammed the stage door, and sittin
on the hub of one of the wheels
stared vacantly into space.
"Nothin'?" queried Perkins, in
, whisper, and with a face full of gen
uine sympathy.
'No-yes," said the Colonel dream
lily, shat is, unite 'em and let tn
stage go ahead" he continued
springing to his feet. III hurr,
back to the cabin" and the Colone
dashing into the pines leavin
the fellows SO paralyze'
with astonishment that Old Blacl
afterward remarked that if there''
been anybody TO attend to the horse
he could have cleaned out the hui
crowd with his whip.
4 The passengers, relieved of thei
weapons, were unbound, allowed Il
enter the stage, and the door wa
slammed, upon which Old Blacl
picked up his reins as if he had lait
them down at the station while tn
| horses were being changed, thel
cracked his whip and the stage roll
ed of, while the Colonel's party
went back to their hut, fondly in
lspecting as they went, certain haskl
they had obtained while transactins
their business with the occupants O
the stage.
Great was the astonishment of tht
road agents as they entered theil
hut, for there stood the Colonel ir
q clean white shirt and in suit o
clothing made from the limited spare
wardrobes of the other members o.
the band.
But the suspicious Cranks speedi
| ly subordinated his wonder to his
prudence, as laying on the table q
heavy purse he said:
"Come, Colonel, business before
pleasure, let's divide and scatter
Eff anybody should hear about it
and find our trail, and ketch the
traps in our possession, they might
"Divide yerselves," said the Colo.
mel, With abruptness and a great
oath, II don't want none of it."
Colonel" said Perkins, removing
his domino, and looking anxiously
into the leaders face, "be you sick
Here's some bully brandy which
found in the passengers pockets"
at hain't nothin'," replied the
Colonel with averted eyes. "I'm
going to retire from business forev-
| Ier."
"Ain't goin' to turn evidence? ?'
cried Cranks, grasping pistol on
the table.
"I'm goin' to make lead mine ol
you ef you don't take that back, y
roared the Colonel, with a bound
|Shat csssed geaaks - drop the -pis-
tol and retire precipitately, apologies
ing as he went. ''1'm agoin' to at
tend to my own business, and that's
enough to keep anybody bizzy.
Somebody lend me $50 till l see
him again."
Perkins pressed the money into
the Colonel's hand, and within two
minutes the Colonel was on Tipsie's
back and galloped 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 a rule
not to be surprised at anything he
did; but they made an exception to
the rule when the Colonel canvassed
the principal bar rooms for men who
wished to buy a horse, and when a
gambler who was flush obtained
Tipsie for twenty slugs-only 81 600,
when the Colonel had always said
there wasn't gold enough on top of
ground to buy her-Mud Guloh ex-
perienced a very decided sensa-
ton.
But when the Colonel. after re-
manning III the barber shop for half
an hour, emerged with his face clean
shaved and his hair nicely trimmed
and parted, betting was so wild that
cool headed sporting man speedily
made fortune by betting against
every theory that had been advanc-
ed.
Then the Colonel made a tour of
the stores and fitted himself with a
new suitof clothes, carefully eschew-
ing all of the gorgeous patterns and
pronounced colOrs so dear to the
average miner. He bought new
hat and put on pair of boots, and
pruned his finger nails, and stranger
than all, he mildly declined all in
vitations to drink.
As the Colonel stood in the door
of the principal saloon, where the
stage always stopped, the Challenge
Hill constable was seen to approach
the Colonel and tap him on the
shoulder, upon which all men who
bet that the Colonel was dodging
somebody claimed the stakes. But
those who stood near the Colonel
heard the constable say:
Colonel, take it all lback. When
/ seed you going out of Challenge
Hill it come to me that you might
be in the road agent business SO l
followed you, duty, you know. But
when / seed you sell Tipsie, ! knew
I was on the wrong trail Wouldn't
suspect you now if all the stages in
the country were robbed and I'll
give you satisfaction any way you
want it?n
"Its all right" said the Colonel
with . smile.
The constable afterwards said that
nobody had any idea of how curi-
ously the Colenel smiled when his
beard was of.
Suddenly the stage pulled up to
the door with q crash, and the male
passenger hurried into the saloon
in = state Of utter indignation and
impetuosity.