The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1883-08-11
A Stage-COach Dialogue.

StAge-COacn Dialogue
The seat of honor and pleasure in a
journey overland is by the driver, and
there is always a scramble for it, and
the one who 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 a man
whom | took for miner, during trip
to Silver City, N. M. The preacher
and l. sat on the back seat and the
native sat facing us. He was dressed
in the regulation costume of the
country: Dark pants stuck in his boots
and held up by a siX-shooter buckled
flaming red necktie, and great SOM
brero. A knife was stuck in his boot
and he carried Winchester rifle on
the seat beside him. Taking him all in
all, he was about as ugly looking a
specimen of humanity as l have met.
As the stage rolled along, the miner
looked out of the window as if in deep
thought The preacher and entered
into conversation, during which he
asked my business. L told him, when
he asked: +.. .....,
"Do the great papers buy literary
articles?'' -tHu
Eyes, sir, when they are good
"Do they pay for them liberally?"
"They do, when they accept the arti-
cles.n
"Well, have got some very inter,
esting subjects l could write about he
continued, as the stage jolted over tho
rough road, making it little hard to
distinguish what he was saying. "For
five years | was a missionary at Siam
and saw many strange and even start
ling things. .r'.
"What were those scenes you refer
top | asked.
"Well, the punishment of criminals
was exceedingly strange and is worthy
of description. When person is con-
victed of crime there he is taken out
upon the public square for execution.
His neck is barred well down upon the
shoulders, and the executioner dips his
finger in mud and with 1t makes a
mark upon the neck of the doomed
man.
"What kind of mud?" shouted the
miner in voice like thunder-clap,
while he glared at the parson savagely.
noticed that, although he kept peer
! ing 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 con.
tinued.
"The executioDer then takes his
heavy sword and with one quick and
decisive blow sewers the victims head
from his body"
"It's an internal lie," yelled the min.
er, in tones that might have been heard
four miles. 1.-THE boys do occasionally
hang a horse-thief there, and the town
has pretty bad name, but they never
cut peoples heads off. There ain only
one sword in the whole place, and that
belongs to a militia Captain and
wouldn't cut the head off of turnip. -
but l was missionary there fol
five years." meekly interposed the min
lister.
And was barber there for sever
years, and l never shaved you
neither
my friend, that can not be; for Tho
people never shave there. -
That's another of your internal lies
they're as clean shaven set of people
as thar is in the West. You're q mic,
man to be giving the town bad name
after you have left it. If it weren
kind of agin the fashion to hit a parsoI
I'd knock your head off of you fur you
lies" cried the miner, getting madde
everv minute.
my dear friend" said the minister
imploringly, and evidently much dis
turbed for his safety, "thers certainl,
must be some mistake. You do no
mean to say that you We're a barber il
the Kingdom of Siam, where peopl
never shavepn
"Oh! | thought you were talking
about Cheyenne, said the miner, as h
fell back into his chair Disguised.
i was the only man who seemed t
enjoy this amusing incident, and even
found it good policy to show as it'll
disposition to laugh as possible. TIL
stage rolled on for miles after it oc
Cured, and not word was spoken b
any one. The miner looked more in
tently than ever out of the window, an
yet there was not an expression on hi
stolid face to indicate what his thought
were. The preacher looked as intent
out from the opposite side of the stag,
and spent my time watching the mir
er, looking at the strange region throug
which we were passing Cor. Rbildde
ptiG Press.
, -a -
, Sea Grit and SnrinO AXE the txUi