The Brookhaven leader., 1884-01-03
ROBBING THE STAGE.

common consent stage, which ran be-
tween Bokey's and Logtowu, was crawl
inr UP the long grade which cork
screwed around to the summit of Pilot
Knob. 1t was necessary TO do this in
order that good preparatory start
minht be had for the succeeding rattling
plunge down the other corkScrew road
which led to Logtown.
By the side of Black Pete, the driver.
sat an Eastern importation of the genus
"dr1mmer." Pete rolled his tobacco
into his check, snapped fly off the ear
of his nigh leader and said:
mo. sir, don't ct no pay fer fight
in, an don't do no iightin' for ther
Company. If airy galoot stops this hyer
stage and perlilcly like asks for the
cash box, he's a gwinc ter cit it. Tain't
~ use. no ways. to fight them tellerS,
they always hcy thcr drap on We"
''BEt, said the drummer, "were you
ever robbed on this routc?"
''WaI, no, but Eve seed fellcrs loaf
in round hccr e1 | thought mought do
it some time er other
And if they did stop you, you would
give them the express box and drive on,
eh?'
Yer bet, If ther Express Company
wants TO perfect thcr box they must send
messenger along
The stage crawled up slowly to the
top of tire hill, and Bla k Pete settled
ll> foot firmly on the brake-strap. and
with ",cat en-, boys the sweating
horses started to investigate the mvSter-
ir> of the almost invisible road below
item OH Il keen gallop.
Round and round the rapidly varying
road the stage and the passengers
whirlc l. Sometimes losing sight of the
horses around the sharp turns and again
Slowing sharply outward toward the
dangerous cage of the canyon which
Nawned Glow them.
The sun was down and the moon was
painting weird and restless shadows on
the powdered dust of the grade.
1t was just the time fof the imagina-
ton to picture scenes of violence, rob-
lcry and blood. Suddenly the chapar-
raj Iushes by the roadside 81 ghtly part
cd, and a long shining black object was
waved over them toward the stage A
shadowv figure rose in the moonlight
among the bushes and from behind a
black veil. which Smothercd the voice
somewhat, came the hoaIse command of
">top, stop!'
Black Pete hurriedly pushed his foot
heavily down upon the brake. reached
down into the bottom of the stage, pull
ing out the express box and muttering,
"cuss yer, take it," threw the box into
the road. The restless hbrses immedi-
ately plunged away into Che shadows of
the forest
'Wa-was that a -highwayman?" gasp
ed the drummer.
I'm course it was" answered Pete,
"didn't yer see thcr shootin' iron?
Thar goes cool thousand dollars, as |
knows on. You let thcr boys II be out
arter him tonight. I,houldn't wonder
if that war cd Bart himself. He's a
cool one, he is. He always shoots his
mouth oil in some potry. Leaves it in
the box when he gets through with it.
Didn't yer notice how level he held that
thar shootin iron right towards me-"
The lights of Logtownlnow glistened
below them, and a few turns of the
cork'crew brought the stage up to the
hotel porch where it stopped with loud
whoa! from Black Pete. Not many
minutes elapsed before the prophecy Of
OF Pete was realized, for as soon as the
story of the bold robbery of Wells g.
Fargo's box was related n dozen on so
ready miners volunteered to search the
woods for the road agent. After half
an hours swearing and drinking over
the matter they saddled their horses and
ki1lstaH M If nh
1t was little, cramped-up helter-
skelter mining town among the Sierras.
One need not rise early in Scars Hole to
sea The sun rise, fer he will not see it if
lie does. Old Sol is never visible there
until ten in the morning, The rough,
cturesque cabins looking for all the
world like dilapidated dice thrown at
random from the box, and built deep
down in hole between the surrounding
peaks. And yet they actually had a
telephone connecting them with the
outside world. The dcnizens of Scars
Hole were not given to an indulgence in
business communications with the great
commercial centers, but their telephone
was the means of preventing many of
lHe inhabitants from spending the re-
mainder of their earthly days at the in
sane asylum. Every morning when the
ecnoing of the booming blasts and the
'haA of the pick had ceased in the half
oozenmining claims surrounding the
camp the wearied, lonely miners gather
ed al the little cabin in which was
placed the telephone, and gave vent to
thelr pent-up feelings by, not free
n.ght, but by free interchange of gos-
SIP with the residents of the camps
aooyesand below them ON the line of the
wire.
Such was their Unborn detestation of
any man who followed any pursuit
Wuch d d not require active labor with
tner hands and such was their chivalric
oefotion to the fair sex, that the man
asement of their part of the telephone
was given to young lady by the name
OF Frances Goldsmith.
On the afternoon Of June Goth 1880.
Miss Frank, as she was usually called,
sat IN the little telephone Office waiting
ior the nightly crowd of manly gossip
ers to come in.
Inc little rocking-chair in which she
sal went humping to and fro noisily
ana nervously upon the pine floor, and