The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1884-09-02
ANOTHER VERSION.
San Francisco Post.

San Francisco Post.
High up among the hills on the Wagon
road that runs through the Cascita pass
is small tavern, much freq rented By
commercial travellers, and which bear.
the cold title of The Long Pack"
Does that mean 8 long pack OF cards ?
inquired a traveller, glancing at th'
swinging signboard, which also repre-
sented the weatherworn picture Of some
thing family resembling a soldiers over
grown knapsack.
-"No," replied the gray-haired land
lord. 1t means pedder's pack Now
adays tSey call them sanple-cases.
believe" pointing to the baggage of sew
eral commercial drummers that stood il
a corner. You zee, have a good dea
of that sort of custom. try to max,
the road hoys' as comfortable as pos
si5le, for | was little too hard on td,
fraternity once"
"How was tiat2
"Well," !" said the mountain Boniface
who had waited until bis daughter, s
bux ,m matron, had left the room, "i
ain { very pleasant story, but | like to
tell it sometimes, just to remind myself
that the worst thing man can have in
this world is hot, obstinate temper
You see came to this coast soon after
the gold fever hroke oIt, and settled
down in the Santa Barbara valley, below W
here, ranching. | was widower even
then, and had brought with me from the
states my only child, q dsughteT, past
IT, She was pretty girl 1t do say it,
and being as good as pretty. you can i'm.
agine I was quite wrapped up in her. Of
course was anxious to keep her with
me, and if not that, at least looked for
ber to do something better than to fall
in love with peddler."
sand did she 2"
"Yes; you see, in those days, the
country was full of young fellows who
had struck out for themselves and were
trying to get start by carrying knick-
knacks around from one town or mining
camp to another. Some Of them we're
lively chaps enough and well educated.
but / was fresh from the states with all
the eastern prejudices, and it almost
drove me mad when Nellie told me she
wanted to marry young fellow who
brought his pack through our district
great deal oftener than The trade seemed
to require. l was hot-tempered fool
in those days, so stormed, threatened,
locked Nellie up for a week and sent
word to ber lover that hal loaded my
gun for wildcats and peddlsrs." :"
"What did Nellie do2"
"You might bavc guessed it, stranger.
Oae day when came back from a cattle
sale she was missing. / chased her q
couple OF days, but they had taken to
The tall timber and it was no use. After
awhile ! got letter from Frisco, ana l
wrote back saying that | disowned her.
and that he had better keep out OF the
range of my deer rifle"
"What did you do then ?"
Suffered, mister-just suffered. Il
knew was wrong, but I'd have died
rather than give in. For four years l
lived like a toad in a rock, hating the
whole world. All the pleasure had was
in watching for peddlers. The number
chased off the ranch during that time
would astonish you. One evening after
a terrible rainstorm, one of the tribe
came to my house and asked for shelter
for the night He was thin, weak look
ing fellow, with his face covered by q
huge, ragged beard. He carried on his
back an enormous long and heavy pack,
and seemed so exhausted with his tramp
through the mire that hadn the heat
to do more than order him of the place. ;"
"That was pretty hard" said the list
ener
IL suppose it was. The ?eddler seemed
all broke up when he found | wouldn't
even give him bunch of straw Ia the
stable. and no other house within twelve
miles. Instead of complsnIng, how
ever, be merely begged that would let
him leave bis pack, which he said con-
tanned goods OF value, under shelter
from the rain. l finally consented to
this. So, as | hal sworn one of his
trade should never cross nv threshold,
carried his pack inside, while its owner
Iimped Of 10 crawl under acme bush or
other"
Didn't you feel me ?"
"Yes; mean AMI bitter at the same
me, for something about the nan re.
minded me of N allies husband a little.
However l locked and barred all the
doors and windows as usual, for some
road agents bad been around those parts
about that time, and had stood no and
robbed several ranchers; and, as | told
you, was all alone. Somehow couldn't
go 10 sleep when, after thai, l went to
bed. After tossing around for awhile
got up AID sat by the FIRE, brooding over
my trouble and trying not to think OF the
poor devil shivering out there In the
cold and rain somewhere. / looked at
his pack sitting up in the corner and
wondered what made it so long. As !
watched it fancied | saw it moye."
"Saw il mover"
"Exactly. wouldn't believe my eyes
at first, hut after watching intently for a
while, distinctly saw the print OF a
band pressed sgsiust the canvass from
the inside. Like fash then l under
stood the whole thing. The peddler was
one of the road agents gang, aud,
kno wing had considerable money about
the house, they bad adopted that plan
for smuggling one OF their crew inside
of the house. After had gone to sleep,
the fellow inside could let in the rest and
finish the Job. walked quietly across