Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-04-16
TUE GRAKDrATHERy STORY,

our bank, b state OF the counsry Whe
far less cafe than ID is now. Tho roads
were not only unconscious OF macsdam,
and fatal in many places to wheels and
springs, but dangerous to q still more
alarming degree from the ontrages ard
robberies 60 which travellers were eH'
posed
Mems minds were unsettled by the
incidents OF the wal on which we q
! 81 entered-commerce was interrupt-
/. ed,credit was st an end, and distress
began to be discovered among whole
classes Of the population who had hith-
erto lived in comfort. However harsh
" the law was administered IT seemed
70 have nc terror for the evil-doer, and,
indeed, the undiscerning cruelty Of the
statute book defeated it's W object by
Furnishing ell crimes alike. But a time
Of pecuniary pressure is not a bad time
for a bank.
The house fourished though the
country was in greatstraits and the enor-
nous profits realized at that time by
bankers-which enabled them to pur-
chase large estates and outshine the old
territorial aristocracy-made the pro-
fession as unpopular among the higher
classes as it had been among the I'M
reasonable masses. BY them a banker
was looked upon as u sort OF licensed
forger, who created enormous sums OF
money by merely signing square pieces
OF fiimsy paper; and I am persuaded the
robbery of a bank would have been con-
sidered by many people quite as meri-
t4rious an action as the dispersal OF q
band Of coiners.
These, however, we're not the senti-
ments Of Us bankers clerks. We felt
that we belonged to a mighty corpora
ton on whose good will depended the
prosperity of half the farms in the n
try. We considered ourselves the ex-
ecutive government, and carried on the
business Of the office with a dignity and
pride that would have fitted us for sec
r~etaries of state. We used even to walk
the streets with a braggadocia air, as if
our pockets were loaded with gold and If
two of Us hired q gig for q country ex-
Cursion, we pretended TO o tkunder the
driving seat as if to see TO the safety ct
~ineonceiyable amounts of money; os-
tentatiously displaying u pistols to
show that we were determined to defend
our treasure or die. Not seldom these
precautions we're required in reality,
f.. for when a pressure fer gold occurred
among our customers, two of the most
courageous of the clerks we're dispatched
with the required amount in strong
leathern bags deposited under the seat
Of the gig, which bags they were to
guard at the risk of their lives. Wheth-
er from the bodily strength l was gifted
with or from some idea that | was not
given to Boosting, / might really possess
tbs necessary amount of boldness,
don't know, but / was often selected as
one of the guards TO q valuable cargo Of
this description, and Is if to show an
impartiailty between the most silent and
the most talkative of their servants, the
partner united with me in this service
the most clustering, boastful, good.
hearted and loud voiced young gentle
man ] had even known.
You have most of you heard of th,
famous electioneering orator, Tom Rud
die, who stood at every vacancy iol
county and borough, and passed hi,
whole life, between the elections, L
c~anvassing for himself and friends
Tom Ruddle was my fellow clerk, anC
generally the companicr of my drives
in charge Of treasure. What woulC
you do" / said to Tom, Gin case W,
we're attacked" "Tell We what" saiC
Tom, with whom that was q favorit,
way of beginning almost every sentence
"Tell ye what I'll shoot 'em through
the head"
"Then you expect there will be NOR,
than one?n
II should think So" said Tom. II
there was only one I'd jump out of th'
gig and give him o precious licking
Tel ye what 'twould be q proper pun
ishment for his impertinence."
"And il a half dozen should try it?"
"Shoot EN- ALL" Never was Their,
such a determined custodian as the gal
liant Tom Ruddle.
One cold December evening we wer,
suddenly sent off in charge of thre'
bags of coin to be delivered into Gus
toners hands within ten or lively,
miles Of the town. The clear, frosty SKI
was exhilarating, u courage was exeit
cd by the speed of the motion, the dig
nifty of our responsible Office, and a pan
of horse pistols which lay across the
apron. "Tell We WHAT" said Tom, TAX.
ing up one of the pistols and (as 1 after.
ward found full cooking it. II should
rather like to meet a few robbers. ]
should serve them as / did those three
disbanded soldiers" "How wa that p
"Ohl it's as we'll, said Tom, pretending
TO grow very serious, to say nothing
about these unfortunate accidents
Blood is a frightful thing on the con-
science, and bullet through a fellow il
q ~disagreeable sight; but-ten ye whs.
I'D do il again. Fellows who risk
their lives must take their chance, my
boy !
And here Tom put the other pistol
on full cock and looked a~udacionsly on
both sides Of the road, as if daring the
lurking murderers to come forth and
receive the reward of their crimes. As
10 the story of the soldiers and the fear
full insinuations Of o bloody deed exc
cuted on one or all, it was a prodigious
rhodomontade-for Tom was such 9
tender-hearted individual that il he had
sho. . kitten il would have made him
unhappy fora week. But, to hear him
talk, you wonld have taken him for 4
civic Richard the Third-one who had
a Their pity, love nor fear.
Ills whiskers were also very ferocious
and suggestive Of battle, murder and
run. SO he went on playing with hi.
pistol, and giving himself out for an an.
plying executioner OF vengeance on tn,