The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-10-23

able mishap. thompson, the driver be-
| fore mentioned-a tall, lank fellow
had gotten, by purchase, cajolery, or APP
! preparation, n bottle of aguardiente from
one of the Mexican drivers, and before
any one knew of it, Thompson was up
roariously, boisterously, abusively drunk.
The occasion was one to warrant more
| than usual lenience, and much forbear-
ance was displayed toward the man.
Finally, however, he came to where the
women and children sat awaiting the
start, and insolently ordered lady to
prepare fresh breakfast for him. My
! father came to us, and tried to lead him
away, when Thompson sprang upon him
and hurled him backward to the very
brink of the salt well, some fifty feet
deep. Thompson was more than six feet
tall; my father below the average height
of men; but the smaller man held his
own, and was even forcing his antagon-
list away from the well, when Thompson
reached to his hip and drew his cooked
revolver. The women screamed, the men
came runnng--but from too far away.
do not remember thinking the matter
out; l fancy my legs acted in advance
of my Juvenile brain; but it appeared
moment for decisive action, and 1
dashed forward, wrested the pistol from
the drunken grasp, and was back again
with the weapon tucked under the buff
| falo-robe | sat upon, before the foremost
man reached the struggling pair.
rode into Cienegas with that pistol be-
meath the cushion of my seat in the
coach; | presume that it was ultimately
returned to Thompson.
That worthy was unceremoniously
bundled into one of the carretas. Prior
to that time Thompson had been tenn
perate while in our employ; but that one
lapse seemed to break down his self
control. He drank hard, and his con-
duct became so intolerable that he was
discharged at Durango. He hung about
the old plateau city for several weeks,
insisting upon re cmplOyment, and being
refused, he vowed, with savage impreca
tions, to wreak his vengeance upon my
father by means of his family. Much as
we shrank from his uncouth roughness,
we children had been much impressed
by the quaint turns of Thompson
speech, and many of his pictures que
idloms are household words in our ma
turer years.
l know man whom l seem to
see always in two-fold character. He
is handsome. of rare social gifts, com
posed, accomplished, debonair, YER
satile; a dawdler on silken cushions,
the idol of women, and given to pos
ing -lazily-as a squire of danes.
happen to have trodden at a later day,
the ground of his lawless youth, and
b l., ~ IL,
sternation among the fair if they knew
the record of his life as | know it.
Watching his languid repose in correct
parlor precincts, or sardonically contem-
plating the eagerness of his reception in
gay party of dancers, picture him in
my fancy as the hero of Il certain mad
ride out of San Antonio dc BcXar, be-
fore 4 crowd who clamored for his life {;
| seem to see him in the street of iron
tier town, facing a score of men, with
three corpses, lifeless through his hand,
lying at his feet; | remember what his
whilom comrade told me of this mans
GOODNESS and desperate courage, as he
knelt all one long summer day, loading
and firing across his brothers body
one OF the little group besieged by In
dams on the Staked Plains. But keep
his counsel Even the urgency of two
women-his mother and she who owns
his allegiance-has wroung from me no
account of his life in lands unquiet. For
a while his eyes cleaned strong di strust
of my discretion, but at last my reticencC
won his confidence and faith. We were
driving one day across the wide, bare
plains in one of our southern countries,
when, in answer to some satirical pre-
diction Of spinstcrhood in pcnance fol-
my whims, said
"Pray, don't say that; you Olsen
courage me"
A shadow drifted across his face; hi:
voice was several tones lower when he
said:
do you mind telling me where YOU
found that word. You use it often, bu
never heard it from another person save
one"
Nor I. And assure you use it il
bravado largely, for with every utter
of the word feel the shadow of a darl
cloud of fear that has hung over me 70
years"
lie turned to look at me.
"You afraid OF whatl You handle
mice, and dead snakes, and a gun a
: readily as do. What else, then, doe
a woman fear}'
"No, but indeed I meant it. 1 an
, miserably able ctly-afraid of one man
l And then | told him, briefly and sketch
! lily, OF our adventure at the salt well
and my subsequent, ever present terro
= of the man Thompson, When l ha'
f finished, he looked absently at the dis
, tant mountains, with strained look il
r his blue eyes, and his face, for all tn
heat, was pallid.
C ''Do you remember your drivers give
= name"
1 ~ think-yes, Al.
n "Tall, you say-'slabsided,' with
C crease down the point of his nose. An
C popularity of gait?"
"ie leaned upon his left foot; and h
had fashion of hitchiug up his trousers
: sailorwise.'
S Il hope never to recall that scene,
d words, - sand the man at my side; "bl
r you are a loyal woman, and would