The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-06-18

49, NNsSe ' sVA1-eH...t.
That Beautiful Land OF Nod,
ELLA Wheeler Wilcox.
ROBBING THE STAGE
The four-horse mud-wagon, called
by commonconsenta stage, which rar
between Bokey's and Logtown, wa
crawling up the long grade which cork
screwed around to the summit OF Pilot
Knob. It was necessary to do this
] order that agood preparatory start
might be had for the succeeding rat
thing plunge down the other corkscrew
road which lead to Lostown.
The stage crawled slowly up to the
top of the hill, and Black Pete, the
driver, settled his foot firmly on the
brake-strap, and with a "scat 'em,
boys" the sweating horses started to
investigate the almost invisible road
below them on q keen gallop.
Round and round the rapidly vary
ing road the stage and passengers
whirled, sometimes losing sight OF the
horses around the sharp turns and
again Slowing sharply outwardtoward
the dangerous edge of the canon which
yawned below them. The sun was
down and the moon was painting
weird shadows on the powdered dust
of the grade.
Suddenly the chaparral bushes by
the roadside slightly parted, and a
long shining black object was waved
over them toward the stage. A ehad-
owy figure rose in the moonlight
among the bushes and from behind a
black veil, which smothered the voice
somewhat, came the hoarse command
OF:
stop! Stop"
Black Pete hurriedly pushed hisfoot
heavily down upon the brake, reached
down into the bottom of the stage,
pulled out the express box, and threw
It into the road, muttering:
"Cuss we, take itn
The restless horses Immediately
plunged away into the shadows Of the
forest.
"Wa-was that a highwayman?''
.gasped a passenger who sat by the
drivers side.
4'In coursei it was" answered Pete;
"didn't yer seq Their shooting-iron?
Thar goes q cool thousand dollars, as
knows on. You bet ther boys'll be
out arter him tonight. / shouldn't
wDnderif that war old Bart himself.
Hes q cool one, he is. He always
shoots his mouth off in some potry.
Leaves it in the box when he gets
through with it. Didn't yer notice
how level he held that thar shooting.
iron right toward me?"
The lights of Logtown now glistened
below them, and a few turns OF the
corkscrew brought the stage up to the
hotel porch, whore it stopped with a
loud 'Whoa!" from Pete.
=
1t was q little, cramped.up, heller
skelter miningtown amongthe Slerras.
One need not rise early in Scars Hole
to e the sur rise, for he will not see
Ho NVOc. pOiu Jul 40 AcScI tASIOlc
there until 10 in the morning. The
rough, picturesque cabins, looking for
all the world like dilapidated dice
thrown at random from the box, were
built deep down in a hole between the
surrounding peaks. Andyett they act
Mally had q telephone connecting them
with the outside world.
The denizens of Scars Hole werenot
gwen to an indulgence in business com
munlcations with the great CONNER
cial centers, but their telephone was
the means OF preventing many Of the
tnhabitantstr from spending the remain
dor Other earthly days at the insane
asylum. Every evening when the
echoing OF n booming blasts and the
thud OF tho pick had ceased in the
half-dozen mining claims surrounding
tho camp the wearied, lonely miners
gathered At the little cabin in which
Nas placed tho telephone and gave
vent to their Pent-up feelings by, not
2 free hght, put by . free nterchange
OF gossip with the residents OF the
camps above and below them on the
Ane OF tne WIRE:
Such was their Unborn detestation
9, any man who followed any pursuit
which dll MOI require active labor
with his hands and such was their
ehlvaar,c 20 sneiaar sex, that
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