Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-16
A NIGHT In A STAGE COACH

penetrated further west than Marshall
town, and Des Moines was yet looking anx-
iously towards the east watching for the
first rail to enter that then small city in the
Far West" Few of the young folks of
this generation ever saw stage coach,
what a perfect engine of torture that an
Gent institution is for making every inch
of its victims-those who were compelled
to travel in it-ache, yet stage coaches were
the only means of travelling in the western
country twenty years ago Indeed l often
think it must be the guardian angel of
travelling agents that invented the sleeping
car.
True, a thorough bred travelling agent
can witness the most outrageous freaks of
mother earth, in field, flood, storm or rail-
way, with an exalted philosophy that
amounts TO patience. Still when scrutin-
ize them as class, particularly their piety,
and see how much the past generation
have abused them, in compelling them to
travel on stage coaches, then l am reluct-
antlY forced to recognize the hand of
Heaven in bringing forth the palace car for
the special convenience of those children of
sanctity! P. S.-Modesty is a prominent
trait in travelling men, distance and nom
deplume hide my bushes.
Council Bluffs at the time l write was a
struggling little town of one street. The
particular period of my visit was on fair
week, the hotels were crowded, and every
travelling man knows that on such occa-
sions it is useless to attempt to sell goods,
store keepers are too busy. So determined
to run down TO st. Joe, transact my bust
ness there, return when the fair was over
and finish my business in Council Bluffs.
The stage was to start after supper; the
one l rode in was full, containing seven
men and one woman, entirely unknown to
each other.
The sun was just dipping below the hori-
zon as we rolled cut on the prairie road
leading to st. Joe. Nature seemed to be
taking a rest, so calm did all things appear.
Nothing broke the quiet harmony of the
scene, made still more attractive by a west
ern sunset, except once in a while the
gee up" of the driver and the crack of his
long whip, which caused the horses to
jump forward and add increased torture to
the passengers by reason of the sudden
jerk of the coach, arouse a few prairie
chickens who whirled past US, one of them
perhaps mother who just left its brood, to
meet its death by coming in contact with
telegraph wire.
I sometimes have thought that stage
coaches were a materialized off-shoot of the
southern plague called backbone fever, and
that the aches and pains that resulted from
a nights ride on one was but the necessary
ordeal to reduce all men to perfect equal
ity, so as TO produce the social good-fellow-
ship which cannot be equaled in any sphere
of misery. Indeed to ride in a stage coach
is to get most friendly acquaintance with
its occupants, so that it did not take us
long, on this occasion, to be in perfect good
standing with one another.
AS we had an all night ride before us,
sleep being out of question, it was mutu-
ally agreed that each one would. to while
away the hours, tell a story. l was called
upon to, metaphorically, preside over the
"meetin" and preserve order with the
privilege of calling on who should amuse
the audience" In the further corner of
the stage, from where l sat, was dark
visaged man about IS years of age his hair
was long and black, his eyes were keen,
dark and penetrating, he wore a long
Southern goatee, and would be considered
remarkable man in any company, but
one who by his silence, PARKWAY look and
Indifference to what was going on about
him, gave evidence of some mysterious
event in his life over which he was brood
ing, this influenced me in calling upon our
romantic looking companion for the first
story.
After some hesitancy and complaint, on
being the first to be called on, he related
the following, which designate the
HURpERERs WIFE.
Nellie McNab, was beautiful creature,
who lived in the interior town of F.,
Galloway county, Mo-, just previous to the
late war. She was native of the place;
young, innocent, and with but little worldly
experience, she felt none of the excite
ment that agitated that section of the coun-
try at the period referred to, and known as
the Kansas border warfare; indeed she
was too busy with more blissful employ
ment, at least to young folks, OF following
her heart in its wanderings after Frank
Gilmore, young and handsome mechanic,
that came from the East a few years be-
fore, and found employment in the to-
bacco factory located in the suburbs of the
town.
Nellie's people were of old Southern
stock proud of their family record, rich for
the locality and holding prominent posi-
ton in that section of the State. This,
with Nellie's beauty, made her local belle
that brought numerous offers of marriage
to her, to all of whom she answered no.
Frank Gilmore was a Northern man,
added to his being a mechanic, caused
Eellie's people to look down upon him and
not to regard him as a suitable match for
her, hence her affection for Frank was not
encouraged by any of her family This
made Nellie more ardent in return for the
warm, earnest love that Frank laid at her
feet.
Frank was a Union man, which at that
time was sufficient to socially ostracise
Of hot
hence all knowlege of the secret working
of the Knights of the Golden Circle-that
had its network all over the then proud
boast of the people of Gallo
way county, 1.-The South Carolina of
Missouri was carefully kept from Nellie
her people knowing well that secrets be-
tween lovers are difficult TO keep.
Time sped on, the spring of 81 came,
and with it the rumblings of coming
trouble, but TO Nellie and Frank all things
seem peaeeable. The war cloud that hung
view by the beautiful curtains of their
Young love, behind which they walked in
blissful innocence.
In the midst of this condition of SEEM
ing peace, and while the caldron of sec
tional passions was on the eve of rain
ing destruction on the entire country,
Frank led Nellie to the altar of God where
for good or Ill their fortunes were united
The young men of the town wished
them joy, but with ill-suPpressed dIsap-
pointment. on account of the belle of the
district being taken from them by the
doubly Objectionable fellow, mechanic
and a Union man.
Her parents reluctantly gave their con-
sent but by their actions visibly relegated
her to the position of loved one who mar
ried beneath her station, and to hated
Union man." But Nellie and Frank
were bappv. and saw not the dark clouds
that lowered over their destiny
The war of passions which separated
section from section, brother from brother,
and marked line east and west from the
Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, soon in
yaded F. Lincoln was seated in the
Presidential chair, followed by the firing on
Fort Sumter. When the news reached
F.. all pretensions of secrecy were
~ -o1,,,, aside mon smoke ont old muSketS