Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-06-11
ROBBING THE STAGE.

ROBBING THE STAGE.
The four-horse mud -wagon, called
by commonconsenta stage, which ran
between Bokey's and Loytown, was
crawling up the long grade which cork
screwed around to the summit of Pilot
Knob. 1t was necessary to do this
in order that good preparatory start
might be had for the succeeding rat.
fling 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 EN-,
boys the sweating horses started to
invest igate 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 outward toward
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 thu grade.
Suddenly the chaparral bushes by
the roadside slightly parted, and
long shining black object was waved
over them toward the stage. A shad-
owy figure rose in the moonlight
among the bushes and from behind
black veil, which smothered the voice
somewhat, came the hoarse command
of:
''Stop! Stop!'
Black Pete hurriedly pushed his foot
heavily down upon the brake, reached
down into the bottom OF tho stage,
pulled out the express box, and threw
It into the road, mutterlng:
'Cuss We, take it''
The restless horses immediately
plunged away into the shadows of the
forest
"Wa-was that q highwayman?'
gasped a passenger who sat by the
drivers side.
"In course it was," answered Pete;
"didn't yer see Their shooting iron?
Thar goes Il cool thousand dollars, as
knows on. You bet ther boysll be
out arter him tonight ! shouldn't
wonder il tl.at war old Bart himself.
He's q cool one, he is. He always
S,hnntc, ],ic y,,o,,+h ~ ~
Leaves it in the box when he gets
through with it. Didn't yer motto.
how level he hold that thar shooting
iron right toward me?'
The lights OF Logtown now glistened
below them, and few turns OF the
corkscrew brought the stage up to the
hotel porch, where it stopped with a
loud ""hoa!' from Pete.
1t was little, cramped-up, heller
SHELTER mining town among the Slerras.
One need not rise early in Scars Hole
to see the sun rise, for he will not see
it if he does. Old Sol is never visible
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 hole between the
surrounding peaks. And yet they act
ually had telephone connecting them
with the outside world.
The denizens OF Scars Hole were not
given to an indulgence in business com.
munications with the great CONNER
cial centers, bat their telephone was
the means OF preventing many OF the
inhabitants from spending the remain
der of their earthly days at the insane
asylum. Every evening when the
echoing OF the booming blasts and1he
thud OF the pick had ceased in the
half-dozen mining claims surrounding
the camp the wearied, lonely miners
gathered at the little cabin in which
was placed the telephone and gave
vent to their pent-up feelings by, not
a free fight, but by a free interchange
Of gossip with the residents of the
camps above and below them on the
line OF the wire.
Such was their inborn detestation
OF any man who followed any pursuit
which did not require active labor
with his hands and such was their
chivalric devotion to thefair sex, that
the management OF their part OF the
telephone was given to a young lady
by the name Of Frances Goldsmith
On the afternoon of June 20, 1880,
Miss Frank, as she was usually called,
sat in the little telephone Office wait
ing for thenightly crowd of manly COS.
sipers to come in.
ats too bad" she cried impetuous-
iy, "for Charley to work down in that
old hole in the ground all winter, and
then sell out for paltry Thousand.
And he s doing it just so he can be
married this summer" and pretty
little wave OF blood swept over the
sweet neck and face. "He shan't do
it. j Charley don't know anything
about q mine, and he might have a
3 little bonanza and not know it, So,
"Hello, Frank, ,, shouted smother
Cd voice close to her ear; "are you
there YETI" g.. e I'll
Frances jumped to her feet and ran
y TO the telephone. .s
Dear me, Ileft the receiver hang.
ing down, and they could not ring the
bell A 4 "a. ..7
She put it to her ear and shouted
q back through tho transmitter: