Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-05-12

20 convenient size and pierced IL with Q saddlerS
/ kerchef he padded the cork and tied IL securely
There" he said to the disconsolate mother, u
think that win work. once raised litter OF pup
The lady. who had smiled rather hopelessiy Of
this cumorous device, anxiously watched the IN
| withstanding that the beans were getting cold
/ looked on with almost as much interest An ex-
preston Of coRts5tmsnt graduay stole over the
| tire approval Then the mother gave the child a
/ quick, delighted hug, and with little, low laugh
said. but this time her voice trembled: "You are
\ so kindi How can thank your
But he only replied with an amused smile, and
tnstinctiyely, though carelessly, lifting HIS hat
he went back 10 his supper OF cold pork and beans
while the eyes behind the veil followed him with
| a look OF increasing surprise and curiosity
The stage when 1t left City OF Rocks, was twenty
| minutes late. Bnt the Jack-rabbits which laid
back their ears and scudded at It's approach found
| II no mean rfyal that afternoon.
"ll bet ten dollars he makes It up afore he g1ts
! 70 stoney Greek, and not turn a hair" said the
70 70 himself Then after further
he added In more reckless tone ..rl bet ten DOL
lars ne makes IL up afore he gifts 20 Dick Days
either OF these generous propositions he shook his
head and remarked confdentially sThere amt
many x,a copper tne lieutenant, now II you year
nor OF the mousse City OF Rocks left once more
to the hot silence OF its fantastic stones.
Tho ann w,. -, ...
Jamestown stage approached the fye-mile grade
winch led down 10 stoney Creek. The air was
growing COOL The RABBITS, looking Ike sage
bushes IN motion, fitted about in the twilight A
colony OF prairie owls posting themselves at inter-
Vals along the road, accompanied the intruding
Vel, Venice through their territory the head OF the
line rising as the stage drew near and gravely fly
Ing down TO take station at the foot, until, the
danger departed, they solemnly withdrew. Down
tue grade the stage went, with the driver on the
brake and the horses trottng loosely in their har-
ness UNTIL with mai jolt and lurch, they fetched
up on the bank OF Stoney Greek. The driver
out or the boot, proceeded TO water his horses.
The elderly passenger emerged from the stage
Sr, MIN ca n cup; ana sG0oping up some OF the
stream, CALAMITY took 1t 10 the lady inside
Then, helping himself. he said TO the driver with
81 Iedge you've been making up time. Ye
herded 'em along pretty lively down that grade. :"
The Lieutenant nodded his head. The position
In which he found himself had responsibilities
that discouraged sociabllity. Going TO the other
side or the stage, he got out his overcoat and put
II on IL was garment made Of rough, blue
cloth, long and voluminous, with q cape that came
10 the waist Quietly slipping his revolver from
Its holster, he put IL in narrow pocket in the lin
for the purpose, dispensed with the ostentatious
and cumbrOus method OF betting the pistol on out
side. These preparations for the night completed,
ne mounted 10 MS place and made the usual warn
''If you don't mind, pard," said the passenger,
"Ili ride outside for ways, and give the lady
81 don't mind" said the lieutenant, and the ell
derry stranger climbed laboriously TO his side.
The horses hoOfs splashed and the stage wheels
crunched their way through the stream while the
water fretted ana foamed Mostly about the wet
fetlocks and through the cleaned spokes Then
hOof5 and wheels came out on the soft bank, and
the stage sped silently along the damp bottom
land Dark forms shaped themselves into cotton
wood trees and alder bushes, and dissolved again
into the darkness, while the fresh odor OF the
earth and growing things scented the cool night
air
Have a drink" said the passenger, socially,
drawing out bottle.
mo, thank YOU" said the lieutenant, 81 don't
drink on the box"
"Right you are!' said his companion; swell,
here's luck! You h'aint ben long on the line,
take 1T"
NO." said the lieutenant.
81 was up In this section couple o. years ago.
continued the passenger, "and kinder thought
didn't rec1ect your face. It's fine country up
yere, but IL amt as fine country as some I've
seem was you ever up around Sin-e-ah-qua-teen?p
No, the lieutenant had never been to Sin-e-ah-
qua-teen.
'.well SIR" continued the passenger. enthusiast
tcally, "thats nne country, and a mighty
curious one, too; the curiousestI ever seen Me
an my partner was in there one summer and
day, when we struck up along the PendOreilIe. we
got into seven feet or snow. When We got down
into kootenai. along Pack River. they was taking
out a heap o gold. Then we struck SC. Mary's
river, and, gentlemen! / never did see sech a
place FOR nsh. All them rivers rise in lakes.
st saS an with old the HUDSON s
nigh on TO forty year, that they never had
found no bottom TO the lakes And nsh! Whew!
1 throwed In ny and could see hundreds o. fish,
four and i've pounds big, Jest race fer It, Me and
my pardner stayed there a week and had right
pleasant time, only fer little talk that started
and ended up In some right smart shooting Six
fellows got killed and a lot more wounded They
was gamblers mostly. and they made IL up to 90
out SIX agn SIX, at Ten PAGES, with their reviewers
They didn't keer nowaya laid on In the bush
and watched them. They started out as quiet as
I'D go out 10 cut rails, and stood up as straight as
50 many snipe. Them fellows had heaps OF sand
didn't see ne'er a pistol-barrel shake i could
tell by their physiogs that there was a woman at
the bottom OF IT. There was some women along
with the outnt, and l says to one OF them after
ward, says /: We've got TO bury these we're dead
men IL seems sort o. rough that so many healthy
fellows should go under OF a sudden, now don't NJ?
Ana she says: Yes; women makes a power O,
trouble sometimes And I'm burned ef she warn't
right. Tho III agree that there are times when
don't happen 10 be married. do your
o~N No said the Lieutenant beginning to be
panion, ''rm not married"
The stage had commenced to ascend the grade
on the other side OF stony Creek The road
WOUND 20 up through canon or guich In the bot
IL was long. tedious pull to the top OF the mesa
and the horses had 10 take their time 70 1t. Not
wlthStandng that a thin line OF light on the brow
OF distant mountain signalled that the moon had
risen, IL was very dark In the canon; so dark that
although the Lieutenant kept peering ahead Of the
horses, he could not but a little more than a
bend Of the winding road family defined by the
denser obscurlty on each side OF IT. The passenger
himself, Notwithstanding his steady flow of talk
seemed affected by the surrounding gloom and
maintained an alert gaze upon the side OF the
road
'You see, he continued, 81 had wife myself
onSe, so know something about women picked
her up In Frisco, and just about six months after
lost $50 900 In the Frazer River excitement Then
come up we're, and laid out ranch on Mud River.
But my wife, she got sick, and 1 spent ali the
money had left In taking her down agin, and
In doctoring. Well, sir, when she died. ana
i came back yere with the little fellows
found my ranch gone plumb to the devil
Six inches or snow on the ground and the
little fellows barefoot, and not a dollar
in my pocket, and nothing to eat. was blue. I
tell you, pard IL ever a man were blue. was Ihat
man. just TUX on my hat and throwed it on the
ground, and looked all around. But didn't throw
UP no sponge. tux TO splittin' rails and inside
OF a month sold I'm 10 the Guv'ment at the Sahat-
In Agency, and cleaned up hundred dollars. I'm
dom tolable well now, the country round my
ways gittin settled up. Pears ike Oregon's spit
tin all her webfeet into that section. got my
eye on some o. these yere immigrants, and IN pick
up another wife some day, young un about six
teen, that kin larn. I'm purity good on the
physioy don't want no widows, they're larnt
all ready TO yer hand, but they know too damned
much"
The lieutenant laughed and spoke to his horses
which were showing q FESTIVE disfnclination to
proceed They were almost at the top OF the
grade now. clump OF scrub-oaks at the head of
tne canon was In sight. The shadows here were
very dense by contrast with the moonlight, which
lay In the open beyond. II was at these shadows
that the hoses were pricking their ears The
lieutenant cracked his whip over the upruly ant
mails, but as he did so, he looked sharply In the
direction OF the oaks Was not something moving
there? or was IL the moonlight shadows playing
their usual tricks on highly strung nerves? Then
he remembered that there a no undar