The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-08-25

and dimming in the dingy air. As un-
usual volley of oaths from the boz,
cracking of whips, shouting, and then
the sto opping of the coach with a lurce
startled us out of our qujst. Then
shout from Tom as he spoke to his
cattle, ani voice, ringing like bugle,
was heard from the rocks above.
"Come, none o. that! Make straight
haul for ii, - you! Throw off that box
Lively now! Put up your hands an get
down. Every ons of you, get down"
Sorrowfully, we oheyed. The descrip-
tion the professor had given, a few hours
before, of our probable sensations, was
exactly true. pair of six shooters, hel !
in the hands of stalwart man, whose
face was partly concealed bya black
mask, hastened our descent, and in @
momsnt, we found ourselves ranged in
line, with our hands above oar heads,
meek, unhappy cowed group. AZ one
end of the line stood Tommy, swearing
savagely at his luck; at the other stood
| the colonel, cool, i'm passive, dignified con-
| fident in the security OF his treasure. The
| last to descend was the widow, but
widow no longer, for out of the coach
| there sprang an active young fellow, OF
slender but sinewy build, smooth shavep,
dressed in the conventional garb of
western rider and carrying in his hand a
nickle- plated six-shootar. And this was
Mrs. Smith, who did not speak English.
Any one standing near the Judge at that
time might have heard an exclamation,
both forcible and profane. The "widow'
heard il, for with little laugh he Tor she)
touched his fingers to his lips, and said
/ Hush, Judge! that's cussin', and yod
draw the line there, you know"
And then he proceeded to search the
pockets of his fellow travellers, as IL 1t
were very commonplace affair, which it
certainly was not, and relieve them OF
their valuables, his associate keeping
guard meantime. Down the line he went,
doing his work quickly bat carefully, but
before he was done the other began to
grow impatient.
"Hurry mp, Jim!" he said; "ain't you
most throughS We're late"
"Arl done, but this one" said Jim, the
quandam widow, a. he halted before the
colonel; "he's got four thousand dollars
se~ed plum in his shirt. / reckon I'll
have to rip the old coon open to git It."
Saying which, he drew his knife, and with
a quick movement, as if 10 disembowel
he colonel, slipped the point through
!. his clothing, and with wrench pulled
out the package.
Sorry to trouble You, gents," said the
= larger man, bowling politely, "but won'
detain you much longer, fur know you
want to ge. to Leadville. / hope this ole
|, gentleman" pointing to the rent in th'
, coloneIs dress, won't take cold. Ii,
, must be caretul-good men are scarce
: The colonel sncrted. "You will kindly
, stand Just where you are till give tn,
? word. Ths-. ia a few friends of min,
. a-lookin' at Us from them rocks, and
!. really wouldn't move very much il wa
, you--I really wouldn't, fur their guns ii
. all hair-t,Iggers an dreadful liable to g.
Off You won't move, now, will you?
We would not! Wild horses could no
q have dragged Us from that spot, for up ii
. | the rocks we fancied we could see tw
a shining barrels, aimed truly at us, and W
II were really anxious to remain quite. Be
!. fore we knew ii we were alone; orr ne'
4 acauaintauc,s hae vanished in the dusk
and an instant later we heard the sam
| voice, ringing out above Us:
K "Git into the coach, now git.'
|. And we got.
ia But We were no longer the cheerfr
party we had been. Outside We coul
r hear Tommy swearing all sorts of ne
Il and exuberant oaths, at himself, the CON
- pauy, the mules, the coach, and the roa
n agents. Inside not word was spoke
r until the Judge, STOPPING down, lifte
- into view the black skirt that the forme
\, widow had worn. A sad smile stol
v over his face aud he whispered mourn
~ fully;
Boys, it's just sheol?"