New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-03
THE WIDOW OF SMITH.
AN ADVENTURE IN CALIFORNIA.

With a motion that is best described by saying IL
was diagonal, though in fact IT was hoe sdin,
at all One moment we found ourselves sndins
toward the foremost corner on the LETT, us ,no
wheel on that side dropped heavily INTO sU,I5
almost bottomleSs hole; the next instant we w. b
he dying with pleasant unanlmlty through on n
rear window the right, ana again, Seeh h. .b
force an outlet through the roof or hoor but ,hc
resultant of these notions put together a.uVodj
and divided. is most nearly described by the word
diagonal and so-diagonal IT Is. -, g..
All five of the passengers were rlai ai iS' and
IL was a dav in November-cold and Cloudy anu
light snow was spasmodcally falling, as IL really
uncertain whether to stop or go on ou., on h .
whole rather in favor OF going on IL oeins ar
acteristic of Western habits never TO give up any
thing for any cause whatever, once III 10 posuni.
So While seat outside just at that time was oettI I
than no seat at ALL it was by no means 30 uesi"Oi
Th s road we were to traverse led through the
mountains of Colorado from the mining camp VI
Greenwood though why Greenwood nond cal It
was fairly good wheeling, as that word Is u I I'll
stood in the Rockies but SIX stout mules nau az.
they could do TO manage the coach one Inol MN.
tbeyy were groaning and straining up some steep
Sncline the next fairly lifted from their feet as We
dashed furiousy down a hill, our speed o my
partially checked by the brake which Tommy 'ho
driver would franticaly apply. , . .,o cant
Every one in the West has title OF some sor,;
no matter whether he has right TO II or nqo anu
The five men in the coach were known as ons ~ ~
mel The major the judge, the doctor, anu lle
professor It is surprising how soon one DecInle o
acquainted with his companions IN such d plac ,
tat yern the passengers as the vehicle urches
to the right or left the sociabity oil the men
Gan es not ban half an hour after we
Nd started was on familiar terms with the past
history present occupation, SIZE OF plle' anu n"ni0
of each of my fellow travellers .;
On the coach was an express,Dox sald TO contain f
thirty thousand dollars in bullion, the produet VI
The Greenwood mines. In rack near tne I UTin
es feet r hung TP Se road was Considered safe
enonsb. for no robbery had occurred there since
the camp had been in existence, sun ene s,,e
company preferred 10 t'ke reaSon"'i'
Hence the weapons. >,
After we had exchanged our names anu SUN ~
parts of our personal history as we l9lg Ilce ~
give we relapsed into silence. me onirai
although a sociabe, is not talkatlve ANNA; ,s
he converses in heats. For time our quLSU we 90
nnbroken, save by the grOanng and creaklng OF
the coach, the cracking OF the drivers whip anu
his rapidly uttered oaths - l.,
'''I Perbaps it is well that justice can never DC
done-in prnt-to the profanity OF 'H dosorbe ne
mule-driyer 1t is as impossible 10 describe as
the singing of some beautiful aria by some sweet,
voiced singer. Not that the two can be COMPARED
in any way merely wished to illustrate 1lie . ~
ter inadequacy of words IN type 10 represent Ono
sounds A.,
It. was at the end of one of Tommy nowery
periods (which came to our rescue When 1he co d;
stucl, fast at the foot of vertable mn OF uin-
cuitT had at last been dragged up by the mules,
inspired by the outpourngl that the g ehtlcili
occupying the middle seat eft broke tne Silvr0 cr
We knew him as Professor Blood, the nun owneIT
os The Blaekeve mine of Greenwood, and several
others 1t was at the close of Tommys eAhorta-
ton ! say, which began softly and slowly, tnen
~ra5ualiv increased i'm volume, speed and power
until the flow was simply overwhelming, that the
professor remarked pleasantly - Tn,
:" Tommy TO swear tolaDly easy, ~
tbinkin' It's a great gift wonderful what Twill
do sometimes. When l was a-teamn IT up TO
Leadville, would bet Wlln eGui1 fIs' Load Load
and all bv the parts O speech. It's Just like any
thin else, thoug h-talles practice I'LL, .
Those was great days, he went on WIN
Retrospective sigh, " great days. We was gettln
twenty and thirty cents pound 1ot r. s too a be
maxim satheS o. money am 1TS comm down
over the divide one night alone with three thou
SAN dollars in my pocket, when ID road agent
held me up an cleaned me out. was pretty
blamed mad but had to ante"
I'd Ike to know" said the doctor, how one
or two men can stop and rob dozen, an WEI, wei
armed 1t looks as if they had no nerve ldont
''' The Judge whstled softly at this remark; the
major smiled and made pretenee OF DIV wiping t the
window with his coat sleeve and looking OUT; the
colonel eXpectorated mournfuly. The professor
alone was calm. -, ,. - .ho
eve. and tapping him gently on the knee as he
spoke, was you ever held up?
The doctor shook his head
Il thought likely" said the professor, signif,
cantly Just look here; when you are stopped
You ante quietly and perltely. It's runnln' too
much of a risk TO object. If any man is iooKln
harm of his buzzum for his fellow-creatures-
without compassionate him lt anu IN my
line, I'm pretty sure an SO say IL ever ever yo re
held up you jest fork over without any pack tsik.
it's really the cheapest, and long way the salest.
These sentiments seemed TO meC6 with UNIV ersal
approval from the other occupants OF the cpacn;;
and the doctor quite crushed by the weight OF
opinion against him, relapsed into silence NJ,
After this conversation became desultory NOW
and then a passenger would volunteer re-
mark which sometimes elected reply and some
times did not. Often, as the road led up some
steep incline, we would get out and walk to re,
store by exercise, the circulation in our benumbed
limbs Twice the coach stopped at relay stations
where fresh mules were harnessed IN the place OF
the tircd-out animals The stations were nothihg
more than rough log stables, with decomposition
for the men who fed and cared for the mules .
GU snow ana mao bog snread over the earth thin
white that partially hid the roughness OF the
mountains and whitened the light that came
through the clouds, into which we sometimes
drove The road was becoming very heavy ana
our progress slow, when, to our relief the coacn,
about o'clock entered ia sro papSS s Sl deM
Twelve miles from Leadyiile. Willie fresh mules
were being harnessed We alighted, and stepped
into the room that served as bar, Office, parlor,
and reading ROOM for SIMPSONS was a hotel as
well as relay station.
The establishment was owned and managed
by Mr. Sampson and his wife Almlry, or 10 pun ~
in another way. SIMPSONS and Sampson hlmSeI
she. who, when she married Sampson had speak
ing II III Psa his 6Sr @ Ss iT
current that Sampson drank, umor not alto
gether without foundation, since no one had ever
bar and when not occupied in ministenng 20 the
liquid wants of others, he was looking after MN
self. There was but one beverage sold at Sdmp-
ns-whiskey-though there hung upon the wall
back Of the rough bar, an illuminated card, set
ting forth: in fy,specked characters, the superior
merits of Halls Jamaica Ginger. But as for the
ginger, that not TO be had. Nor were there
any indications, beyond dusty Autographs nailed
sskew to the wooden partitions, that Soda Water,
Settler and Mumm's Extra Dry were procurable
on demand And so it was fortunate that the sys-
TENS of those passengers who needed stimulation,
craved whiskey only, for that was positively all
there
We had not noticed at first, in the dim light OF
tho room the figure of woman, clad in deep
black and wearing heavy veil drawn over her
face. She sat in dark corner COR and seemed to