The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-08-13
sting Dewitching glance at the lady

w
"Buenos dias, sonora habeis vosotros-
er-that is--como esta vey?"
The lady made no answer; in fact, seemed
not to hear; but the Judge was inInowise
disconnected.
Reckon she was thinkin' of the late la
mented, and didn't wholly catch on to my
idee," he remarked, pleasantly. "Pu open
another lead" and again he smiled, as he
said:
"These gentlemen indicating us with
graceful and comprehensive sweep of the
hand-"bein' gentlemen and well acquainted
with good sassiety, hev asked me to pass
their compliments to you, ma'am, which L
now do. er-el tempo es bien inconstanty,
Sonora and estaner-" the Judge concluded
remark in the vepacular Of the French" he
explained, IAN / reckon it'll fetch her.
1t certainly did seem to have some effect,
for the lady uttered sound strangely like
chuckle, but said nothing.
Judge" said the Colonel, after waiting
reasonable time for'an answer, "Pm afraid
your Iangwidges, so to speak, have been tam
pered with. I've always allowed there was
some difference between French and Span
ish myself"
The Judge waxed indignant. "a Jokes
joke an all right" he said, shut 1 didn't
s'pose there was a man here but knowed the
roots of the two langwidge was the same, an
II you can only contine your talkin' to roots
an you centrally can in genteel sassiety-
It makes no odds whether it is French or
Spanish"
IAN right" Judge, all right" said the
Colonel, soothingly; "of course we know'd
that well and good, but man must have his
little joke now an then. But ask her-in
your roots-if she objects to smoke"
The Judge, partly Modified, did not assay
this in speech, but beginning even further
back than ''roOts," managed to ask the Ques-
ton by signs. The lady nodded her assent
with vivacity, and drawing silver case
from her pocket, took therefrom cigarette,
which, raising her veil little, she placed be-
tween her lips. At first we were amazed,
but the Colonel, with that saUoir UiUre which
always distinguished him and made him so
popular with the sex, quickly recovered him
self and CALAMITY offered the lady light,
which IS she graeionsy accepted Then
compared her to "a butterfly and whip
poor-will, by gadv' The Colonel swore she
took him, blamed if she didn't" while the
Judge repeated his former opinion, and de-
clared that she was a regular Cle-op-e-try
from the go!' the Professor was silent, but
l have reason to believe that he Endorsed the
others.
what l admire in lovely wimmin, said
the Colonel,ias we sat there quietly smoking,
lis the-er- ability she possesses to adapt
herself to circumstances. We are all friends
herein course-so we can be comfortable,
but I'm safe in sayin' l shall be glad to git to
Leadville. That little matter of $4,000 got
sewed into my-sure, Judge, the lady can't
understand English ?-my-in fact, gentle
men, my shirt" said the Colonel, frankly,
again indicating the exact location of the
git it off"
Outside the snow had ceased falling, and
the dusk of winters evening was slowly
deepening into darkness. High up on the
slope that rose on our right stood a solitary
pine tree that had pushed its way through
the rocks, and now stood, lonesome and sad,
by night and day, keeping a melancholy
watch on the valley. The sun, long since
hidden to us below, shot a ray as a good
night message. and for an instant the tree
was ablaze then the light died quickly out
and we were In semi-darkneSs again. The
road wound its way around the face of
high cliff; on one side lowered wall of
unsoundable chasm. Tommy sat on the box,
his two lamps lit, and his tongue playing an
accompaniment to his whip. Inside, the
small reflector at the end of the coach only
served to make the night without seem dark
er than it was. Silently we sat there smok-
ing, the ends of our cigars alternately glow
ing and dlmming in the dingy air.
An unusual volley of oaths from the box,
a cracking of whips, a shouting, and then
the, stopping of the coach with lurch star
Tom as he spoke to his cattle, and voice,
rocks above:
"Come! none of that! Make straight
haul for i'll Throw off that boxl Lively
nowl Put up your hands an git down.
Every one OF you, git DOWN.
Sorrowfully we obeyed. The description
the Professor had given few hours before
OF our probable sensations was exactly true.
A pair of six-shooters, held in the hands of
staiwart man, whose face was partly con-
cealed by a black mask, fastened our de-
scent, and in a moment we found ourselves
ranged in line, with our hands above onr
heads, meek, unhappy, cowed group. At
one end OF the line stood Tommy, swearing
savagely at his luck; at the other stood the
Colonel, cool, impassve, dignified, confident
in the security of his treasure
The last to descend was the widow-but a
widow no longer, for out of the coach sprang
an active. young fellow, of slender, but
sinewy build, smooth shaver, dressed IN the
conventional garb of Western rider, and
carrying in his hand nickel-plated six
shooter. And this was Mrs. Smith-who
did not speak English. Any one standing
near the Judge at that time might have
5eard an exclamation. both forcible and pro-
little laugh he touched his finger to his lips
and said:
Hush, Judge! that's cussin', and you
draw the line there. you know"
And then he proceeded to search the pock-
cts of his fellow travellers, as if it 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 but carefully, but before he was
done the other grew impatient.
Hurry up, Jim!" he said; Saint you
most through? We're late"
All done but this one," said Jim, the
quondam widow, as he halted before the
Colonel; hes got $4,000 sewed plum to his
shirt. l reckon I'll have to rip the old coon
SqVlnQ which
knife, and with quick movement, as if to
disembowel the Colonel, slipped the point
through his clothing, and with a wrench
pulled out the package.
Sorry to trouble YOU. gents, said the
detain you much longer, fnr | know "y You
want to git to Leadville. l hope this old
gem leman," pointing to the rent in the
Colonies dress, won't take cold. He must
be careful-good men are scarce. You will
kindly stand just where you are till give
the word. There is few friends of mine
a-lookin' at us from them rocks, and / really
wouldn't move very much if l was you'll
really wouldn't, fur their guns is all hair
triggers an dreadful liable to go off. You
won't move, now, will your"
We would noti Wild horses could not
have dragged us from that spot, for up by
the rocks we fancied we could see two shin
ing barrels aimed truly at MS, and we were
really anxious to remain quiet Before we
knew it we were alone; our new acquain-
tances had vanished in the dusk, and an in
slant later we heard the same voice, ringing
out above us:
''Git into the coach and git'
And we got.
But we were no longer the cheerful party
we had been. Outside we could hear Tom
my swearing all sorts of new and exuberant
oaths, at himself the company, the mules,
the coach and the road agents. Inside not
word was sLoken.