, 1888-06-07
A MILE A MINUTE.
THE STORY 4 6TRANGER TOLD
At 4 DENVER HOTEL.

1ihS happened nVe years ago last fail.
/ was living in Leadyille at the time but
had mining interests that took me fire.
quently into the outlying districts, for q
radius of perhaps dozen milea These
trips ] nearly always made on horseback,
on tough little bronco, hard mouthed,
trained TO mountain roads, and capable Of
Keeping up jog trot at pinch for tWen-
ty hours on n stretch. On the occasion in
question l started very early ono clear,
cold morning for claim ! owned on tho
other side OF the divide, On the slope Of
whst Is called Gold Mountain-yOu can
lind 1t by looking on any map.
II took things easy, and it was about
noon when l reached the claim. had O
couple of men ut work there, ate dinner
at their cabin, and then went over TO look
at the shaft. One has no idea how rapidly
time passes underground, where every
thing is dark, and when l came up was
surprised to find that it was nearly 4
O'Clock, and the shadows of pimons q
hundred yards off had crawled up TO the
windlass. l was annoyed, too, for there
was 4 suggestion Of snow in the air, and
the Eide across Tennessee park in q storm
lS-Wei, the less said about it the better.
SO lost no time in getting into the sad
die, end pushed rapidly ahead toward tho
pass. l had TO so quite a little distance
before | reached it, and all the time the
SKY grew Srayer and grayer, and presently
few flakes began to fall. urged the
bronco, and finally began the descent.
The road beyond the pass led down q
long straight incline for about quarter
OF q mile. This tool. it to the fringcs of
timber pine, and then it made a detour of
nearly two miles to get around spur of
the range. AT that point | paused. The
Ng4nr Il z
short cut by going directly over the spur
and striking the trail on the other side
The range was not particularly steep at
this place, but rather n succession OF
rough emincnces, and the undertaking did
not seem to be accompanied by danger
a sudden, raw wind decided me. turned
the bronco off the road and started
''The plan appeared the more feasible as
/ advanced. What looked like steep
ascents at distance proved 10 be gentle
ones, and l was soon pretty nearly across
The spur was well wooded with old pine
trees. remember yet how, between the
tree tops, / caught glimpse of the park
with the Arkansas river winding through
it, and the whole thing looking like some
map in my old geography. That was the
last thing that impressed itself on my
mind before my horse staggered, tumbled,
a crash, first on his fore legs and then fat
on his belly, his head down hill. l can't
readily describe it, but he fell in such q
way that my right leg, without being
crushed or even much bruised, was twisted
in the stirrUp strap and caught fast.
fright here let me stop to explain q cir
cumstance that viii enable you to under
stand the situation. Down in the valley,
at the base Of Gold mountain, was a saw
mill owned by George Lacy, of LeadviIle,
and extending up from its yard, almost to
timber line, was what is called log shoot
This is simply 4 V shaped trough, large
enough to hold q good sized pine trunk,
and built solidly against the face Of the
mountain. OF course, it has TO be straight
or nearly SO, TO permit tho logs TO slide
down without obstruction, and use soon
makes the inside as smooth rs glass. Such
contriyRnce saves n great deal of haul
ing, for as the trees are cut they are
dragged over and dumped into the trough
and go down into the yard like streak of
lightning. In the course of time the pres
sure will drive the trough in pretty nearly
to the level Of the earth. This was the
case with the Lacy shoot. was well
enough acquainted with the mountains TO
know, the instant my bronco fell, that
he had walked into the old log shoot.
''It takes a moment for the coolest
head to clear itself in times of unlocked
for peril, and long before that moment
had elapsed the bronco and 1 were on
our way to the valley, going faster at
every breath, nothing to stop US, death
ahead, and the devils own railroad under
meath. 1 was sitting almost erect in the
saddle. The leather flaps had twisted
around and kept my legs from rubbing
against the sides OF the trough, but held
me like bands of iron. did not faint and
did not get dizzy; there was hideous
roaring in my ears, a furious wind seemed
to all OF u sudden tear up the mountain
aud suck the breath out OF my mouth,
but everything was deadly clear and dis
tinct. could see black spots grow sud-
denly into big pines and then shoot past
me- / could even see the snow caught in
their needles as they came whizzing up.
Every instant, through some clearing,
could see the valley, in flash, and over it
all was u sickening feeling Us though the
mountain was sinking away from me, and
] was plunging out into 1mmeaSurable
space. So strong was this that even now,
standing on the solid marble floor, can
recall the qualm and nausea as all sup
port seemed TO give away, the earth tip
up and let me fall, fall, fall-it felt rs if
forever 4 mass OF rock as large rs this
hotel was beneath me. AS l looked 1t
seemed to leap into the air like balloon.
There was q black line of forest below. l
shot through it, as through tunnel, and
out into the light again. l tried TO shut
my eyes. II was impossible. l tried to
scream. The trees and rocks were indis-
tinguiShabIe, when all of n sudden black
mass few up into my face. felt that l
was being beaten, bruised, and hurled
over and over, and then everything was
still.
"When the moon was well up came to
myself 1 WAS lying in snowdrift, rub
bing at my head and moaning. After a
long time l crawlea little ways and then
fell down and cried for my very helpless
ness. l must have been q little fiShty,
and heaven knows how l found my way
to Lacy's mill, a quarter of mile beyond,
but did somehow, and they carried me
in and sent for help. You see, the old
timber shoot had fallen into decay, and
sone distance above the yard was broken
place that saved my life. When we
reached it the dead bronco jumped the
trough and the two of us went sailing and
turning and cavorting over a field OF fresh
snow until we struck into a drift a OFT
500 yards away. The bronco had the
worst Of it. even there, for he kept on
going until he struck solid earth. / broke
three ribs and this arm in SO many differ
ent places that the doctor wanted TO cut it
off and be done with it. What puzzled
the mill men most was that my legs es-
capped, but the saddle flaps were worn to
fringe and suppose that explains it-"-
New York Sun. .,.r..
The ARGUS agency has received for sale
fine farm on Oreas Islaud, half mile