Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-04-27

and purposely hung around to see whaf
was paid him. Inoticed that the clerl
counted him out just four hundred aut
ifty-two dollars
'At one o'clock we left San Luis
again taking extra horses to see u:
over the hill. There were now foul
passengers, old Williams, well-knowr
landowner in Santa Barbara, now de
ceased, whisky-drummer, and myself
As the weather was cold we all got in.
side the coach and enlivened the tedium
OF the route as we'll as we could in the
various ways known to old stagers. BY
the time we got to San Miguel it was
quite dark, and as we approached the
Nacimiento river, about an hour after
ward, noticed that old Williams trep.
idation, which had been noticeable for
some time past, became more apparent
than ever. As the horses pIashed out
OF the stream upon the further hank,
remarked that the old man had retired
into the furthest corner of the coach,
had muffled his head in travelling rug,
and was snoring heavily.
Gas soon as we gained firm ground
the driver whipped up and the stage
bowled past the approach to old Will
liams' house at lively pace. Not,
however, before female figure, in
whom by the coach lantern l recognized
Mrs. Williams, had looked into the
stage and detected her recreant spouse,
muffied up as he was, in the corner.
i saw ye, ST. she shouted after us,
as we bowled along; we can't fool me.
| thought ye'd try to play me, you old
whelp, but wait Bit the rest OF
her speech was lost in the distance.
"From the Nacimiento Crossing to
the Pleito Ranch is some ten miles, and
here the north-bound stage in these
days stopped to change horses and let
the passengers eat supper. Half-an-
hour afterward we resumed our jour
.ney. We began to get livelier under
the influence Of the good cheer to which
we had done ample justice. The Colo
mel from Santa Barbara was particularly
entertaining. The drummer's best
samples circulated freely, and even old
Williams joined in the general exhilar-
alton, when, all OF a sudden, the coach
drew up with a jerk which nearly
threw us out of our seats. and the fa-
miliar muzzle of double-barreled shot
gun was showed in at the window.
Never mind THROWN down the
box, Jim, shouted a voice, which fan
cied ! had heard before; that amt what
I'm after. Come pile out on the road,
you galoots inside, an be quick about
it. Wake up. old man, continued the
voice, ironically, evidently addressing
old Williams, who had shrunk half dead
with terror into his corner.
at is needless to say we obeyed the
injunction with alacrity. People al
ways do under such circumstances.
But who shall depict our astonishment
when we saw that this daring road
agent who had stopped us was Uoman,
and still more to my surprise I saw that
it was neither more or less than Mrs.
Williams.
"'Hold up your hands, gents, said
our captor, quietly; tain't you as I'm
after. It's gou, ye good-for-nothin' niu-
she continued, addressing
her husband as she covered him with |
The shotgun. jest she'll out that
money ye got to-day at the bank-alI-
svery cent of it..
"With trembling hand old Williams
lrew from his breast an old leathern
Docket-book and handed it to his
spouse, who opened it and glanced at
he contents, still keeping the shotgun
eveled in our direction.
"'Four hundred an ffty-two dollars,
he said, slowly, after a careful
crutiny; Thought So 81, ye're forty
light dollars short Hain't We got no
norep'
"Not cent, Marthy,' returned the
error-stricken man, as Gods my wit
less.'
"'Well, ye kin borrow it off some o
hem gents. They know ye're good for
t. returned his obdurate spouse.
"The whole situation was so ludicrous
hat, we other three passengers and the
river burst into roar of laughter.
reached for my purse, but
he Colonel was before me, and with
ow bow and benignant smile rendered
is. The woman accepted it with the
tmost gravity, and took from it two
wenties, a five, and three dollars in
liver
"This,' she said, solemnly, as she
the purse, lis loan to the old
ian. Never fear. He'll pay. I'll
lake him. Now, ST., she continued,
lrning to her husband, you'll find my
oss tethered over thar. Git on his
ack an go to San Luis for more
Ioney. I'm goin' to Frisco in this
Or stage, II them gents has no objec-
ons. I'll meet you up thar II
we guaranty, simultaneously, ana
unanimously assured her we had none. ,
wo minutes afterward we were bowl I
g along merrily again as if nothing |
i'd happened. Mrs. Williams was the /
on, or rather the lioness, of that trip. |
he had, of course, mounted on horse /
lck after the stage passed the ranch,
ith the intention Of overtaking us
hile we were taking supper. at the '
eito, which she did with the above
suit. 4
"None Of us, / think, ever gave the G
lsiness away, not even the Colonel, a
ough he relished the joke hugely. 4
Nv people care to confess that they b
I've been stood up by woman, and, Q
ough I have told you the story, ! 4
ret n xyo,,w boro,. 4L,& 80, ,.,;11 -.