The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-06-04

brilliants of remarkable luster and
purity. which would in itself have
proved no mean prize to so particular
a connoisseur in precious stones as Red
Mike Gor this was the euphonious ap-
pellation assumed by the chief IN
licensed tax-collector of those parts)
was known to be-more particularly
as 1t was darkly limited that a well
known San Francisco jeweler depended
largely on this source for his supply
Of cut but unset jewels.
This ring Mrs. R wore beneath
her wooden gloves. but affected, by
my tales OF murder and robbery. the
thing assumed in her eyes the
shape of something that would gosd
men on to the commission OF
atrocities more dreadful even than
those / had pictured. Where to con-
ceal the treasure she knew not; first
she tried her boot. but she called to
mind my story Of the party who had
been hung up by the heels. and so con-
sidered that too insecure a hiding
place; her pocket was equally unsatis-
factory, though / firmly believe that
to the average man the mystery of the
exact location of a woman's pocket is
one no ages will reveal. At last, i'm
PEELED thereto by the failure of all
other means of concealment, she
begged that would find some method
of preserving it. not so much on &C
count of its intrinsic value and the fear
of losing it, as lest tempted thereby
our momentarily expected visitants
might prosecute a too diligent search
for further plumber, and finding moth
ing, revenge themselves on Us for
their disappointment / verify believe
that the idea of tossing it out of the
stage window passed through her
mind.
She had but just passed the ring to
my hand, and l had iuvoluntarily put
my fingers with it into my right lower
waistcoat pocket, when the ominous
''Haltr' and that Enthusiastically steely
''click click" Of weapons sounded in
our ears.
suppose it must have been the fact
of my fingers coming in contact with
the tobacco in my pocket that begat
within me the inspiration to convey to
my mouth the ring and plug together.
and bite from the latter piece large
enough to satisfy the most quid-loving
of sailors. This | instantly began to
masticate after the approved fashion
of a backwoods justice. nay cheek
standing out as if affected with an
acute attack of mumps.
Both doors of our conveyance were
opened simultaneously, and the lady
shrieked amain as revolvers covered
us on each side, and We were required
TO descend. But very few words
passed.
Our assailants were four in number,
not bad-looking fellows on the whole.
and while one kept his ''gun" in too
close proximity to my head for COM
fort. another ransacked my pockets
and relieved me of the few valuables ]
carried. The same process would have
been gone through with in the case OF
their other victim, had her pockets
been findable- As it was. she yielded
up her pocket-bOok. earrings and per-
sonal baggage, with the docility of q
tanned Katharine obeying the orders
of her Petruchio. All the while / was
expectorating with the vehemence Of
an engine vomiting forth smoke, but
such habit was too common in those
parts to attract attention. and my
cigars and tobacco had with the rest
of my belongings already found their
way into the possession of our war
rantless searchers.
Perceiving that such documents as /
carried were wholly valueless to them,
and satisfying themselves that / car
ried no negotiable paper, they handed
me back a cigar with an earnest adj
monition to forsake the tobacco habit
%. irony of fateD, and with the most
courteous of apologies to the lady for
the inconvenience they had been
obliged to inflict, mounted and galloped
of, leaving Us not much poorer than
they found US
On regaining the stage, the feelings
that had begun to creep over me dur
ing the search finally prevailed and
overpowered me, and carefully con-
veying from my mouth to my pocket
the filthy mass that concealed a jewel
more precious than that supposed to be
encased in the head of the tabled toad,
/ leaned my head far out OF the window
of the vehicle, now again on its journey.
and regardless of every thing. gave
free vent to my pent-up misery. Ys
gods, how sick / was! My head seemed
to be the crater OF volcano, and my
stomach was the horrid interior which
seethed and raised with a fury indie
scribable.
The rest of our way was pursued in