The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-07-06
lIADGE.
The Plucky Girl Who Saved the
Red Gulch Stage.

"ClicE. click. click, click went the types
as they were thrown into their respective
boxes by the type settlers in the Daily CAL
lope Office 1t was early Sunday morning
and they We're almost through with the
nights work. One of the compositors, a
haired girl, was particularly deft al
her task; and the nimbleness of her stained
fingers as. without an error, she rapidly
sorted the letters, was sight worth watch
ing Though the only lady in the Office, and
but child at that, she was as quick and
rapid worker as any.
The CalliOpe was one of the experimental!
dailies that had started in western towns
for blooming purposes.
The city would be called mere village
by Eastern visitors, but standing as it did
far out on the plains, amid the foot hills of
the Rockies it had quite a metropolitan ap-
pearance. After the leagues upon leagues
of unbroken prairie or rolling bluffs and
precipitous banks, itreally appeared like a
center of civilization, and despite the ram
bling character of its buildings and the
smallness of its population, its daily paper,
electric lights and water works did not seem
so much out of the way.
As the fingers of the girl were nearing the
end of their task, a voice was heard behind
her. She recognized it as that of Mr.. Fer
rard, the editor. He said: Miss Madge,
here are three short items wish you would
put in type Take pains, please, for / VIII
not have time to look at your work.
The morning paper was nearly ready for
the press and handing her three slips of
manuscript covered with his almost un-
readable scrawl, he left her and went to at
tend to other matters demanding his at
tention.
81 wonder what that can be- thought the
girl, puzzlng over the badly written sen
tences. "Oh yes, see now," and she
quickly put into type:
To-day is the glorious anniversary OF the
Observation-Disclosures. The word is sweet with
suggestion. 1t speaks OF hope, o. JOY of new
lie That our readers may enjoy hope and hap
piness and that new life may come to each
heart is our wish"
1t was y short editorial squib. Then she
took up the next one, news item:
I'VE learn that Ben Haven, the we'll lSnOwr
stage driver on the Colorado and Kansas line
between here ana Red Gulch has been dis
charged and his place filled by John Horris
Horris started out on his first trip Friday morn
ing and will return tomorrow night"
The girl hesitated. She dislikcd having
the words go forth to the world. They told
of her father being thrown out of employ
ment, and though the editor had not said so
every body would know that Ben Haver
patton,
~ must do it, though" she thought, ''fol
want to keep my place here now" anc
this item, too, was made ready for the press
The third, and her last work of the night
had evidently been handed in from the tele
graph Office. 1t read:
"A terrible blizzard, said to be the worst o
the season, is raging In Wyoming and WesterI
Nebraska 1t is sweeping southward and vii
.nl.l lsv. oh. Inn lT
in the season 1t will lind many unprepared an'
do much damage"
That was all, and throwing her thin cloal
around her, she left the office and, through
the chill, gray morning, sought her unat
tractiye home-a frame cabin, perched IA
beyond the outskirts OF the town, ON tn
side of Indian hill, with only the govern
ment stage road between 1T and the Smo.;.
river. There was peculiar clearness il
the air and the stars twinkled with strar x
magnetic brightness She thought little .
it, however, and before the Easter sun ros
or noisy carrier boys had delivered tn
morning Calliope, she was fast asleep, rest
ing from the labors Of the night,
''Madge,'' called her father, six hour
later, "hayen't you slept long enough' I'm
hungry. Get up and get me some dinner.
The girl wearily arose and began gettinl
the meal that her father hat 80 roughly dc
manded. They two were alone in tn
world, and the double duty of the printing
oiiice and the kitchen fell upon the girl
shoulders. Her father had come TO maxi
his days much like hers, when he was no
employed-sl nearly all day, and alas
be down town all night. Now he sat by tb
kitchen stove lazily blinking at the morning
Calliope which had long ago arrived.
''Madge, did you see this about mei" h
suddenly exclaimed.
"What, fathers"
"About my being discharged and tina
worthless Joe Harris taxing my Placei"