Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-03-15
THE WHITE RABBIT.

In the winter of 1886 l had to leave my
ranch on Eagle lake, in the mountains of
Klamath county, southern Oregon, for Yreka,
Cal. Any one who has wintered in that
desolate region knows that the month of
January is as uncongenial as it possibly can
be. The snow does not come down in soft
fakes, but it falls in huge damp clouds, and
suddenly blots from sight the entire land
scape The ranch houses, too, were half
buried in the snow. From the mems houses
to the principal ranch house sort of path
way had been cut over the frozen snow to
the stables, and road had also been scraped
in the supposed direction of the gate, but as
posts had been found and not the gate itself,
it was presumed that the gate had been
walked over and could also be ridden and
driven over.
1t was not a cheerful prospect under any
consideration, and less SO when a long days
travel was in contemplation.
II think" said to ''Old Tom,' the vet
eran stage driver of those parts, ''that we
shall have to put off our journey till the
weather breaks Those clouds in the east look
| black enough for more snow, and if we do
have more don't believe the blazing on the
trees will show"
'Just as you say" replied Tom, as he drew
his chair closer to the hearth, on which were
burning several logs of mountain mahogany.
| sit is mighty bad weather to travel, but
have been through such weather before, and,
dod CAST it, l never lost my way nor came to
no grief neither Never had no trouble except
that time when that skunk of a Modoc Jim
fired at me. But, though my fingers were SO
blamed stiff, pulled my gun and fired and
winged him. Thank the Lord that he's under
the sod, or else he might be hanging about on
the trail now"
Gath, and you have little to thank the
Lord for, Tom," said Tule Jack. ''Warn't
that sneak faced partner of his, Scarfaced
Charley, here some two or three days ago
asking for Moose, Moose, and didn he ask
if Tom wasn't going to take ALI to Yreka or.
Lnkville? I tell you he is after blood"
''Oh, there is no harm in Scarfaced
Charley,"I remarked ''It is true that he
did travel with Modoc Jim. but though Jim
is his cousin, and these Indians hang together
like coyotes, I don'te beliewe that SearfaerA
Charley had hand in any of his robberies
and murders, nor does he intend to kill Tom
for robbing JIM"
'Well." said Tom, slowly, 'you may think
what you ike,but I don't believe there is a
more murderous rascal unhung than that
same Scarfaced Charley. Now, when. you
come to think of it, it was this same Scar
faced Charley that found out what road that
Dutchman and his family were going to take
toward Redding, and you know the plaguey
| Dutchman swears that when he turned the
bend in the road, just where the sunken tim
Der is, who was standing there but Modoc
Jim, and you know as well as | do that it
couldn't have been one man who packed away
all the stuff that was thrown out to him.
Betcher life, Scarface Charley was up one of
them there pines when Modoc Jim was going
through the Dutchman's wagon And you
know that the Dutchman showed bullet
hole in the canvas roof of his wagon while
the parley was going on, which proves that
some one must have sent that shot from the
rear Scarfaced Charley fired that shot, or
I'm an Indian myself"
'sWell, well,' replied, ''Modoc Jimis dead
and Scarfaced Charley, though an Internal
thief and scoundrel, will not be attacking US,
for he knows that If he did and we escaped
this ranch house would be closed to him, and
he would be shot like coyote if found within
shooting distance"
With that last remark I walked over to
the door, and, scrambling up the bank, ap-
piled my eye to the weather, and concluded
that would get Tom to start.
may say that Tom had the mail carrying
contract for our part of the country, and, as
there was no time set for the delivery of let
tiers, he took as long as he chose, sometimes
not carrying any letters to distant postoffices
for six months; sometimes in summer he
would get on what is called a ''jamboree' at
some friendly ranch and then the mail was
never delivered. But, with all his many
faults and numerous failipgs, Tom was well
.1xol l,,o nt,,ra
sort of animated wooden machine
He was hard and knotty. There was not
an ounce of spare flesh about him. His face
was like his frame, hard as nails. He liked
whisky. 1t was whispered of him that be
was noted for his gallantries, but probably
this was only satire He seldom talked, and
when he did it was never in cheerful tone;
sometimes he would sing, and the song was
generally line from the songs he had heard,
and the tune-well the tune-he never sung
the same snatches to the same tune twice.
For twenty-five years and more Tom had
been q stage driver-not such a stage driver
as one sees from some respectable sized place,
but Toms stage was blackboard drawn by
two understood ponies. The mail bags lay at
his feet and were securely tied on. Tom him
self looked as bleak as his stage, and when he
was arrayed in all his winter paraphernalia
he could easily have been mistaken for a
bear.
swell, if you are bound to go, go it is"
said Tom as he shook himself together, The
boys told him not to leave the fire, as they
would bring the stage around. He opened
the mail bag and a letter was dropped inside,
and soon we were seated in the stage.
1t was q miserable journey, Tom drove
by instinct We neither of US spoke for sew
eral miles, but took occasional pulls at the
whisky TASKS which wo had with us. At
noon 1--WE had started at 10 a. NJ We halted
at friendly farm house, the inmates Of
which expressed great surprise at our bold
ness, for which Tom took all the credit, and
cheerfully remarked how he had kept up my
spieits. As he was speaking the grinning
face of Soarfaeed Charley presented itself az
the door,
Tom laid down the glass which he had in
his hand, and, in a more emphatic than polite
manner, asked what he was doing here.
Scarfaced Charley made some insolent
mumbling remark after the fashion of the
Modoc Indians and left the room.
Snow, suppose if killed that fellow 7
should get-but I'll be switched if he don't
intend to kill one Of u.s.
We all laughed at Tom but Tom was seri-
GUS, and when he took his seat in the wagon
he said, casually:
"Wail, sorter feel that this is my last
trip. Scarfaced Charleys after no gooq.
Guess you'd be doing q gaaa turn il youq
lock him up for two or three days-or else
kill him.
"Look here, Tom," said, Elf you are going
to be killed you had better stay with Doris
and let me go alone"
If amt scared" he replied, Shut have
been a-thinking that | shall be on my last
trim DopponeI did Won see thQt!s