The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-06-14

written me to bring him five hundred
dollars and ! had two hundred dollars
Of my own. This was in bills, and /
had carefully secreted it in my cloth
ing. But this bag Of gold was much
more difficult to conceal
'.How large is the bage" 1 asked
Thompson drew it out of his pocket
could hold it easily in my palm, but it
was SO heavy l nearly dropped it
'Well. will try to hide it for you,"
l said. put it in my travelling bag,
and when we stopped for dinner went
to room in the hotel and transferred
the precious bag to a pocket in the
lining of my dress. which l recollected
my far-sighted grandmother had put
there.
1t was about o'clock in the after
noon when, after a steady climb of
some miles up the steep ridge of mount
aims that divided the park horizontally,
we entered Black Forest 1t was a
stretch of twenty-five miles through this
wilderness, for we ran due west along
the ridge of the mountain range till we
came opposite the center of the southern
portion of the park, when the road de-
scended and wound about for fifty miles
through the undulating plain, itself
broken by mountains and hills of lesser
sizes in every direction.
/ confess that it was not without
some fear that l saw the stage plunge
into the wilderness. To add to our dis
comtiture heavy rain began to fall.
and We had not proceeded a half hour s
journey before it became SO dark we
could not see fifty feet ahead of us.
REvoLvERs Cooked.
The driver leaned back in his seat,
with eyes and ears alert, and let the
reins all loose, for the horses knew their
way better than he could guide them
in that darkness.
We went on in almost unbroken ST.
lence for over an hour. and then l no
ticed that the men had their revolvers
out. Henderson sat at one window and
Thompson at the other. As we came
to the foot of Horr's Hill they raised
the weapons to the window sill and
rested them upon it with their barrels
pointing into the heavy darkness with
out.
Another hour passed YEARLY by. We
had reached the summit of the hill and
were well along its ridge. Indeed, the
men had begun to breathe more freely,
for we were scarcely mile from the
first clearing, when there was sud-
den noise, something that sounded like
shout and loud cracking in the
bushes.
The coach gave tremendous lunge
and the horses tore like mad through
the woods. On, on they flew as if pos
sessed of supernatural power. The
men chung to their revolvers, with pale
faces and bated breath. A moment
more and they sprang out into the
clearing, and we knew we were safe, for
over the hill top we could see the ranch
mems houses. The driver got down
and caressed his horses as they stood
there trembling from head to foot. The
passengers stepped out and looked
about and came to the conclusion that
our scare must have been over a grizzly
bear rather than robbers, else We
should not have escaped so easily.
The stage then began its descent, and
just before the twilight settled into the
darkness of night the coach rolled up
at the ranch, where we stopped for the
night.
This stage carried the mails, and its
coming was the occasion of the gather
ing of cowboys from all parts of the
park and mountains thereabout. There
were full fifty of them there that night,
and before 10 o'clock they were nearly
all drunk. There was but one other
woman on the place-the ranchman's
wife. Her bed was in the dining-room,
and was to sleep with her, for there
were no private apartments in this
cabin.
When we went to bed l laid off my
dress. but took the precious bag of gold
under my pillow, and committed my
self in prayer to the great and tender
Father who protects His children. l
asked especially in prayer that night
that might be enabled to preserve I'M
touched the money committed to my
care. The lights were burning in the
diniug-room all night. and once some
one came in but went out again.
SCARED AND SPARED.
1t was we'll in the night when l was
awakened by hearing voices. l looked
up over my head in the direction of the
sound. The bed was close to the cabin
wall, and just above my pillow the mud
chinks had fallen out from between the
logs Nearly opposite this hole two
men were standing, and 1 could hear
what they were saying.
Curse it! We've got nothing from
the other fellows. suppose we try her."
Il don't believe she's got any thing.
and If she should raise rumpus we'd
have big fight before morning"
Where's she sleepin'?"
''In this room here with Saunders
wife, They walked over to the win
dow then; l heard their voices a few
moments longer, and then their foot
steps died away. was fully aware of
the gravity OF my position, but was
powerless to help myself. Henderson
and his party were no match for half a
hundred lawless, intoxicated men. arm
ed with murderous weapons, and l
knew l could not hope for protection