Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1889-01-24
TIE JcENST01YH STAGE.
The Story Of a Woman's
! sys9NeB f1ikfHa2n. s'sAg Il

,tilcISsi Ss..e"s ! .sss
The stags,hal commenced to ascs nd
the grade on the other side of Stony
Greek. The road wound up through a
canon, or gulch. in the bottom Of which
was thu dry be-. q = Winter sIoEent.-
1t was long tedious pull to the top Of
mesa, and the horses had to take their
time TO- it. Notwithstanding that a
thin line Of light on the brow Of dis
tant mountain signaled that the moon
hid risen, it was very dark in the can
on. so dark, that although the lieuten-
ant kept peering ahead of the horses,
be could not see but little more than
bend of the winding road family de-
fined BY the densei 'obscai,ty on each
side oft. The passenger, himself, not.
withatanding his steady flow Of talk,
seemed affected by the surrounding
gloom, and maintained an alert gaze
upon the road.
You see, he continued, I had wife
myself once 80 know somrtluug about
women. l picked her up ,ia Frisco,
and just about six months after lost
$4,000 in the Frazer Riyer excitement.
Then / come up yere, and laid out a
ranch on Mud River. Bat my wife she
got sick, and l spent all the money l
had in taking her down sgln, and in
doctoring. Well, sir, when she died,
and I came back yere with the little
fellows I found my ranch gone to the
devil. G1 itches Of snow'on'the ground
and the little fellows barefoot, and not
a dollar in my pocket, and nothing to
eat. ! was blue. tell you, pard, If
ever a man was blue, I was tnat man.
| lust tux off my hat and throwed it on
the grolind, apd looked all around
But I didn't throw up no sporge. l
TUX to splittin' rails, and inside Of a
month I sold to the Guv'ment at the
sahatlin, Agency, and cleaned up hun.
dred dollars. I'm doin tol'able we'll
now, the country round my ways. .gitln'
settled up. 'Psars like Oregons split
tin all her webfeet into that section
| got my eye on some o'these immi.
grants, and I'll pick up another wife
some day, a. Syoungsun q about 'efr teen,
that 7 Rim larn. *rm'puts good on the
.physiog. Idon't want no widows, they
are larnt all ready, to yer hands but
they know tooidammed mnch.'
: The'lieutenant laughed, and spoke to
mis- horses which were showing a restive
disinclihAtion TO- oaprocsed.r They. were
almost 1t the top grade now. A clump
of serub-oaks At tho head Of the scanen
was IN sight. The shadows here were
very ,danse BY contrast. witi, the hoon-
light, which lay ip the open beyohd'-
It, was at these shadows that the horses
were pricking theirs ears. The lieuten.
ant stsektaihis' wkp over tie nhruly
animals. but as be did 80. he looked
sharply IN. the direction Of ths Uxks.-
'sVss'pdt something moving there? Or
was iE Che nloorlight shadows playing
their Usual tricks on. highly strung
nerves Th@ hs h Remembered fthat
tiers was q spring under those. oaks
and that cattle were always around it,
or perhaps.a stray dear frontAe lnoun-
taihs might have corns. to 1itink.r His
military tr,.ining and frontier esperi-
ence made him guard against unreas-
oning alarm. At the same time, the
station keepers open secret that the
paymaster's funds were abroad flashed
across his mind. 1t would never DO
for him. an army officer. to hand down
Wells.Fargos box to the first read agent
who asked for it, Professional pride.
if naugbt else, fosblde it. he a4id