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

"Click. click. click, click" went the types
as they were thrown into their respective
boxes by the type settlers in the Daily Cal
Hope office. 1t was early Sunday morning
and they were almost through with the
nights work. One of the compositors,
darlz-haired girl, was particularly deft at
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 ana
rapid a worker as any.
The Calliope was one of the experimental
dailies that had started in western towns
for booming purposes.
The city would be called mere village
by Eastern visitors, but standing as 1t did
far out on the plains, amid the foot hills OF
the Rockies. it had quite metropolitan ap-
pearance. After the leagues upon leagues
Of unbrolSen 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
l.ard, the editor He said: Miss Madge,
here are three short items / wish you would
put in type. Take pains, please, for / Will
not have time to look at your work
The morning paper was nearly ready foi
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 ut
tention.
81 wonder what that can be-" thought the
girl, puzzling over the badly written sen
tences. ''Oh yes, I see now," and she
quickly put into type:
To-day is the glorious anniversary OF the
Observation-Disclosures. The word is sweet viii
suggestion 1t speaks OF hope, o; JOY of neV
lie That our readers may enjoy hope and hap
pness and that a new life may come to eacl
heart is our wish"
1t was short editorial squib Then sh
took up the next one, Il news item
I'VE learn that Ben Haven, the well know
stage driver on the Colorado and Kansas lin
between here and Red Gulch. has been dis
CHARGED and his place filed by John Horris
Horris started out on his first "trip Friday morn
ing, and will return tomorrow night.
The girl hesitated She dislked havin
the words go forth to the world They tol
of her father being thrown out OF employ
ment, and though the editor had not said Sc
every body would know that Ben Have
patton
~ must do it, though" she thought, "fo
want to keep my place here now, an
this item, too, was made ready for the pres
The third, and her last work OF the nigh
had evidently been handed in from the tell
graph office. 1t read:
"a terrible blizzard, said to be the worst
the season, is raging In Wyoming and WesteI
Nebraska. 1t is sweeping southwark and wi
IT., CO.. lnNf Ina "a
In the season 1t will find many unprepared an
do much damage"
That was all, and throwing her thin cloa
around her, she left the Office and, throue
the chill, gray morning, sought her una
tractive home-a frame cabin, perched Il
beyond the outskirts of the town, on u
side of Indian hill, with only the COVER
ment stage road between IL and the SmO.
river There was peculiar clearncss
the air and thes sta IS twinkled with stranr
magnetic brightness. She thought uttlc
IL, however, and before the Easter sun ro
or noisy carrier boys had delivered d
morning Calliope, she was fast asleep, res
ing from the labors Of the night
"Madge," called her father, six hou
later, "haven't you slept long enough i
hungry. Get up and get me some dinner
The girl Wearily arose and began gettil
the meal that her father had so roughly d
manded. They two were alone in d
world and the double duty Of the printil
Office and the kitchen fell upon the CIR
shoulders. Her father had come TO ma
his days much like hers, when he was n
employed sleep nearly all day, and ala
be down town all night. Now he sat by I
kitchen stove lazily blinking at the morni
Calliope which had long ago arrived.
''Madge, did you see this about me~
suddenly exclaimed.
.What, fatherin
''About my being discharged and II
worthless Joe Harris taxing my placer