Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-07-24

for the town consisted Of twenty or
thirty log structures-tO 20 to Sidney.
Neb, a coach | suppose il should be
called. though on the plains this vehi-
Bile, which has the drivers seat on the
same level rs the passengers seat, is
called a hack.
had gone to the ''hils' to engage
in mining, but after four months OF
prospecting mad decided to open a gen
eral-supply store ut the new town of
Deadwood and was on my way to
Omaha to purchase goods for the ven
ture.
A tin lamp fastened to one corner
Of the "hack, discovered 10 me two
passengers within as / entered and
took nay seat. One was am old gentle
man, apparently weak and Eli, for all
though II was not a cold night, he was
muilled in coarse, heavy ul-tcr over
coat. Moreover, such Of his face rs /
could see between gr.y beard which
almost covered 10 and the rim OF "A
slouch bat was pale and thin, the eyes
looked sunken and unnatural AT least
So they struck me alta cursory glance.
The other passenger was aNouug fell
h. d,uditiad IN bi.dr.s' f..-tl..,f ra,,io,,
Ur ,yo,a !. .tifr b,ta and i et.nd-n,5 ooI
lar encrcled by neat tie, and bad ON
"a dark suit, evidently custom made,
which was an musu1. 'get-up' for
that region, and one which at once
aroused my suspicious, for the only
persons / had seen about the mining
towns dressed i'm anrtbiuU like tb,i
fashion ,ye,,. or,tobIsrs a. dos of r,s,,
/ had r,,da II "a 'poinf to s,-,id
Inst bpf.1.e sattinp ant Tho driven
caIne M tLe sidr ~ H. Vehicle f5,n.t
I'm Goht Wirobaste,, c.,.bina and
nIased II bef,yarn INV tpoas
II see YOU didn't have no Gun" said
he, IAN keep "a couple OF extra ones
Tor seclL'
That was all. No further eXplaua-
ton was necessary IN those days.
/ took charge OF the weapon, al
though ! was as little expert in its use
q, was IN handling tine smith X Nes-
son nm my hlp-pocket which indeed
had never yet discharged.
j knew enough of life ln the mines TO
buo" lhai the dad man with gun
Is usually the man WHO gets into Jill
Guilty rather than the peaceful and uu-
armed citizen; but stage ride from
Custer to Sidney nj that time wa, q
trip not altogether likely TO Doe without
It's adventures. and for once ! regret
ted my HhiamiIiU1ty with shooting
irons.
IL occurred To me that IT We were
Jumped by road agents as the phrase
went, tine ireebuoief- oi the route
would have little to fear from the oc-
cupauts of the hack. whether they got
much money on not There We're
usually 1aluaoieS OF some sort IN the
iron boN under the drivers seat
The young man Who sat opposite me
had a corhi,o ,oross his lam but
f,ncinl bn trev, ovsp less ~ its use
th,n did A. we started mo sat with
opt uoticiuU me t,yirlipo, a slirbt mus
tache and 6ummino a tune "A fresh
ra,nester If one nj an " said To my
self u,np a second look ot him
Tbd otd NAM bad M arms in sipbt
The driver. mn doubt REGARDED him as
ont If tbe foLt in any event
A. we rolled ON mn INFO Buffalo oap
had few words of conversation
with NV compauions. learned chat
fine elder was an old farmer who had
como out ia soc what ne rouId do IN
fhn Now mipas but he had beep IN
with mountain faver and afterwar,I at
t,ckod nv rheumatism so that he had
baen forced to abandon his proiects
ana return to The cast. He smoke
freely and in tho En0Iish of the west