News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-05-22
A WILD RIDE.

In saloon in Denver one evening
not long since several men were gath
cred who were sipring various kinds
of liquids. smokinA cigars and pipes
and telling stories One of them was
a swarthy man es. some IS years of
age, who sat with his feet, in huge
miners boots, resting on an adjoining
table. He wore a large brimmed black
hat, and sat with closed eyes, as if
asleep or in profound thought
A story had just been finished, and
there only remained the dark man
who had not been heard from. Some
one suggested that lodgings must be
paid for in advance, and then a young
fellow went over and slapped the APP
parent sleeper, and asked what time
he would like to be called for break
fast, and whether he had not best take
in his feet for fear of catching cold.
The man took down his feet, pushed
his hat on the back Of his head, and
said he had not been asleep.
Then give us a story. It's your
turn.
All right, boys"
And then he told them what fol-
lows:
In 1880 | was in Denver and wished
to go back to Leadville, where | had
some claims. At that time there were
two ways of getting to that point from
this place. One was to take the rail
way from here to Buena Vista and the
stage up the Arkansas river. The
other was the stage from Denver across
the mountains. | had generally gone
to Leadville by the river road, and for
the sake of variety | concluded to take
the all stage route. -
We were off at daylight, one of my
acquaintance calling out to me as we
started: "Good-by, old man; I'll never
see you again.
MOI Whyp
You'll be smashed up so that even
a fine toothed comb won't collect the
pieces"
With this ominous good-by we rolled
away. The coach was one of the old
Concord pattern, and almost as large
as Noah ark. 1t was swung on leath-
ern hinges, so arranged that it was
capable of every conceivable form of
motion 1t would lurch, ditch, roll
like ship in the trough of the waves
it would rear, kick and buck like a
mustang, and hadSthe solid jolt of a
dromedary.
Like all the Othcf coaches used for
carrying passengers over the moun-
tains, it had a mechanical attachment
within the easy control of the driver
by which he could in an instant detach
the horses from the coach. 1t was to
be used to save the team in case the
vehicle toppled.
There were three seats inside, each
of which had three people, who were
SO closely packed that in case of an
ovcrturn there was no extrication, but
all must go over as one. There were
two seats on the top besides the
drivers. all of which were filed, max
ing a total of eighteen, including the
man who held the reins over the four
horse team. | occupied the seat be-
hind the driver and on the right hand
side. In the front seat were an Eng
lishman and young woman; he an
agent of some English capitalists to
inspect some mines, and she variety
actress-as | afterward learned-go-
ing to Leadville to secure an engage
ment.
The driver is always the most i'm
portant feature of the outfit. The one
who had charge of us was mere boy
in appearance, not apparently more
than 20 years of age. He was rather
slender, very blonde as to his hair,
and smoothly shaved save as to a
mustache, milky in its whiteness. He
more an immense sOmbrero with a
round top, and his hair was so long
that the ends lay on his shoulders.
| studied him with curiosity and
something of anxiety. He seemed tc
me to be very young for the RESPONSE
BILE duty of holding the ribbons over
four horses on a route that is regarded
as the most difficult and dangerous in
the Rockies. | found that this was
his second trip on this line, and that
before coming here he had been driv-
ing in the San Luis Valley. This was
not in his favor, as the valley is al
most a dead level and affords no train
irg for mountain driving.
He was very reticent, unlike the
average driver, and hence the passen
gers did not take tohim- We tried tc
establish social relations with him, but
he would only reply in surly mono
syllables He spoke only once to the
extent of more than one or two words
We were passing q shanty on bit o
tableIand, beside which stood dog
regarding us with a friendly glance
and exhibiting his satisfaction by wag
ging his tail,
Suddenly from the seat behind me {
voice was heard:
Say, driver, will your horses scareF
The driver as well as the rest looked
around and saw young man holding
ont a revolver, pointed in the direction
of the dog.
Put up that gun, you -- foolr
roared the blonde driver. What dC
you want to shoot at the dog for
What harm has he done you?"
The young man, very much abashed
muttered something about only want
ing to have little fun and scare the
dog, and sheepishly returned his pis
tol to his pocket. The little inciden
had the effect to raise the driver in my
estimation, and the favorable impress
sion was further heightened vixen thC
Englisman offered him drink from {
flask of whisky, which he refused in ;
gruff manner
The second morning we reached th'
summit of the pass. The road wa
steep, difficult, and in places yer,
dangerous. The driver seemed al
ways cool, and began to exact the con
fidence of the passengers
1t was not quite liUht when w