The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-10-02

| The keen air of autumn had succeeded
the summer heat, but no rain had yet
fallen, when one day Mollie took her
place as an inside passenger on the stage
which ran through Gold Hill and stopped
at number of smaller mining camps or
villages. The road was rough and hilly,
the scenery SCARED and rendered I'M
slightly by the ravages of hydraulic min
which had cut down the red bluffs, torn
away the surface soil and left huge gaps
and Iepressions all around. The road
wound among gorges and over hills, up
which the passengers toiled on foot,
while the creaking stage dragged after
the painting horses, its leathern cuttings
| Tapping as it rolled from side to side.
The one woman passenger, Mollie her
self was priviled to remain on board;
and as she was fatigued from her inces-
SAINT journeying, she was glad to keep
her seat. The stage, after slowly sur
mounting steep hill, slid with lurches
down into narrow valley, down the
middle of which narrow stream ran,
crossed by wooden bridge. A few trees
made shade at the entrance to the
bridge, and in the declining day some
what darkened the little valley.
AS the driver, walking his horses, en-
tered the shadow of the trees, hoarse
voice was heard shouting: HALT! Throw
up your hands!" and the horses were in
stantly brought to standstill. Peering
anxiously from the windows, the passen-
gers saw figure so disguised with
gunny-sacks as to be unacceptable,
holding double-barreled shotgun upon
the driver. The experience was not I'M
familiar to most of the passengers, and
it had become part of the unwritten
code in these regions to offer no resist
ance to ''road-agents." In the first place
the robbers always had "the drop" on
the driver and passengers. In the Sec
ond place, it was understood that the
kill' with unfailing promptitude if their
orders were not instantly obeyed. So
when there was no special express mes
senger with the stage, the command,
'Throw down that box!'-referring to
Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express box-was
responded to as matter of course; and
when the passengers were ordered to
step out and stand in line with their
hands up, no one thought of remonstrat-
ing, as rule.
Besides, even when only one "road-
agent was visible, it was impossible to
tell how many more might be hidden in
the brush with guns leveled at the stage,
and so in the present instance the opera
ton of stage robbery proceeded smooth
ly. When all the male passengers had
alighted, however, Mollie Black waited
a moment, and as the robber seemed to
think he had everybody before him, she
concluded to stay where she was. Her
desire to escape plumber was naturally
great, for she had with her the largest
part of her little capital. Now, to pro-
tect herself in her wanderings, she had
always carried pistol, which weapon
she had learned to use with sufficient
dexterity during her experience as a
scout. 1t now occurred to her that, her
presence being evidently unknown to the
highwayman, an opportunity offered to
turn the tables on him. If he was really
alone and she could bring him down, the
stage could be saved, and it did not oc-
| 10 h hot M,
ticularly dangerous. The road-agent
was busily occupied in taking up invol-
untary contribution from the somber
faced row of disguised passengers, when
a puff of white smoke floated from one
of the stage windows, an echoing crash
was heard, and the robber clapped one
hand to his back, half turned, staggered
and fell at full length.
Instantly the scene changed. The mo-
tionless line of victims broke up. The
dropped gun of the PROSTATE robDeI was
seized and pointed at his own head. and
preparations were being made to bind
him and place him in the stage for con-
veyance to the nearest Jail, when the
heroine of the adventure stepped out of
the stage and approached the group
clustered around the wounded man,
"Where did hit himP' was her first
question. Then her womanly instincts
came to the surface, and, as her eye
caught the Redeemed grass, she shiVered
turned pale, and knelt beside the con-
quered highwayman, who lay breathing
painfully. His face was still covered
with his rude mask of sacking. Take
off that thing and give him a;r!'' she
cried. Strangely enough, nobody had
thought of this before. They removed
the mask, disclosing face that had been
handsome, but was now worn and dis
torted by dissipation and pain. MOllie
glanced at it, first indifferently then
with an air of startled surprise and
dawning horror. AS she gazed, al the
color died from her cheeks. TIL, man
lay, meanwhile, with closed eyes, his
breathing coming more heavily every
moment. Suddenly voice, so full Of
: agony that all who heard it shuddtred,
was heard, in strained whisper: "Tohn
Black" And the dying man opened his
eyes.
''Mollie, is that your he murmlred,
family, and without showing muchsur-
priSe or emotion for at the verge a the