The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-11-21

snorted and SHE'D at 4 mass of blue cloth
lying in the road. The woman turned the
team to one side and drove it against some
trees. Then taking her baby in her arms
she crept down from her perch, and start
ing at every sound, stole her way to the
PROSTATE form. 1t was the drivers face
which she uncovered, as ghastly white as
her own, and smirched with blood and
dust. Then she slipped her hand under
his coat and laid it over his heart 1t was
still beating Hurriedly she searched his
pockets for the flask thst he had used in
her service but few hours before; it was
her turn now. She lifted his head and
poured the raw whisky generously down
his throat. He responded with groan
and gasp that frightened her anew, and
then struggled to sitting posture.
"Water !" he cried, "for Gods sake water!'
Then as she hesitated, he continued family,
my hat. There's spring over there"
and lay down with another groan.
Her fear was dispelled by the sound of
his voice. She found the spring, and,
filling his hat, let him drink, and bathed
his face and head. He revived at this
treatment, and again sitting up took out
his knife and asked her to cut his sleeve off,
81 am losing blood terribly from my arm"
he explained. She bravely but tremblingly
did as she was told When she had cut
away the soaked cloth and barred the mas
sive arm, he helped her to improvise
tourniquet with his handkerchief and a
piece of stick, and the bleeding was stop
ped After second dose of whisky and
water he commenced to improve rapidly,
''The fellow with the rife did that he
said "That is what knocked me off the
box. 1t is only Craze, but it was d
mighty close call" Then he struggled to
his feet, and, looking around saw the
stage. "They didn't get the box, did
they ?" he cried eagerly.
a don't know" she said, taking up her
baby and hushing its cries. "I don't
think so. The horses ran away"
"The horses ran away r he said, staring
wonderingly for the first time AT the pretty
white face that was raised to his 'Well,
but-why-how did the stage get back
here ?'
'I brought it back, she replied, lower
ing her head under his persistent gaze
"You brought it back y he exclaimed,
"you p
For a few minutes the wounded lieuten-
ant looked down at the slight form of the
woman who stood before him in the moon
light, yelled in her own long black hair
Then, as he realized what she had done he
took off his hat and dropped it in the road,
having but one available arm, and offered
her his hand. She placed hers frankly
within it, and he raised the little gauntlet
respectfully to his lips. "You are very
brave" he said, with considerable feeling.
II am glad to think that perhaps l owe
you my life"
The Johnstown stage was later than
ever that night when it drew up in front
of Abe Goldstein's store, in Pack City,
Simultaneously with its arrival the drink
ing and gambling saloons and other places
of public resort suddenly became deserted.
1t was said that woman had driven the
stage in, and that man with his head
bandaged and his arm in sling was sitting
alongside of her holding a baby. While
Wells Fargo's box and the mail-sacks were
being taken out, for Goldstein S store was
also the express and postofice, the story
was briefly given to the crowd. Then a
cheering, pistol-fring procession aceOmpa-
MED the stage down the street to the hotel.
Here dozen strong arms fairly lifted the
woman from the box, while the baby was
only rescued from its mob of volunteer
bearded nurses by the energetic interven-
ton of the muscular landlady. The lieu
tenant himself, after being enthusiastically
asked to drink in the aggregate liquor
enough to have stocked wholesale whiskey
stores, was put to bed aud a messenger dis
patched for the surgeon at the fort.
Meanwhile party of horsemen swiftly
and silently rode out of the town in the
direction whence the stage had come. The
next day the lieutenant was informed that
Whistling Dick had been found dead in
the road at the head of Stoney Creek grade.
A false gray beard had been picked up
near the body, and was thoughtfully offered
to the lieutenant as memento. eve
struck the other fellows's trail, said his
informant, Gin that clump of scrub-oak.
He was wounded and there wasn't any
trouble in following it. We finally cor
rallied him down in Stoney Greek. But he
was game and played that gun Of his for
all it was worth before We took him in.
You never would have guessed, now, that
it was Jim Gatesby himself, the company's
new driver. But that's who it was, for a
fact I've heard since that the express
, folk kind of suspicioned him of standing
in on that last robbery"
One year has passed. Again the silent
City of Rocks has lost its sharp outlines in
the shimmering heat of July afternoon
On the bench outside of the stage-house
door Nate, the station keeper, is sitting,
reading a month-old newspaper. On the
edge of the water-trough opposite him,
Frank, the helper, is mending horse-col-