Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-20
THE DRIVERS STORY.
How Ne was Saved From . Grizzly by .
Girl.

How Ne Was Saved From . Gri..iy by .
Girl.
Prom the New York Herald
up here in the hills it's queer about gals.
amt it?" said the stage driver a. we left EIko
with party Of six young women inside who
were doing the west in q crowd at excursion
rates.
How do YOU mean
why, how they'll run for Q COW, and set
show more nerve in q pinch than most any
man"
SIS that the case?'
II found il so about four years ago" he re-
Piled, as he turned to face me. Guess Won
amt looked At me very clus or you a be askin'
what had happened"
had not given him a second look, but now
that got fair sight of his face held M nv
hands IN horror. The right eve was gone. one
corner Of the mouth cut down TO the chin and
his cheeks were mass Of scars. The aesh Law
up ridges, and there was a horrible scar across
the forehead.
why, man, you must have got tangled up
with buzz saw I said. rs he opened the
front of his shirt and exhibited even worse
scars
"A leetle wuss nor that. stranger" ne re-
piled with a shake of the head. Il got tangled
up with grizzly bar. I'm scars from head 20
heel. Nobody expected me 10 pull through.
but the Lord was on my side foronce"
Tell me about it."
Thar Amt much to tell. It's mostly in the
feelin' instead Of In the happenin'. You see.
L was drivin' fur the hotel back thar that sum-
mer-takin' excursion parties mp to the noun
tains and springs and trout streams-and about
every week thar be women or gals along. I'm
rough old chap. without kith or kin. and |
NM id twf Ill. l.. - A.
sex till this we're calamity happened. Sorter
seemed to me that gals didn't know nothin
except how TO giggle, and they was the sort OF
critters you'd have 20 treat like SO much wax.
1 used 70 run a wheel over a rock on purpose 10
skeer EN- half to death. and il they axed me
questions or wanted to be friendly bluffed
EN- off. Now and then what they calls a
bridal couple would come along. and Eel;
mighty sorry for the husband fur gettin' SIGH
baggage tied to him. Mebbe you've felt tina,
wayT'
We'll, hardly"
was! II anybody had told me that one O.
them gals knowed a fir tree from a cotton
wood or had the nerve TO face a kyote. I'd
have called him a liar. One day the Lord
opened my eyes. In gittin' EN- open I got
one shet forever. took party Of five gals
all from the east-who were in charge Of one of
EN- 9 father, up to the mountains to fish fur
trout. After awhile they got scattered. And
was lyin' in the shade and thinkin' how much
better IL would be il thar was more jack rabbits
and fewer gals. when sumthin' growled in nv
ear. knowed what il was afore jumped up
to face one Of the ugliest grizzlies you ever sot
eyes on He'd been wounded BY some hunter
and thar was gr, at patch Of blood on his side.
ne been lyin' clus in the bushes and rocks
along the creek and the shouts and giggles OF
them gals had routed him out and got his
dander up"
We're you armed?" asked, as he paused for
minute.
"Sartin. had gun and knife. I aIlus
go heeled for a scrimmage. but never had one
afore or since. yelled out when I saw wha,
II VAS and went fur my revolver. Old Eph-
rain hauled of and broke nv right arm with
one cuff. Then started TO run, and heard
the gals screamin and the next thing knowed
was down and the bar on top of me. IL was
while was lyin' on the ground that got out
my knife with nv left hand. The man with
the gels was from Boston. or around thar
somewhat. guess he had a gun, but he did
jest as most any other man would-tried to
run of the gals while the bar was busy with
me. Leastwise, never blamed him fur dom
as he did,
And they left you alone?''
81 thought they had, and Old Ephraim
Thought so, too. fur he quit lookin' their way
aud began to feed on my carcass. swiped
him with the knife across the nose, and as he
drew of I jumprd up and made run fur it,
No go. He was arter meat, and be overlook and
downed me agin. 1 did the best I could with
a knife in my left hand. but was only a rag in
his clutches. He usin' teeth and claws on
me, when somebody who was purity clus by
called ont:
I'm here, and I've got your gun. Hold
up and let me get shot
~ heard four shots afore tainted away, and
l knowed the bar was dead fur he wilted RICH.
down on my legs. 1t was half an hour arter
that afore / cum too and found one gal holdin'
my head in her lap and the other splsshin' wa
ter over me and bindin' up my hurts. The man
was no good He was skeered silly, but the
gals was doin' the right thing"
And what had happened?'
wall, fustly my gun got out Of the holster
in the scrimmage. Nextly, that Boston gal
had the pluck TO come out of the crowd and
pick 1t up. Lastly, while Old Ephraim was
so tarnal busy with me that he didn't know
thar was any one else in the territory, she
cum up and showed the muzzle agin his head
and fired the hull six bullets into his brain.
I've got EN- RICH. here i'm an old terbacker
box. Jest as they war dug out and I kin show
We his head and claws in bar room at Elko.
That gal wasn't but eighteen years old and she
wore glasses and had gold in her teeth. and
when we started out that day wouldn't hev
traded rabbit pelt fur two gals like her.
"Well?"
wall. thar wasn't any tomfoolery romance 20
he replied, after a long sigh. The party went
away next day. and I've never seen one of EN-
since. l tried to thank the gal for what she
did. but was bit and clawed and chawed
and broke up that couldn't get the words out
straight. She said she was sorry fur the acct
dent and sorry she didn't get to me sooner,
and that was all, except that it took me year
to get we'll"
''And have you never heard from her since?'
"Wan, you KNOW he replied, as ne wigg.ed
around in an uneasy way, when got up
kinder thought She be glad to git a few relics
of the kentry hereabouts, and so got together
a lot of fancy stones and minerals and petri-
fed things and Injun curiosities and sent EN-
on to Boston. She writ back to say as how she
was pleased and to ask how got along. and
and"
Come, now-what else? You are keeping
something back
''You won't laugh at me?''
"Of course not.
''Won't tell the boys that I'm soft in the
head?''
No"
''wall. you hold the lines minute" And
after deal of fumblng about in the bosom of
his flannel shirt he brought out parcel wrapped