Passaic City record., 1892-07-23

and rider with snow as fine as q our,
until they looked like ghosts. Hen,
leaning back to get his overcoat, lost the
direction, but he had full faith In Pokev,
and knew that the little animal would do
better without any plotting.
How cold it was! Hens hands and
toes were like humps of ice worse, they
had hardly any feeling left in them. His
ear and cheek on the side exposed to the
storm, were getting nipped. Well, he
would soon strike the stage road. and
then, il he had not miscalculated, there
would be only five or six miles
s.Great Scott!"
For Pokey had given sudden high
leap and stood still, painting. Almost
under his feet lay snow-covered OBJ
ject, with strange look about it. Hen
leaned down from the saddle and turned
it over. 1t was dead man, holding
tight, in the stiff right hand, a whip such
as stage-drivers use.
sStage-driver, deader'n Tom Jeffer-
son. Drunk, likely, an fell of; poor
cuss" But there was no time to stop
and investigate. In another second
Pokey was turned to the left and pound
ing along up the stage road.
A dark object loomed up suddenly as
they shot past, and sudden chill sent
the sluggish blood coursing through
Hens veins. He halted and turned
Pokey's unwilling head on the back
course.
Sure enough, it was the stage; but
there were no horses attached. Hen
felt around and reached the door-handle.
A cry-a child s cry-came from within.
Hen tied Pokey firmly to wheel, found
the door again, and entered.
"Thank God!"
It was woman's voice. and Hen al
most tainted to think that its owner
should be in such terrible predicament.
"Oh, sir, have you come to take us
away? The driver fell off, think, and
the horses broke loose, somehow, and
we're almost frozen"
Hen could see her now. It was a.
young, good looking woman, and she
held, tight clasped to her breast,a child
about three years old. Neither was clad
for such awful weather.
Hens heart stood still for a moment.
If that woman and child remained here
it was almost certain death. 1t might
be days before help could reach him, and
even if aid could come to them to-mor-
row, they would have frozen, mean
while. On the other hand
ssCan you ride, missis2"
ssYes, indeed"
'sWal, come, then, luick!"
In another miazse-
'sRide straddle-so. Naow, hold tn
kid n let tn hoss take lis own road.
Min, naow!'
sBut what are you going to-"
Hen was fastening the drivers robes
about her.
.'I'm all right. Naow, hang on an
keep holt @ tn kid. Go on Pokey!
Good-by, missus!"
He was alone on the prairie in de-
serted stage coach, with the storm howl
ing about him, and his thoughts were of
other things for a long time before he
remembered that all his money was in
his saddle-bags.
"Wa-al, chances is purity nigh agin
my ever needin' it," he muttered, in his
quaint way. .'Taint like he'd stove
an hull lot O. grub. She'll save it fur
me, likely, anyhaow."
1t was two days later that the stage,
coming down from Jersey with several
Samaritans aboard, found him. 1t was
two weeks and more before he came to
himself in the hotel where he had had
every possible attention. He was, as he
himself remarked, s'Glad to be aliye, an
fin hedn't los no hans mr. feet"
But the woman and child had gone
they had left Jersey the very day that
Hens halt dead form was brought in
by the relief party-and with them went
Hens money; for the saddlebags had
been taken to the woman's room by the
hostler, and no one else had had posses
sion of them, besides which, much to
the landlhrd's surprise, she had paid her
bill with 500 greenback when she
left. Hens money had been mostly in
bills of that denomination.
Hen 'skept stiff upper lip" and said
little, when he got back to the ranch.
which he did in short time much to
our surprise
"'Twas all on 'caount O. them blame
saddlebag." sald he. ssEf I'd let new
tangled notions alone, an carried th'
stuff an other things in my clo'es, I'd
ben all right "--San Fra1eisco Examiner.
How HI. Handled Rattlesnakes.