The Opelousas courier., 1892-06-25

800 day, for there was
not a single passenger. What was more
to the point, as the Gold Butte Mining
Company regarded it, was that under
the drivers seat was a box with ten
thousand dollars in the newest OF new
tens and twenties in it.
The driver had looked very blue when
he drove his four mustangs from the
postofice-where he took on a very fat
leather bag, which spoke loudly OF the
i~ncapacity or disinclination OF the
Thimble Spring people for letter-writing
over to the railroad station, where ne
was to take on the box. Things were
going all wrong at home. That was why
his brown face looked s o haggard; that
was why he held SO loosely too the
.'lines;' that was why he chewed SO
hard on the bit of "plug" in his mouth.
aSuch hard scratehIn' / never seed
afore'" was what he had said as he
had listlessly thrown the mailbag into
the wagon acan'tgit no decent job now
adays. Nothin' fer be he'd by prospect
in'-tried tibet time an agin; eff | 81.
anything It peters out inside OF a week.
I might make a strike over ter Sand
Gulsch, but it's a long way off, an me N
Sue an the kids hez moved SO often at
we can't raise nothin' ter move On now.
Why in Sam Hill did Sue hev ter git
that rheumatic jes now, when ives so
hard up, an afore she weaned the babys
It's a shame. Why can't Bill git some
thin ter do?-great big, lunk-headed
cuss. IF I he'd a brother, poorer crow,
dye think I'd go an live on him, an
live on him, till thar warn't nuthin' ter
cat in the house2 6ho, Zach Springer,
you're a blamed fool. Bill hain't done
that. He amt ter blame fer gittin' his
leg broke that time. Bills all right, but
he's onlucky. Been tryin' fur a month
ter git.a job, an cant git in nowhere.
He's Willin, ter work. He'd stan croch-
deep in the creek all day long wasiiin
out tailin's Of he could make his salt at
it. Tried it for six weeks an didn't git
enough to buy q pair O. gum-boots.
Whoa, Buckskinl
And then the box was taken on, and
the express agent had something to say.
That something was not to Zach
S~pringer's liking. He chewed harder
than ever on the bit of plug, and sawed
the hard mouths of the mustangs By an
unnecessary yanking Of the reins. It
was a positive relief to be able at last TO
whack his lash down upon the sides Of
the nervous brutes and turn them loose
for the forty mile run to Gold Butte.
Why had he needed o lecture from a
hireling Of the express company, and
why should that smooth iowled agent
have looked at him with such dark sus-
picion7
"They think COS / got stood up down
ter Black Rocks las time / had a big
load o. gold, tibet I need to be preached
to every time / 60 out now with a full
box. I'd like ter see one on 'em hand
lin the ribbons when thar's a Winches-
ter lookin' BIT 'em with an eye as big as a
bari head. Can't tell me they Wouldn't
give inl The sweet seemed, calf skin
booted young ladiesi Thar mint q man
among EN-"
Zach ~Springer'e indignation was now
ii more complete possession of him than
had been his feeling of blueness a little
earlier. What lie had delivered himself
Of Just now was not what he would have
said had he voiced his true sentiments
with reference 30 the express agents
lecture. In between the words ran the
thought, that sttheyn had suspected him
of having d hand in the Black Rocks
robbery. It had come to him before in
what he called a ssleft handed way, and
he had had other outbursts of righteous
indignation, but none ID which the up
heaval was 50 great as that of the pres
ent. Had that been the reason tho stage
company had cut down his pay 10 sssixsy''
q month"; The chances were bhatit vas.
IT was too blamed mean for q lot oil
swine, like these people, to come il &c
high handedly over q poor nlaa who only
wanted his own. Wouldn't 1t serve
them Just Fight, if
Tho white dust Of the desert rolled up
from the mustangs hools in little puts,
and sprays Of it, powderg fine, followed
the turn Of the wheels halfway up, there
to be caught by the breeze and drifted
behind Id q long cloud that followed che
blackboard like a haunting spirit. Some,
times, as the light breeze shifted, it cane
back upon the blackboard and its driven
ike heavy thoughts on the conscience 81
d guilty man.
It woald serve them just right BE.
sides that. only think-ten thousand
What would the people down IL Mexico
Of Guatemala, whers he would fy, know
o. care Il somebody up ID far-of Nevadg
had dumped d box Oft his blackboard and
gone back and got il after d few days
maybe d week2 Il wonld have TO be !
dark night, wouldn't IT'D You couldna
go and get d box like that Id the day
time and take it anywhere, for the whole
country would DO out looking for ths
ma who bad it. Maybe 4 month. Tnal
would be better. Il would Ill blow ovel
81 that time. Lets see, would it2 Ter
thousand was j good deal. Those stage
shoppers Were always striking the boz on
thu wrong day. They never got ~ muoI