Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-04-02
FOR YELLOW GOLD.

WV u l1lAAfO w ~ A%ADs
When the stage ''went light" they
ran out the small blackboard, but
when there were more than four
passengers the big mud wagon was
put on. This was a blackboard
day. for there was not a single pas
senger What was more to the point
al the Gold Butte Mining company
regarded it. was that under the driv
er's seat was a box with S10,0O0 in
the newest of new tens and tWenties
in il.
The driver had looked very blue
when he drove his four mustangs
from the postoffice-where he took
on a very fat leather bag, which
spoke loudly of the incapatity or
disinclination of the Thinble Spring
people for letter writing to the
railroad station. where he was to
take ON the box. Things were going
all wrong at home. That was why
his brown face looked so haygard
that is why he held SO loosely to the
lines" that was why he chewed 50
hard on the bit of plug in his
mouth.
Such hard scratchin ! never seed
afore, was what he had sai,l he
had listlessly thrown the mailbag
into the wagon; cant git no decent
job nowadays. Nothin ter he had
by prospectin- tried thet time an
agin; ef git anything it peters out
inside of a week. l might make a
strike over ter Sand Gulch. but it's a
derned long way off, an me n Sue
an the kids hez moved 50 often at
we cant raise nothin ter move on
now. Why in Sam Hill did Sue hev
ter git that rheumatic jes' now when
we's 80 hard up, an afore she weaned
the baby9 It's a damned shame.
Why can't Bill git somethin ter do2
great, big, lunkheaded cuss Eff |
he'd brother, poorer'n crow, dye
think I'd go an live on him, an live
on him, till thar warn't nuthin ter
eat in the house9 Sho, Zach Spring
er, you're a blamed fool Bill hain't
done that. He amt ter blame fer
gettin his leg broke that time. Bills
all right, but he's onlucky. Been
tryin fur a month ter git a job. and
can't git it nowhere. He's willin
tor work. He'd stan crotch deep in
the creek washin out tailin's ef he
could make his salt at it, Tried it
fer six weeks an didn't git enough to
buy a pair of gum boots Whoa,
Buckskini D-n that one eyed
crowbaitl he'd jam right inter the
station platform ef yer didn't saw his
teeth eout. )"
And then the box was taken on,
and the express agent had something
to say. That something" was not
to Zach Springer's liking. He chewed
harder than ever on the bit of plug,
and sawed the hard mouths of the
mustangs by an unnecessary yank
ing of the reins. 1t was n positive
relief to be able at last to whack his
lash down upon the sides of the nerv'
Qua brutes and turn them loose for
the forty mile run to Gold Butte,
Why had he needed q lecture from a
hireling of the express company, and
why should that smooth jawed agent
have looked at him with such dark
suspicion2
'They think cos / got stood up
down ter Black Rocks las time | had
q big load o gold thet | need to be
preached to every time go out now
with a full box. Damned stoop
shouldered, desk settin hounds I'd
like ter sec one on 'em handlin the
ribbons when thar's a Winchester
lool1in at 'em with an eye as big as
barl head Can't tell me they
wouldn't give in. The sweet scent
ed calfsl1in booted young ladies |
Thar amt a man among EN-.
Zach Springer's Indignation was
now in more complete possession of
him than had been his feeling of
blueness little earlier. What he
had delivered himself of just now
was not what he would have said
had he voiced his true sentiments
with reference TO the express agents
lecture. In between the words ran
the thought that they" had sus
pected him of having hand in the
Black Rocks robbery. II had come
to him before in what he called a
left handed" way, and he had had
other outbursts of righteous indigna-
ton, but mono in which the upheaval
was so great as that of the present,
Had that been the reason the stage
company had cut down his pay TO
sixty" month"; The chances were
that II was. twas too blamed mean
for lot of swine like these people
TO come II so high handedly over a
poor man who only wanted his own,
Wouldn't II serve them just right
f.
The white dust OF the desert rolled
up from the mustangs hoofs in little
puffs, and sprays of il, powdery fine,
followed the turn of the wheels half
way up, there 10 be caught by the
breeze and drifted behind in a long
cloud that followed the blackboard