Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-07-19
A SHEEP IN VOLTS CLOTHING

ngi5SSD 7SNA TIE dust
Nt9 but now, il
stead Of blowing of TO leeward, as it di,
awhile ago, it hangs close around tn
stage ip thick, dense, reddish-yelloy
cloud, almost shutting off the view frou
the passengers inside, if they cared t,
look out. But the beauties o2 natur
hold their interest only slightly, just q
present. The dust occupies their atteu
ton to q large extent. It fills thei
mouths, and eyes, and nostriIs, ant
clings to their hair and ears in mucl
profusion. 1t is disagreeabIe-very
and the man who has enough spirits lef
TO try to keep up the Conversation i
voted an ass by his fellow passengers
They were all very friendly only shor
time ago; but they hate each other witt
bitter hatred just now-all on account
Of the lust. Dust is q great destroyer oi
good humor.
Somehow, the dust doesn't rise verI
high, or else the driver and the passenger
on the box don't mind 1t, for we rcan
hear them talking. Old Ben, through
somc unseen but easily imagined in
flucnce, has relaxel from his usual taci.
tutnity, and is quite communicative
20 tho beardless, bcyish-looking young
chap who got on back at Alpena and is
sharing the box with him.
AS the stage reaches the level and
rolls into the shadows of the mountain
and the tall pines, Ben points with the
whip to the mouth of the narrow pass
leading out of the canyon a quarter of o
mile away, and remarks:
"See them two big roclls-road run.
b'twcen 'em. Uh-huh. Wal, right
thar-mebbe couple rods r SO tu'ther
ou.-was whar was Ielt up one day in
IA summer Of '76."
"Yes2' said the passengers pleasan
voice, interrogative,y. "Would you
mind telling me about it2'
Ben chirped to his horses, spat i'm.
Fressjvely and literally, and begar:
"Wal, 'twuz this away. That morn
in tn '1press box was loaded plumb
full o hard stuff, th't he'd t go through
that day. Now, jes'z luck'd hev' it, one
o the gyards-we he'd guards them days
turned up missin' bout tn time We
was ready t start fr'm Eldorado in tn
mornin' Berry Mcneil, tn other gyard,
goes arter i'm, an fn's Mr.. Man laid up
with a cash in til head firm beer bot.
tle-be'n scrappin' night b'fore.
eth agent an me was thinkin' pow
ful bout who We cd GIT t take Haus-
er's place CT lie was sick, wen hyar
comes Mac. whistliu'
"'Say, fellers, says he, 'Hauser go,
plunked with bottle las night, an is
layin' on his downy couch with a head
ache. Reckon en- 80 it b my lone.
some, got Hauscr's sawed-oT gun
"We both kicked a whole lot, bu.
Mac, he'd made up hs min, an was
boun' t hev' his own way; b'side5, we
didn't hcv' no one right handy t 60
long, so We he'd t give in, an Mac,
whistlin' one O. lis evcrlastin' toons, piles
up on tn box, an we pulls out. They
want no passengers.
"Wal, We KEEP our peppers skun right
sharp, but ev'rythin' went lovely till jes'
long bout hyar. Then Mac says: Ben,
I b'lieve they's some cusses Iayin' fer US
up b. them rocks-I think l seen a fel-
lcr's head, jes' now Says I Mac,
y're full o hop. 1 seen it, too, an
'twa'n't nothin' bat a hawk, cros:in' the
,oad.'
"Istirrcd up the critters a bit, how
somcver, but jes'z we turned tn rocks,
IomebodY jumps out firm both sides aa
nails tn leaders, an they was 50 many
guns starin' intuh my face th't it made |
me ashamed O myself. Mac cut loose
wi tn sawed-oif shotgun, an then be.
gun wi tn Winchester, gittin' two fel-
ers an skinnin' up some more-but they
was too many Of 'en, an they Cd shoot,
too, so Mac lie never got no chance t
pump that gun dry. lie oughtn'tt t hev'
shot, nohow, but nc aIIus was q ncrv7
nerve n sense. Iusetuh say,
Mac"
Half dozen dusIsy forms leap from
he road side-tLe big cowboy who 90:
aboard early in the afternoon, and has
been doing and swearing in a sleepy
way about the dust, is suddenly wide
awake, and we, on the inside, get a good |
ook at the muzzies Of his two big re-
hear Ben circulate, "Wal,
his do beat all.'--aud then we are in
'ited to get down into the road, where
he pleasaut-:aced, boyish- looking young
nan, who got on back at Alpena, pro-
.eeds to business, and, politely, courte-
,usly, but firmly withGl, relieves Us OF ou
pare chau2e-aud, more, too.
This is my part of the story. OF
curse, there wers quite number of |
ther people present, including the |
.outhful highwayman and his capable
ssistants, and they, also, have a claim
N the above narrative. 1 ul1 not man
hat owned it what l tried to say was
hat that is the only one of the events
rom which come this veracious tale that !
took part in, and think it has been |
hown that my part was entirely a pas
i've one. Perhaps We had better call |
lat portion Of the story the gentemauly
cad agents, because he got about every
'""'515 else there Ta5 tG set. Tue icst IS
!al'egan's.
Hallegau and I were travelling to-
ether, and it was his foresight-or,
ather, an odd notion of his-that en-.
bled us to resume our journey to Den.
cr after the road agent incident. This
I'D notion was in the form of a thin
hamois inso!e, which he wore in his left
DOT, and which, in addition to a card
living directions tor tho disposition of
is body in case he should be suddenly
allied hence while among strangers,
fifty dollar bill. 1t was an
rdinary fiIty-dollar bill, but when Ter
nee flashed it before my dazzled eyes in
&C hotel at Merrill that night, / was
lite sure that it was larger and more
,luable thaa the opinions of a New
ngIand hired man. 1t took US to Lead
iile, anyway, and that was all we couIc
easonably desire. -
But for the rest Of the story'yE -
1t was about two years after the roaS
gent affair, in which we lost almoS
bat our good names and thi
othing we wore, when, one day, wa, 4
to receive Hallegaui .
Il IL l.