Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1893-12-07

them is to make modern Mercury OF
myself, with wings on my head instead
of on my heels. TO tie them back from
their outstanding publicity converts
them into rosettes of neither use nor
attractiveness. There is a superhuous
commentator of the art of listening
about them. AS if specially intended
to localize the OBJ servation OF others,
there is hole, clean cut and as round
as the winding spot in a clock face,
through my LETT aur icle at its exact
center of prominence.
Persons never look me in the eye;
they look me in the ear. Their faces
become interrogatory. The gu estion is
stenciled all over them: "How did you
get that hole2' l have answered it hun
dreds of times, but 1 will tell the story
once more. If the art of printing was
equal to it l would have it printed upon
my ear. that all might read
a one-legged man answered an in
quisitive stranger that he w ould tell
him how his leg was lost, provided he
asked no more questions. The prom
ise given, he promptly said: sit was
bit Off" The bottled agony of the
quelist can be imagined. 1t has always
appealed TO me. will, therefore, ban
ish all uncertainty by telling at once
That the hole in my ear was shot there.
Creeks are as plentiful as snakes in
the mountains of West Virginia. They
twist up the hundreds of narrow ra-
vines to eternally abrade their rocky
sides and bottoms. In the summer
they dash heavy ruinfalls to the open
of rivers; in winter they gorge with
ice or toss their broken burden with
rushing madness. The narrow wagon
roads keeping them company are at
such times dangerous and the innumer-
able fords terror to the bravest.
One wintry day I was riding my mare
Fanny Zone who feared nothing where
there was foothold nor hesitated
where her master babe her go). The
road lay we'll above swollen, ice-laden
torrent. Ahead was a sharp turn, so
sharp that the road seemed snapped off
in its course. 1t pointed its jagged end
to a precipice of cave-eaten rocks, high
above and across the wild rush of
waters. Both Fanny and myself knew
the spot we'll. Twice month at least
we carried saddle pockets heavily laden
with silver and pockets well filed with
notes to pay the workmen on heavy
numbering operation in the mountains
of West Virginia, far from town or
bank On this occasion the sum was
two thousand dollars. The dates of
these payments were we'll known
among the mountaineers; the road was
lonely, the opportunities for robbery
and attack numerous as the juts and
passes along it.. My partner and my
self generally took these rides after
money together. This timeI was alone.
My mare was Looping under me as light
ly as kid.
When l reached the turn I swung to
the rock side to ease my horses footing.
saw puff of smoke belch from a
cave mouth across the flooded chasm
! heard the whistle of bullet as it
passed, and felt that it had struck
somewhere out upon the cartilaginous
territory lying adjacent to my head.
had heard bullets many time when
they were hocked, licensed, lndiscrim-
mate. This bullet was unlicensed and
unpleasantly discriminating. A huddIe
of thoughts demanded immediate indi-
vidual attention. A plucky one bel
lowed: stop and fire hack" Ny hand
naturally drew my pistol. A cautious
one whispered: There is danger
around the turn; hold your fire." An
other cried: Ely before second shot
can reach YOU" Yet another: Escape
from this danger; tackle the next"
There is active contagion in the
fight of bullet; and Punch's axiom:
Better than presence of mind in dam
ger, is absence of body" is worthy
OF remembrance at such times. I
cooked my revolver. My mare was
dashing ahead, undisturbed, save by
the raising of her pretty head in quick
surprise, the pricking of her pointed
ears, and a snort of warning as when
she saw or smelled danger. glanced
quickly at the spot whence the bullet
came. There was nothing visible but
the gaping cave mouth and the wisp
OF smoke scurrying off like a belated
cloud. -
n an instant was around the cor
ner. The road beyond was bare, vet
each niche in the opening strata of the
mountain side might contain an as
sassiu. l might be running the enfilade
o. masked battery. With thoughts
more of my Arare than myself, slight
shake Of the bridle rein babe her go as
the wind. With a long gasp Of relief
slackened her pace mile away and
Strengthened myself in the saddle for
calmer riding and soberer thinking.
With ungloved hand felt my ear. \
hole was there, hut no sign of blood.
The intense cold had halted the circu-
latioA