The Opelousas courier., 1894-05-26

the SlQ6 pOcketS O1 HIS sdCh Codt, Willie
his face wore q puzzled look. John
Frances handkerchief wal missing.
That was a mere incident, yet he con
tinued to look puzzed.
"Going back to the mine in the
morning?" asked the clerk of the
hotel a minute later, as France ap.
preached the desk and asked for writ
ing material.
eyes, sure!"
'sStage leaves at 2 o'clock"
"Well, call me a half-hour earlier,
and don't, for your head, let me miss
the stage. I must be at the mine to-
morrow by all means. By the way, I
have lost a large, white, silk handker-
chief, with a black border. Look out
for it,"
A few minutes later, while France
was still busy writing, Sheriff Barney
approached him and presented q little
Mexican chap, in whose possession had
been found the silk handkerchief.
"What shall l do with him ?" asked
the sheriff.
clock him up" answered the
manager of the Bull Domingo, sternly
flock him up! That is the little
rascal who came to me a few minutes
ago begging for money. I gave him
two bits, and he shows his gratitude
by stealing my handkerchief"
The attention of the loungers about
the hotel office was attracted to these
loudly spoken words of John France !;
but they did not hear what he said Il
a hurried undertone to the sheriff, SO
there was a murmur Of Indignation
against the man who would seek the
punishment of a child for stealing
q silk handkerchief--an and that after it
had been returned.
John France laughed and went to
his room, while the sheriff smiled, as
he always smiled in danger and out,
and led the boy away. The crowd
looked puzzled.
"He had my boy locked up, did
he!" ehrieked Black Rosa when the
details of this little episode were re-
lated to her. The face of the little
Mexican woman seemed ablaze with
indignation. "He shall pay for this!'
sTSenora forgets the two silver
dollars!" tainted Robber Dan; 81
thought the sonora might feel sorry
that we had planned to rob this fine
Americana. But it's all. right. now
is it, dearest?" he added mockingly.
"Rob himi Murder him. yelled
Black Rosa, and she staggered from
her chair as if she would carry out her
own command, but fell on the floor in
a heap.
Dan and his pals lifted the woman
to q bed. and the leader remarked
that she would sleep till morning and
be neither help nor h%indrance. 1t
had teen known for twenty-four hours
that the money-some ten thousand
dollars-for the Bull Domingo pay
roll had been received, but, until n
nounced by Manager France, it was
not known when that gentleman
would start for the mine.
AT twelve o'clock that night four
men, heavily armed, rode out of Du-
range.
Two hours later the stage followed
them, with one occupant on the inside
and the driver alone on the front boot.
II was a lonely ride. Boomer, the
driver, might as well have been en-
tirely unaccompanied 80 far as the in
side occupant of the coach wal con-
cerned. But he. was used to these
lonely rides, and when a passenger
preferred to be exclusive it simply ex-
hibited to Bloomer The poor taste of
the passenger. So he talked to his
horses. and sang to them, and passed
the lonely hours as comfortably as if
he had been surrounded by a half
dozen passengers, and soon forgot the
fellow on the inside.
Coming to a bend in the road, where
the ascent of the first steep mountain
is begun, Bloomer fell into ~areAective
mood, and remarked to the nigh
wheeler that the fellow on the inside
might possibly ssrise to an apprecia-
ton o. the society of q stage-driver
and his bosses If the muzzle of a
double-barrel shotgun should happen
to appear at the window of the coach"
OF course Bloomer was not really
expecting such a surprise for his I'M
sociable passenger; SO when the shot
gun appeared, with three others, and
accompanied by an order to '.throw
down them ribbons and throw up them
hands" he was himself q completely
surprised that he obeyed without q
word of protest.
If he was surprised at this sudden
appearance Of road-agents, he was
really dumfounded at what followed.
For five minutes there was a rattle of
shotguns, as if a miniature battle e
being fought. When it was all over,
two s~tage-robbers were fatally wound
ed and the other two surrendered to
Sheriff Barney-and the man of straw
on the inside was literally shot to
pieces. And this is the way it all hap
pened, as Bloomer himself was fond Of
telling it:
"You zee, they didn't put me on
Never seen q sheriff yet that thought a
stage-driver had nerve enough to play
his hand out in a game like that; an
I don't know but a Teller would git a
ieetle bit ratified a-wonderin' how he's
a-goin' to come out at the end O. the
game. It's purity ticklish bizness to
be.a-sittin on 4 stage through the
long, dark hours o. the night N a.
gnessin' whether yer goin' ter drive
back or ride n q box. But the way it
all happened was like this
You see that kid vat stole the
hondknrohor 1aDo4 ho4 fnr 4 hl;n1 It's