Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-03-15
NAOMI.

The ramshackle coach, whose only
claim to dignity lay in the fact that it
carried the United States mails, pulled up
with a jerk in front of the "hotel" The
place was welcome as the first habitatiOn
we had passed for miles; otherwise 1t
didn't amount to much. So far as l could
see in the gray gloom of scarce broken
dawn, it consisted of log cabin, with an
inverted hogshead set in the doorway rs
AN al fresco bar, round which some half
dozen miners were clustered for a morning
dram.
While was wondering whether a cup
of decent coffee was within the capabilities
of the hostclry the guard came to the door
land addressed me. If you're bound for
Golden Falls, Judge" he said, there's
two ways open to you. Some of the boys
have come in from there with a load Of
dust for us to take to the bank at Parsons
City. You can either go back with them
in the mule Cart-a matter of 5 mile-or
you can go on in the COACH and we'll drop
you at BlaCkman's Corner. From there
it's a roughish tramp Of ten mile to Gold
en- Falls.
Without a moments hesitation l decid-
ed to go on in the coach and walk the ten
miles. l merely changed my position from
the inside, where | had spent the night as
sole passenger, to the box seat next tho
driver. This would be preferable, l
thought, to a Is milo drive in a joting
mule cart in the company of roughish
strangers, who were showing an inclina-
ton to celebrate the dispatch of their pre-
cious earnings by frequent rounds of rye
whisky.
} The boxes of gold dust were soon hoist
ed into the coach, and amid cheers from
the assembled miners we started on our
lonely road again. The route lay for
few miles through rugged bowldCr strewn
country, thickly intcrspersed with pine
trees. At a spot called Blackman's Cor.
,ner it dcbouched into an open plain, and
lit was at this junction of the rocky ground
with the prairie that was to be set down.
The one eyed guard, with whom l was Ivy
this time pretty friendly had just an
nounccd our approach to the Corner and
l was rummaging for my vulisc, with a
view to departure, when two masked men
stepped quietly out of the rocks, one on
IeithGr side of tho Soad, and with rifles lev
eled shouted the dreaded cry of Hands
upn'
Road agents, by thunder" said the
guard, holding his arms high above his
head. Its no 90, Mike" he called to the
driver. "Thcy've got the fair drop on US
Better pull up and save our skins"
The horses were pulled almost on to
their launches One. of the men kept his
rifle leveled at the drivers head, while the
other advanced to the side of the coach and
shouted: Now, then, guard, look alive
and hand out the dust-l6 packages. You
see, I've got the office straight, SO it's no
good your trying to come the bluff"
"If l hadn't laid down my gun to help
the passenger with his baggage, you'd
never have got the drop on us, l guess, "
said the guard rucfully. But he did as he
was bid, and one by one the Is little oil
skin packages were thrown on the ground
in front of the robbcr. He gathered them
into sack, while the other robbcr kept
his rifle ready. There was no chance for
any Of US to get to our pistols, though
saw the guards fingers twitchng and the
whites of his eyes glisten as his glance
turned downward to his belt. 1t was all
over in no time. nd the sack was removed
to the roadside, | was beginning to con-
graduate myself that 1 was not personally
to be a victim when the man who had
filled the sack returned to the coach and
dispelled my illusion by saying: Now,
mister, your dollars, please. Don't put
me to the trouble of coming up there to 90
through you"