The morning times., 1895-08-25

extreme left, which evidently give him
great pain and impede his locomotion.
We also seldom deyiate from our rule OF
obliging our clients TO hold up their hands
during this examination, but we gladly
make an exception in favor Of the gentle
man next TO him, and permit him to hand
US the altogether too heavily weighted
holster which presses upon his hip. Gen
tlemenl" said the orator, slightly raising
his voice with a deprecating gesture,
you need not be alarmed The indig
nant movement OF our friend just now
was not TO draw his rcvolver-for it
isn't therel He paused while his com
panions speedily removed the farmers
boots and the miners holster, and with
still more apologize air, approached
the coach where only the lady remained
erect and rigid in her corner. And now"
he said, with simulated hesitation, I'VE
come to the last and TO US the most painful
suspension OF our rules On these very
rare occasions when we have been hOnored
with the presence OF the fair sex, 1T has
been our invariable custom not only to
leave them in undistuTbed possession OF
their property, but even of their privacy
as well 1t is with deep regret that on this
ception. For in the present instance the
lady out OF the gentlenesS of her heart
ana the politeness OF her sex has bur
dened herself not only with the weight
but the responsibility Of a package forced
upon her by one of the passengers. We
feel, and we believe, gentlemen, that
most OF you Will agree with US that so
scandalous and unmanly an attempt TO
of the lady's immunity will never be per-
mitted. For your own sake, madam, we
are compelled to ask you for the satcheI
under your seat 1t VIII be returned %
you when the package is removed"
lone moment" said the professional
man, Indignantly, there is a man here
whom you have spared-a man who lately
joined US. Is that man. pointing to the
astOnished Key, "one OF your confeder-
ates?''
"Thatman, returned the spokesmanwith
a laugh, is the owner of the sylvan Hollow
Mine We have spared him because we owe
him some consideration for having been
turned out Of his house at dead Of night
while the sheriff of Sierras was seeking US"
He stopped, and then in an entirely differ
ent voice and in totally changed manner,
said roughly: Tumble in there, all Of
you, quick And you, sir''-tu Key-''Id
advise you to ride outside. Now, driver,
raise omuch as a rein, or whiplash, until
you hear the signal, and By God you'll
know what next
He stepped back and seemed TO be in
stantly swallowed up in the darkness, but
the light of a solitary bulls -eye-the holder
himself inyisibe-stilI showed the muz-
zles OF the guns covering the driver. There
was a momentary stir Of voices within the
closed coach, blt anangry roarof'' SiIence!"
from the darkness hushed it
The moments crept slowly by All now
were breathiess. Then a clear whistle
rang from the distance, the light sud
denly was extinguis he'd, the leveled muz-
zles vanished with it, the drivers lash fell
simultaneously on the backs Of his horses,
and the coach Ieaped forward.
The jolt nearly threw Key from the top,
but a moment later it was still more diff
ficuIt TO keep his seat in the headloug
fury of their progress Again and again
the lash descended upon the maddened
horses. until the whole coach seemed TO
leap, bound, and swerve With every stroke.
Cries Of protest and even distress began TO
come from the interior, but the driver
needed it not A window was suddenly
let down, the voice Of the professional nan
saying What's the matter? We're not
followed. You are imperilling our lives
by this speed" was answered only by
''Win some OF We throttle that fcCI?" from
the driver and the renewed fan Of the
lash The wayside trees appeared a solid
plateau between them, opened. danced at
their side, closed up again behind them,
but still they sped along. Rushing down
grades with the speed of an avalanche
they assembled again without drawing rein.
and as if by sheer N momentum, for the heavy
vehicle now seemed to have diaboliCal
energy of its own. 1t ground scattered
rocks to powder with its crushing wheels,
it swayed heavily on tickliSh corners. re-
covering itself with the resiStIess forward
propulsion Of the straiuiag teams until
the lights of Three Pine Station began to
glitter through the trees. Then a sue
cesson of yells broke from the driver. so
strong and dominant that they seemed to
outStrip even the speed of the undated
cattle. Lesser lights were presently seen
running to and fro and on the oUterr OSt
fringe of the settlement the stage pulled
up before a crowd Of wondering faces and
the driver spoke:
We've been held up on the open road not
three miles from whar ye men are sittin'
here yawpin'! II thar's man among We
that hasn't got the soul OF skunk, he'll
foller and close in upon 'em afore they have
a chance to get into the brush" Having
thus relieved himself of his duty as an
enforced non-combatant, and allowed all
-
recreant fellow employees, he relapsed into
his usual taciturDtty and drove a trifie less
recklessly to the station, where he grimly
set down his bruised and discounted
passengers. AS Key mingled with them he
could not help perceiving that neither the
late orators explanation of his exemption
from their fate nor the drivers surly cor
roboratioD of his respectability had paciried
them. For a time this amused him, par
ticularly as he could not help remembering
that he first appeared to them beside the
mysterious horsemaD whom some one
thought had been identified as one OF the
masks. But he was not a little piqued to
find that the fair unkno wn appeared to par
ticipate in their feelings, and his first
civility to her met with chilling response.
Even then, in the general disillusion OF
his romance regarding her, this would have
been only momentary annoyance; but it
strangely revived all his previous suspicious
and set him to thinking. Was the singular
sagacity displayed by the oratorin hissearch
purely iDtuitive? Could any one have
disclosed to him the secret OF the passengers
boards? Was it possible for her while
sitting alone in the coach to have cOmmu-
Dicated with the band? Suddenly the re-
membrance eflashedacross him finer opening
the window for fresh airl She could have