The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-12

II T WAS about 9 O'Clock of fine spring
morning that three highwaymen,
masked and armed, while lying in wait
Is for the Middletown stage, were discon-
certed TO observe a lad leisurely de-
scending the grade afoot, his arms
swinging in wide arc with his
long-reaching legs and his throat Civ
ing loud voice TO the Joy with
which the gladness of the morning filled
his soul. For the stage was nearly due from
the opposite direction, and they feared that
the unwilling intruder would be too near
al the critical moment even though,
should he keep on, he would be far past
the spot where the stage was to be stopped.
Shooting would have TO be done. The
crack of rifles in the still mountain air
would carry far, and q sound like that gives
an invitation and speed to the legs of a
boy.
At the distance of his first appearance
he seemed an ordinary green mountain
lad OF Il or thereabout, an innocent yokel,
extremely Ioose-jointed, shabbily dressed
and in shlrtsIeeves, and was varying his
unmelodious singing with talking and
shouting IN the utter abandon of a sense
OF solitude. Only one OF the three men
through the bushes, and that was the
report which he made to the others. This
robber was a short, wiry, nervous young
man, called by his companions Jim. An
other OF the men was younger STILL very
tall, and in manner constrained and APP
prehensiYe, as though this might have
been his first experience of the kind; he
was addressed as Dick. The third, whom
the merest glance would have revealed as
the leader was of middle age and medium
size, cool, strong and patient, suggesting
tiger; him the others called Tom.
On came the youth down the grade, I'M
conscious OF the terrible dangers into
which he might be walking and which
We're so fercely out of harmony with the
splenGors of the day. 1t was such spring
morning as the coast mountains of Cali
fornia give birth to and riot in. The dainty
perfume of the wild lilac strove for mas
terry with the bold fragrance of the ceano-
thus. Panicles of white blossoms of the
wild grape hung from tall trees which the
vines had taken for a ladder to the sun
shine and sky. From out the depth of q
luxuriant tangle of foliage which filled the
canyon on the lower side OF the grade rose
the tinkling babble of a mountain stream,
and on the upper side of the grade sprang
q steep wooded slope, which, rolling away
height finally merged into the proper base
of grim St. Helena, the steely blue of
whose bald and fOrbidding summit cleaned
cOldly in the distance through the trees.
AS the boy approached the wine of the
morning worked with increasing vigor in
his veins; and then, by one OF those pro-
Cesses of perversity whose secrets no hu-
man mind can penetrate, the iutoxicatlon
seemed to overcome him; for at a spot in
the road exactly opposite the hiding-place
Of the robbers he stopped, stretched him
self with perilous approach to general
dislOCation, Yawned in perfect luxury of
Iassltude and began most extraordinar
series OF speeches, songs and physical evo-
Iutons.
The three men were concealed behind a
log which lay parallel with the road short
distance from its lower side. Far awav
down the grade the shouts and whip-
crackings OF the stage-driver were already
audible as he urged the Juggling team
slowly up the grade. The robbers had
knowledge of an uncommon amount of
treasure IN the eXpreSS-boX, and the sim
pie accident of a country boy happening
along this time OF all others was not to
be permitted to dash their bright pros
poets to the ground.
All that passed in the minds of the
cTouchlng men as they ground their teeth
and iDwardly cursed need not be enlarged
upon here. Whether to seize, bind and
gag the lad and drag him into the woods
till the deed was done, or to slip knife
quietly between his ribs where he stood
aud drop his body on the lower side of the
log, or to force him to assist in the enter
priSe-dou btless all these matters were
considered. More than likely the free
Young life would have been let out in
preference to all other plans had not the
leader made an extraordinary discovery
and taken an unexpected course.
Ia con M n ion FrlSy arfr,
their knives impatiently the man called
Tom was regarding the lad with calm
and piercing scrutiny.
"Godp he exclaimed, "the boys an
idiot"
"WeH, I'll be d-P replied the short,
nervous man called jim: That makes it
easy. I'll slit his windpipe and -"
Jim was in the act of springing forward
TO carry out his purpose, when the leader
caught his arm in an iron grip, and hold
ing him thus, as a cat would mouse, he
said, with awe in MS throat:
mo man that ever murdered an idiot
since the world was born has stepped out
of this life with his boots of
The awe of his manner and the firmness
of it suppressed the nervous Jim at once
and sent a slight shiver through the slender
frame of Dick. IN attend to the boy,
added Tom. This was simply because the
boy might prove less dangerous as an
acquaintance than as possibly lntrudlnS
stranger.
With that Tom stepped boldly into the
road, masked and armed as he was, and
directly approached the lad.
Hello, my son." said he in cherry
voice. don't you want some fun ?"
The lad turned with a quick start, and
fear appeared in his dull face. His scant
chin dropped. his mouth opened, his eyes
regarded the formidable apparition with
peculiar luster, and every muscle in his
body was on strain for instant exercise
In flight But the strangers voice was so
round and friendly and his manner so free
and hearty and masterful that, despite
torblddlng outward aspect, tie lad was
drawn under bis power. AS the man con-