The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-09-17


NM ALL two ladies on the back
seat a middle-aged gentle
man and a Quaker on the middle, and
myself on the front
The two ladies might have been
mother and daughter, aunt and niece,
goyerness and charge. or might have
sustained any other relationship which
makes it proper for two ladies to travel
together unattended.
The middle-aged gentleman was
sprlghtly and laxative. He soon
struck up an acquaintance with the la
dies, toward whom, in his zeal to do.
he rather oYerdid, the agreea ble-bow
ing, smiling. and ehattering over his
shoulders In manner suggestive. at
his time of life, of a "crick" in the neck.
He was evidently gay Lothario.
The Quaker wore the uniform OF his
sect, and confined his speech, as many
a parliamentarlan would save his cred
it by doing. TO simple yeas and
mays" As for myself. make it an
invariabe rule of the road to be mere
~ a looker-on and listener.
Toward evening I was aroused from
one OF those reveries into which n
young man. without either being poet
or a lover. will sometimes fall. by the
abrupt query from the laxative gen
tleman:
Are You armed, SIR
Il am not | answered. astonished,
no doubt yisibly, at the question.
Il ain sorry 10 hear IT," he replied,
for before reaching out stopping place
II will be several hours in the night,
and we must pass over a portion OF the
is reported TO have been committed.
The ladies turned pale. but the stran-
ger did his best to reassure them.
Not that | think that there Is the
slightest danger at present. he re-
sumed; only when one is responsible
for the safety of ladies, You know,
such thing as pistol in reach would
materially add to ones confidence.
Your principles, my friend" address
Ing the Quaker, II presume, are as
much opposed to carrying as TO using
carnal weaponsY
Yea" was the response.
"Have the villains murdered any of
their victims" the elder lady nervous.
ly inquired.
'Or have they contented themselves
with-with plundering themf' added
the younger, In tiInorous voice.
Decidedly the latter" the amlable
gentleman FASTENED TO give assurance;
and as we are none of us prepared to
offer resistance in case OF attack, moth
ing worse than robbery can befall us"
Then, after blaming his thoughtless-
ness In having unnecessarily introduced
a dlsagreeable subject, the gentleman
quite excelled himself In efforts TO
raise the spirits of the company, and
succeeded so well by the time night
set In that all had quite forgotten. or
only remembered their fears to laugh
at them.
Our genial companion fairly talked
himself hoarse. Perceiving which, he
took from his pocket package of
newly invented cough candy" and af-
ter passing 1t first to the ladies he help
ed himself to the balance, and tossed
the paper out of the window.
He was In the midst of high eneo-
miums ON the new nostrum, more than
half the efficacy of which, he Insisted,
depended on Its being taken by sue
ton, when a shrill whistle was heard,
and Immediately the coach stopped,
while two faces, hideously blackened,
presented themselves, one at each win
dow.
Sorry to trouble you said the man
on the right, acknowledging with a
bow two ladylike screams from the
back seat; but business is business,
and ours will soon be over IL things go
smoothly"
"0f course, gentlemen, you will
spare. as far as may be- consistent with
your dlsagreeable duty. the feelings of
these ladles?' appealed the polite pas
scnger. in his blandest manner.
"Oh. certainly; they shall be first at
tended TO, and shall not be required to
leave their places or submit to n search,
unless their conduct renders It neces-
sary.
And now, ladies' continued the
robber. the barrel of his pistol gleam-
ing in the light Of the coach lamp, "be
SO good rs 10 pass out your purses.
watches. and such other trinkets as
may be accessible without much trou-
bic"
The ladies came down handsomely,
and were no further molested.
One by one the rest OF us were com
PEELED TO get out, the middle-aged gen
tleman's turn coming first He sub
mitted with winning grace. and was
robbed like a Chesterfield. - =
My own affair. like the sum lost
was scarcely worth mentioning. The
Quake''s turn came next. He quietly
nanueu over MS pocketbook and watch,
and when asked II he had any other
valuables, said Nay"
A Quaker's word Is good even among
thieves. so, after hasty good night.
the robber thrust his pistol into his peck
ct. and with his two companions. one