The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-14
AN INDIAN LADDER.

When an everyday thing appears IN a
novel it becomes very interesting, but
when it occurs next door to home nobody
pays much attention TO IL During the last
week the streams in the eastern part OF
Oklahoma have been very high. The es-
capes and escapades Of travellers in that
part of the country, if tucked into story
by Rudyard Kipling, would be eagerly
sought at the book stores. The streams
have been wildly runaway now for
week. Several narrow escapes are re-
corded and one travelling man, named
Constant. Of Arkansas City and quite wei
known in Wichita, lost his life in attempt
ing TO get across Black Bear, in Pawnee
county
Dorsey Dunno. travelling for The Eagle.
brings back his experience. which is quite
unique and is worth re-teIling. The stage
set out from Perry one day this East week
for Pawnee. The roads were heavy and
the horses had hard row TO hoe and the
passengers plenty OF time to get acquaint-
ed with one another. The personnel Of
the coach-load consisted Of Dorsey Dunno
and two other travelling men, a minister
Of the gospel, armed with a Bible and
a kodak, and a young woman Of is, 1.-THE,
pretty and vivacious. The travelling men
were taking orders. and the coach was an
old story 10 them. To the minister the
scene was new, and in intervals from get
ting solace from the good book, he would
arrange the mechanism of his kodak and
snap lone COW on a steep hill or bare
footed boy in a gushing gully. To the
young woman. who was eastern, and was
vic D.
rience was novelty delightful, and as all
the men We're extraordinarily courteous
and wed with one another in explanations
OF anything and everything along the
Toute,she was thrilled with every incident.
Finally Black Bear was reached. It IS
a stream confined in rather high banks.
and it was on this occasion on a rampage.
its black muddy water swirltng a1d eGdy
ing angrily in the rush Of its current.
Near the point Of crossing Is a new bridge.
twenty feet above the water the an
proaches 10 which have not been as Yet
constructed, The old ford is still used.
Black Bear beng reached. the driver
crawied from his perch and surveyed the
ford After profound thought he came
back and notified the party that they
couldn't get across. The travelling men
made few remarks to themselves. w,.le
the young woman looked delightfully."- con-
cerned, although she was not concerned at
al. and thrived on perplexity
you sec" explained the driver. The
thine nneaning the river is 50 dod-bamed
muddy that you people added % Tie
weight Of the coach would sink her down
to the hubs and we would never ~ cat
The young lady looked more perplexsd
than ever. and the travelling men looked
dark and the minister looked resigned.
But no one said anything.
Up there is the bridge he said. "but
the blamed thing has no ends on it-but-
but-there IS an Indian ladder there.
hadn't thought Of that
Not one in the crowd knew what an
Indian ladder was but no one was going
to show his ignorance
Now If you could all climb that Indian
ladder and get on the bridge that way.
and get down on the Indian ladder on the
other side, why I guess I could get the
blamed coach over
Could I climb an Indian Iadder?" asked
the young lady.
'I-weh-Tve known women to-" hest
tated the driver
well we'll try" answered the young
lady cheerfu!Iv
The approach 10 the Indian ladder was
through thick underbrUsh. and the gal
liant men parted he brambIez for the
young lady. and finally they all reached
the Indian ladder, and all recognized it.
The ladder was q large straight dead
tree. part of the limbs and knots of which
had been permitted to remain. making
roughly an imitation Of the snflee by
which Gueman mounts a telegraph pole.
The climb was fuzzy twenty-five feet and
the limbs or rounds We're by no means
equi-distanr In fact some Of them were
fuIly two feet apart and it meant con
siderable exertion to make the climb.
All the men turned to the young eastern
woman
She answered the unasked question. COT
course : can
The men were then in a ouand7ry- as
20 how the procession should proceed. In
mounting stairway they all knew that
etiquette demanded that the men 90 first
But IT would seem contemplate in this
case, because someone should remain be
low to catch her if she should fan. So il
was decided with that tacit and rapid
agreement which is mans closest an
preach to woman's intuition. that the min
lister should remain below But another
difficulty arose. and the young lady VAS
sent second. for the first round was four
feet from The ground and two of the men
had n lift her up to f. Then she mounted
gracefully and easily. and midway the
niniSter commanded her 10 stop uutl he
could kodak her On probably the only In
dian ladder she would ever grace. This
done, she climbed on and gained the
bridge with applause.
Arriving on the other side Of the stream.
they found that the driver had made the
passage They climbed into the coach ana
proceeded. Not very TAR from this Doiv,
they were met by the postmaster from,
Leah. The PostofliCe was trro. miles
away and impossible Of access h5,a,,s.
Of the high water. by the coach. He Wa
On horse and carried his KEYS and his
sacks with him. A temporary n-sr,fF-.
Yves established on the grass the sacks o.
oneHed and the mail sorted. This VS. 81,
unique that the minister had 70 kodak ir
a'ih'agh he pledged that he would nor
pam 1t OF on his friends rs '.ho'd-up.'
TIE sacks rslocked. the sta-e numbered
on L arrived in Pawnee in time for IFS
"oou0ants 10 see the hoHv of the moor
drowned Constant. which had lust beer
brought in.
CFTLDS PLAY H0TSr
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