The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-18
A STONE.
1t Did Not Gather Any Noes, but Created
Considerable Commotion.

More than twenty years ago" said the Senator
In reminiscent mood as The black bottle and the
black cigars began 10 exert their mystic ministra.
tons, q was doing clerical stunts at Hamilton,
New, and having about ~ enjoyable an existence
az | have ever known. before or since. The blue
skies. the big mountains. the %invigorating air.
the wholesome food and the interesting people
all around me made my life about ~ good a.
life ought TO be this side Of the pearly portals.
My work wassn not So combining that l could not
get away on mountain walks pretty frequently
and ono day | started out with my dog for q
turn up Noun, Tom, JUS, beyond the town. The
main highway leading into town from the west
passed along the side OF this mountain and On
over gap into the valley beyond.
Il had no particular offset In view and with
my dog wandered along up the mountain, which
was without vegetation except a furry thicket
In places, and she surface was covered with rocks
O, various sizes from a football to a haystack.
After awhile, Tor something better to do, l began
20 roll tho stones down the mountain side, and
Il, rapidly developed into n most exciting sport,
for the mountain was steep and tho rocks went
down i; with whoop and a hurrah that stirred
the blood to watch them rs they bounded along.
never Thought Of the road passing along about
n llilNiNl ~ '"h NV anu oiA ~ 'hNNs
h|auprncd to be going by, my attention was not
called to It In that way, ana ] kept on.
Naturally enough, my success with the smaller
stones made me ambitious and | essayed some
thing larger II was a dandy, too. q great big
round boulder that would have weighed a ton
if il weighed q pound TWAS Job to get 1T started
but By pulling tho rocks from under il on the
lower side and loos"ning It up all around I got
Ia .- a., t,, .Al l,-.l hac1g 4. att,v lie
down Inc mountain 1t went slowly at first. as il
In doubt, but it struck a steep place about fifty
fec, down the Hill and il lcaped out like a cstivs
horse from ,he post and away it went, bounding
n dozen feet into the cir and jumping over gullies
and rocks as II it were rubber, About six hun
drcd fee, down, when i, was going at tremendous
speed II lraled Atty feet into the air and l was
Just going to let oil a whoop Of triumph when I
saw a twelve mule team in the narrow mad below
and directly in the track Of the monster
The team was drawing two wagons, az was
the custom with the mountain freigh,ers, and
it was driven hy Old Jerry Simpson, ono Of the
Rest known tcams'crs in the mountains. 1t
simply p~aralyUrd me for ! didn't see anything hut
destruction for everything in the way. Theirs
was no turning hack nor whipping up to get oct
Of the way, for the load was heavy and the road
was rough and narrow. stood speeches.,
scared white, but the driver bal seen the ruck
cumluC, md dropping of Of the saddle mule, he
broke lack up the rad as hard as he CuuId run.
| wuUIl have run, too, but IN legs refused 10 act
and stood fast and watched III" great rock GO
tuullIng down toward It's victims. | hadnt
long 10 wait. II course, and just as gasDed at the
last bound II the boulder II struck an obstruction
Of some Kind and jumped clean over the team
AMI the road and went crashing on lis way down
into he rayine below
Then | recovered my wits, and knowing that
what had been doing was ent. rely lnexcusal lie
| skinned of IN the mountain tchind the rocks
eud disappeared, trusting To- Providence that
tha I'D Jerry hadn't identified me. siiprsl
around another way tn town and got in oil night
had tcen and that evening | wen, over to the Post
Ofico, which was q general loafur place and there
found Jerry telling q ms wonderful ESCAPE.
"I~rned Fl | didn't think II wrz a ~haystack
coming down the hill, he said, with some'hin'
ALIVE in It
Have YOU any idea who rolled it down? I asked
innuCently.
"In course I haln't FL | hadn't been IN s,ch
a hurry and left my Winchester In the wagon.
n q found out mighty quick, fer ] seen him run,
and hr had a dog with him.
Il was a little nervous, hut I kept on asking
questions,
Dynamite Four tons NV it
"Gnod Lord! | exclaimed, There wouldn't
| have ioen much left Of that team. would there
"Nur me, neither, | reckon, ne said, shaking
VIVA, did you think Of as you were running up
Not much NV anything, | guess, hut mostly
Of they was pOin' 10 he able 10 gt enough OF jerry
Simpson meat out Of that mule meat TO have a
funeral with
Il don't know where Jerry is now" concluded
the Senator dead, | suppose, hut never told him
who ROLLED that rock down the hill nor did | ever
tel anybody in that town who did H., because
it came altogether too near being a tragedy for Il
ever TO be considered a Joke"