The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-06-10
DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
A eoWLDER THAT WAS STARTED
ROLLING JUST FOR FUN.

In n Tragedy-A Lucky Bound Into
the Air.
More than 20 years ago." said the
senator in reminiscent mood, Il was
doing clerical stunts At Hamilton. New,
and having about as enjoyable an ex-
istence as | have ever known. before
or since. The blue skies, the big noun
tains, the invigorating air, the whole
some food and the interesting peooIe
all around me made my life about as
good as life ought to be this side of |
the peSrly portals. My work was not t
so combining that l could not get away /
on mountain walks pretty frequently, !
and one day l started out with my |
dog for a turn up Mount Tom, just be-
yond the town. The main highway !
leading into the town from the west
passed along the side of this mountain
and on over gap into the valley be-
yond
Il had a particular object in view,
| and with my dog l wandered along up
the mountain, which was without vege-
tation except Il furry thicket in places.
and the surface was covered with
rocks of various sizes from a football
to haystack. After awhile, for some
thing better to do, / began to roll the
stones down the mountain side, and it
rapidly developed into a most exciting
sport for the mountain was steep and
| the rocks went down with a whoop
and n hurrah that stirred the blood
to watch them as they bounded along.
l never thought of the road passing
along about LOCO feet down the hill,
and, as nobody happened to be going
by, my attention was not called to it
in that way, and kept on.
Naturally enough, my success with
the smaller stones made me ambitious,
and | essayed something larger. 1t
was dandy, too, a great big, round
bOwlder that would have weighed a
ton if it weighed a pound. 1t was a
job to get it started, but by pulling
the rocks from under ii on the lower
side and loosening it up all around 1
got it going ct last and stood back to
enjoy its progress down the mountain.
1t went slowly at first, as If in doubt,
but it struck steep place about 80 feet
down the hill, and it leaped out like a
restive horse from the post and away
1t went. bounding a dozen feet into the
air and jumping over gullies and rASks
as if it were rubber. About COO feft
down, when it was going at tremen-
dous speed, it leaped so feet into the
air, and | was just going to let off a
Whoop when l saw a u mule team in
the narrow road below and directly in
the track of the monster.
THE team was drawing two wagons
as was the custom with the mountain
freighters. and it was driven by old
Jerry Simpson. one of the best known
, teamsters in the mountains. 1t simply
paralyZed me. for didn't see anything
but destruction for everything in the
, way. There was no turning back or
whipping up to get out of the way, for
, the load was heavy and the road was
, rough and narrow. l stood speechleSS.
> scared white. but the driver had seen
: the rock coming. and, dropping off
. the saddle mule. he broke back up the
8 read as hard as he could run. l would
. have run. too. but my legs refused to
; act and ! stood fast and watched the
o great rock go tumbling down toward
h its victims. l hadn't long to wait. of
:. course. and just as l gasped at the last
bound of the bowider it struck an OF
9 clean over the team and the road and
+ went crashing on its way down into
, the ravine below.
r "Then / recovered my wits, and
q knowing that what l had been doing
q was entirely inexcusable, skinned of
> up the mountain behind the rocks an(
Y disappeared. trusting to Providence
, that the old Jerry hadn't identified me
O slipped around another way to towI
p and got in all right without having an!
o questions asked where | had been. anC
e tEat evening l went over to the post
n Office. which was a general loafn:
e place and there found Jerry telling o
his wonderful escape.
"'DtrEed eff didn't think it wuZ {
haystack comm down the hill,' b,
It said with somethin alive in it,
1t Have you any idea who rolled i
r down. l asked innocently.
a In course l hain't. Eff l hadn'
e been in sich . hurry and left my Win
l. chester in tEe'wagon. I'd "a found on
ar mighty quick. fer seen him run. ant
le he had a dog with him.
a II was a little nervous, but kept OF
ot asking questions.
1t ".NYhat did you have in your waG
n onS?' | said.
IS dynamite. Four tons Nv it.
r, "'Good Lordr / exclaimed. 'Ther
Ill wouldn't have been much left of tina
team, would there?
"'Nor me- neither 1 reckon he saic
shaking his head.
y "'What did you think of as you wer
running up the road?
ID mot much Nv anything, l guess
le but mostly eff they wuZ goin to be abl
to git enough Nv Jerry Simpson mea
Y. out of that mule II Eat to have funei
d, al with
81 don't know where Jerry is now,
r concluded the senator; dead. | SUI
...-l--. LIT narnr told him who role