Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-08-12
Mrs. WilliamS'S Wild Ride,
BY cLARIcE IRENE cLINGHAN.

their guarded homes, have little con-
ception of the perils which in years
past attended their pioneer sisters on
the frontier. They may have a theo-
retical idea, it is true, but one must
have had actual experience to realize
fully the constant dangers that beset
these brave souls.
The Williams ranch at Rockdalc
Wyoming, lay near the foot of the
Medicine Bow mountains, and was
40 miles from railroad station and
postoffice. A young married couple
had settled there, and invested their
savings in cattle and horses. They
throve and were happy, until one
unfortunate day, when Mrs. Williams
brother, Addison White, arrived from
a mining camp in California where he
had been prospecting and working for
two or three years. In boyish glee he
produced from his capacious pockets
four stout buckskin bags tied with
thongs, which he flung upon the kitch-
en- table.
open EN-, NAB" he said to Mrs. Will
liams. She united one of the bags,
turned it upside down, and was as
tonished to see an avalanche Of
bright, gold pieces roll over the table
and down upon the floor.
20, Ad," said Mabel, pursuing the
spinning runaways,' what does it
mean? Where did you get them?"
They're my savings of the last four
years. replied Addison, proudly.
Each of those bags has twenty-five
$40 gold pieces in it,
1.-TWO thousand dollars! And you
road station alone On horseback"
exclaimed his sister, aghast. How
very imprudent! Don't you know this
country is full of desperadoes? Why
didn't you deposit it in a savings
bank?"
Because l want to invest it right
away, and didn't want to be bothered
putting it in and then drawing itright
>out again." returned Addison, with
self-satisfed air, walking up and down
the room with his hands in his pocll-
cts. I'm going to leave it in your
hands, sis, for safe keeping. Mean
while I'll look around, and when l
strike nicelittle location in a mining
camp for a general merchandise store,
I'll use the money in buying stock"
Being thus left in possession of the
treasure, Mabel cast about for a suit
able hiding place; but the secluded
little hooks, the corner cupboards, the
mysterious oak closets and big, ram
bling garrets peculiar to old-fashioned
eastern houses were totally lacking in
this small, bare walled, three roomed
log cabin.
First Mabel loosened a board in the
floor and put the four buckskin bags
underneath. 1t seemed to her excited
Imagination that any one might no.
tice that that particular board had
been pried up and nailed down again;
and besides, the first thing a robber
in search of concealed wealth would
do would be to look under the floor.
So, after few days, she removed the
four bags and put them with affected
carelessness in the dark recesses of a
little cupboard where she kept her bot
ties and frying pans.
But this was worse still. Her eyes
seemed fixed in telltale gaze on the
place where the treasure lay concealed.
So one day after dark she pried up
one of the fiat stones which formed
part of walk leading to the spring
house, dug out some of the soil under
meath to make room, placed the four
little bags therein, and then carefully
replaced the stone.
1t was not surprising that Mrs. Will
liams was a little apprehensive, for
she was usually quite alone during the
daytime. Her brother had gone on his
trip to look up a mining camp, and her
husband was busy branding calves and
colts at a roundup seven miles away.
Nevertheless, Mabel was by no means
timid woman. She broke all her
husbands colts, and was never so
happy as when conquering a mettle-
some bronco. She was now subduing
particularly fine thoroughbred colt
named Taurus, which was kept in the
stable instead of being allowed to fol-
low the herd, much to his anger and
disgust.
One morning, while she was en-
gagged with household duties in the
cabin, a loud, ringing blow sounded
upon the door. Upon opening it, she
was confronted by two rough looking
men, one of whom covered her with
revolver
eve know you have $4,000 in gold
in this house" he said. Get it at
once"
81 give you my word of honor" said
Mabel, speaking calmly, that the only
money in the house is about $50 that
l have on hand for household eX-
penses. 1t is in the next room"
GO get it, then, and be lively" said
the man with the revolver. "As for
the $4,000, | know it's here. Well see
about that afterward."
Mabel went into the adjoining room,
seized her husbands rifle that stood
in corner, slammed the door shut