Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-02-17
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Romance

/ - BtbPit bOu 1 lIdNti. 1ntl SltD
to an elegantly furnished apartment,
| go TO bed and the next morning wake
| up at their destination. Formerly when
one stepped into a stagecoach, heard
| the drivers whip crack and was jolted
along lumpy road day and night for
weck-that was travelling. Besides. the
| acquaintance, attachments, weddings,
that resulted from being so closely
thrown together-I tell you. there was
romance In stagecoach travelling"
Would you like to hear one of them
| romances?" asked a graybeard in the
| coener, removing a cob pipe from his
| mouth. h
The advocate Of the stagecoach looked
| somewhat taken aback; the others all
| called for the story.
cit was afore the Union Pacific was
| built, and | was goin' to Frisco by
stage. I got into the old wood and iron
and leather trap, thinkin' | was the
only passenger, and TUX the back seat;
but, lookin' up suddenly, | saw one of
| the pertiest gals, a-sittin on the fore
seat, a-facin' me, We ever see. She had
| n head of faxen hair made into a rope
| braid long enough to hang jayhawk-
| err with, her cheeks We're a rosy red,
| and her eyes We're like the twin lakes
back of Georgetown, Colo.
| "Waal, now, it wasn't to be supposed
that l, gay bird of twenty-five, was
a-goin to ride with hull middle seat
| L. 1. a.
teen. 1t wasn't moren half an hour
| afore l had her on the back seat, with
my arm around her waist TO help her
! over the bumps. She fought mighty
shy, lookin' sideways out'n the off win
der, and KEEP tellin' me that l oughtn't
to make love so student and all that.
All the same, she peared to like it, and
l KEEP it up. | noticed that she looked
worried, and when | tole her how /
loved her and would give my life for
her she 'peared to doubt me. Then
when | swore I'd kill any one who
dared lay a finger on her she got conf
!, dental and told her story. She said she
| was a-feein' frum brutal stepfather,
who was pursuin' her on trumped up
| charge to git her inter bis hands. In
that bag, she said, I've got some of the
FORUM my poor father left me, and if I
can git to Frisco I'll find his old lawyer
and be safe
II jest pulled my weepon around and
told her | had six bullets fur that step
! father.
When we was a-pullin' up to the
| fust relay to change bosses we saw
dozen mounted men waitin The gal
| turned pale. Say I'm yer sister she
gasped. One of the men rode to the
stage door, poked a cooked revolver in
at the winder and looked us over.
"'Whats yer nameT he asked me-
""Thomas Winter
"'The gal?'
"'NIy sister, Mollie Winter
HE turned away, and / heard him
say to the others, He amt aboard
Then to the driver: We're lookin' fur
one of the gang that robbed the S.
| bank. Haven't seen no skulkers on the
route, have YEP The driver told him he
hadn't and drove on.
"'What luck fur you.' I said to the
| gal, mighty pleased that they hadn't
troubled her. L reckon they're in the
pay o. yer stepfather and made a pur-
tense of lookin' fur the bank robber'
"'Reckon they was she said, a-trem-
bin.
"'And If they had searched yer bag
| gage and found yer forum they might
| "a thought we was in cahoots with
h. LAI,
with the plumber
1T would "a been dreadful embar-
rassin',' she said, shudderin'.
Il TUX her in my arms and soothed
| her. She just laid her head on my
shoulder and sobbed. When we'd went
| about five mile all of a student she up
and said she was a-goin' to git out. l
tole her l thought she was goin to find
the lawyer at Frisco, but she said she
was afeared they'd be after her ag'in;
she'd better hide fur awhile afore goin'
on. | wanted to stick to her, but she
said she was under obligation enough
to me and wouldn't hear Of it.
II well remember that partin'. 1t
was evenin', and a new moon was
helpin' out the twilight. We stopped
the stage, and both got out. There was
no one near but the driver on the box;
nothin' but the forest on all sides. l
TUX her hand, and | said:
81 swar I'm not goin' to desert the
gal love in this cowardly fashion. I'm
a-goin' to stick to yer through thick and
thin, and the mex party as stops yer III
have to face my shootih' iron
"a student change came over her
lin'a'ments.
aye bloomin' galoot,' she said, pull
IN a revolver from her petticoats, yer
goin' on with that coach, and I'm goin'
! In a different direction with the bank
plumber! I'm no gal; I'm man, and IL
, We don't get into that stage mighty
| quick I'll bore hole inter We, sartinr
= n. "