The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-09-11
Driver Of the Coach

BY ALLEN Q. REDWOOD

1 nc sldSe COACH WAS coming GOWN
long steep siding where the newly
| made road had been blasted out Of q
rocky cliH overhanging the He'll Gate
river
The wheelers. holding back for al
they We're worth. We're sliding on their
hooks. their collars horizontal and the
| pole pointing skyward. AT the bottom
| OF the grade the road, turning sharply
to the right, crossed the river on a
| wide pole bridge. There was not room
enough for the team to swing round;
| the leaders kept straight on down into
| the bed OF the stream until the poie
lay across the road, then as the wheel
ers came round the little mares in
the lead scrambled like cats up the
side OF the bridge, and the team
Strengthened out again.
Pretty bit OF work, that" I COM
mented.
Fair to mddlin', for scrub team,
he admitted.
Smart little mare, that off leader"
hazarded presently.
oh! she'll do fur this kind OF a
job" He glanced my way, spat DELHI
erately and added: Most o. you east
ern folks don't keer to notice boss
onless he's been clipped and got his
tail chopped off short-like them tally
no teams you was speakin' bout. a
time ago. ! low some of 'em would a.
been bothered to make that ere turn
though, don't We reckin?"
| 'reckoned," and further dropped
the hint that / was an old trooper, and
so looked beyond clipped coat and a
banged tail' in estimating the points
of horse. The random shot scored a
bullseye, | had got him where he
lived. He, too, had served in a Kan
sas cavalry command mostly on the
frontier Of Indian Territory. After the
war he had drifted west, following var
ious Callings. There was material for
a book in his "reminiscences. punctuat-
ed by an occasional depression which
must have given the recording angel
a steady iob-ending always with a
persuasive Come up, Kitty" to the
little dun mare in the off
Yes, we've got to have some. savoy
and keep yer eye peeled all the time
over most lines this side o the Rock
les, he allowed" We had Just passed
a place, going up the Bitter Root d.
vide, where the road wound around a
knoll on the natural slope, and where
the uphill wheels trod so lightly that
In order TO keep the coach on A keel,
all available live ballast had had 10
hike out to windward" wherever we
could find footing. But that ain,t |
patchin to some places I've saw in the |
Gunnison country. Yere all right. |
: longs we know yer team and got day |
light. But you take 1t OF pitch dark |
night, snow and sleet a-drivIn in yer 1
eyes, sos't yer can't tell where yer
leaders is 'ceptin by the feel o. yer
relns, and yer hands that stiff We can't
even lie sure O. that, and likes not, a |
new team, Jist off'n the range and not
one of EN- amt never looked through |
4 collar before! Then see eff we can dc |
he trick Their amt no tally-ho frills |
IN thst job-it takes drivin', that
Ices I'm tellin' ye straight
Road agents, we say? Oh, yes.
'un into EN- a time or two; not on this
quite though-onct In Arizona and
met down Boise way. They didn't
make no trouble thought, neither
line; Just took what they wanted and
it out peaceable-like-no shootin'
Tor fuss"
There isn't generally. 4 seems from
III accounts"
Not unless there's some tenderfoot
hoard at amt cut HIS eye-teeth. and
yits laid out afore he gets the chance
er. There's a good many eastern folks
las your idee. II remines me o. the
,icturs you used 20 see on the cy,in-
ers % the old pattern Colt 32's-one
eller standin OF hull outnt O
gems. But I'm tellin' ye- them roos-
ers don't take no chances, nor they
Ion't aim 10 give ye no show for yer
noney An ye don't never know but
what the Teller longside o. we amt in
ahoOts with the gang-peuple travel
n out here Is mostly strangers to each
ther--and thet yer first move fur yer [
un wont be yer last Likes not they
ont want nothin', only the Wells
'argo freight; they're out fur the
mn. every time, you betl Now,
pose .he coach was 10 stand of ,
ang- she's got to come back that
anne way. and drivers amt paid fur
ittin' Alled up with buckshot. Not
luch, No. sir, When you hear a fel-
n sing out Hands upl' list ahead o.
e Of j dark night. ye kin list go yer
lie he's a-holdin' high cards agin We,
nd 'hey amt no sense in bucllin' the 7
anne then
As we topped the divide the wind
lme bleak on the SUBMITS of the BIT
n Root range. and the snow. which
al reen threatening an the afternoon.
sgan 10 sift down. capering on in
wiring drifts across the open bunch
-ass plateau.
The road on the long down grade p
'ew 50 slippery that the brake had lit
2 poVer 20 check our descent and we
,w.ed down at a pace suggestive uf
saster should anything give way.
he visible world was all one color
hen the lights OF Deer Lodge showed
mly through the murky twilight and \
II smoking team pulled up In front |