The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-01-03
Driver Of the Coach
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles)
By ALLEN 9. REDWOOD

rocky cliff overhanging the He'll Gate
river
The wheelers, holding back for all
they were worth, were Siding on their
aocks. 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
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 pole
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" | COM
mented
Fair to middlln', 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 a 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 4 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 Kan
sas cavalry command, mostly on the
frontier of Indian Territory. After the
war he had drifted west, following var
ious oallings. There was material for
a book in his "reminiscences, punctuat-
ed by an occasional depression which
must have given the recording angel
a steady job-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
place, going up the Bitter Root di-
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 to
hike out to windward" wherever we
could find footing. But that amt
patchin' to some places I've saw in the
Gunnison country. Ye're all right,
s 'long's ye know yer team and got day
light But you take it of a pitch-dark
night, snow and Sleet a-drivin' in yer
eyes, sos't yer can't tell where yer
leaders is 'ceptin' by the feel o. yer
reins, and yer hands that stiff We cant
even be sure o that, and likes not,
one of 'em amt never looked through
a collar before! Then see eff we can do
the trick Their amt no tally-ho frills
on that job-it takes drivin, that
does. I'm tellin' ye straight"
Read agents. we say? Oh, yes
run into EN- time or two not on this
route though--onct in Arizona and
onct down Boise way. They didn't
make no trouble thought, neither
time; jist took what they wanted and
lit out peaceable-like-no shootin'
nor fuss"
There isn't generally, it seems from
all accounts"
Not unless there's some tenderfoot
aboard at amt cut his eye-teeth, and
gifts laid out afore he gets the chance
ter. There's a good many eastern folks
has your idee. 1t remines me O the
picturs you used to see on the cylin-
ders o the old pattern Colt 32's-~oue
Teller standin' off a hull outnt o
agents. But I'm tellin' ye-them roCs-
ters don't take no chances, nor they
money. An ye don't never know but
what the Teller 'longside O ye amt in
cahoOts with the gang-people travel
in out here is mostly strangers to each
Other-and tibet yer first move fur yer
gun wont be yer last. Likes not they
bOu Ndll HOlllIll only lut NtIlS-
Fargo freight; they're out fur the
stuff every time, you bet! Now,
s'pose the coach was to stand off a
gang-shes got to come back that
same way, and drivers amt paid fur
gittin' filled up with buckshot Not
much, No, sir! When you hear fell
Ter sing out Hands up.' jist ahead O
We of dark night, we kin jist go yer
pile he's a-holdin' high cards agin We,
and hey amt no sense in buckin the
game then"
As we topped the divide, the wind
came bleak off the SUBMITS of the Bit
ter Root range, and the snow, which
had neen threatening all the afternoon,
began to sift down, capering off in
swirling drifts across the open bunch
grass plateau.
The road on the long down grade
grew so slippery that the brake had lit
tie power to check our descent and we
bowled down at pace suggestive of
disaster should anything give way.
The visible world was all one color
when the lights of Deer Lodge showed
dm'y through the murky twilight and
our smoking team pulled up in front
of the hotel. 1t had been chilly work
for the last two hours, and we prompt
ly lined up at the bar:
Five whiskes!"
well, so long, gents said my late
companion, as he set down his empty
glass-"must go turn in my waybill.
An saw nard-if We meet up with any