Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-10-25
Mrs. Williams VIVID Ride.
By Clarice Irene Clingham:.

| The women OF the East, SECURE III
their guarded BONES, have little con
ception of the perils which, In yea rs
past. attended their pioneer 81 tiers
on the frontier They may have theo-
rstical idea, it is true, but one mus.
have actual experience to realize fully
the constant dangers that bsset these
brave souls. ae: :.
he williams Ranch at, Rockdale,
Wyoming, lay near sths foot OF she
Medicine Bow Mountains, and was
forty miles from railroad station and
pssoffics. A young married couple
lad settled there, and invested their
savings in cattle and horses. They
threvs and were happy, uasii oas an
fortunate day, when Mrs. Williams's
pr, ther, Addison White arrived from a
mining camp in California, where he
had been prospecting and working for
two or three years. In beyish giee he
proouced from his Icapasious pockets
four stsut ,buekshin bags tied with
thongs, which he flung on the kitchen
table.
= "Open 'sm, NAB" he said to Mrs.
Williams. she un Tied one OF the bags,
turned it upside down and was aston
isbed 10 see an avalanche of bright gold
.1ieces roll ever the table and down
upon the floor.
This is the fruit of my industry for
four years" declared Addison, quite
proudly. "Each of those bags has
twenty-five twenty -dellar gold pieces
in it,"
"rwc thousand dollars! And you
bought it all the way from tho rail
road station alone on horseback ex
claimed his sister aghast. Chow very
Don't you know this eoun-
try is full of desperadoes? Why didn't
you deposit in a savings bank?"
because | want to invest it right
away, and didn't want to be bothered
putting it in and then drawing it out
again." returned Addison, with self
satisfied air, walking up and down the
loom with his hands in his pockets.
~ IN going to leave it in your hands,
sis, for safe keeping. Meanwhile I'll
look around, and when I strike nice
little location IN mining camp for
gederal merchandise store, Pll use the
money in buying stsck.'
Being thus left in possession of th e
treasure. Mabel east about for .suita-
bic hitting place; butthe secluded little
hooks, the corner cupboards, the mys-
FERROUS looking closets, and big, ramb-
ling garrets peculiar 10 old-fashioned
Eastern houses, were totally lacking
in This SmalI bare walled, three-roomed
log cabin.
FIRST Mabel lcoseaed board III the
heor anu put Tic four buckskin sacks
II seemed TO her excited
that anyone might notice
that that particular board had been
pried up and nailed Down again; and
besides, the fret Thing a rooher in
search Of concealed wealth would do,
would be TO leok usuer the floor. 80
aftsr few days, she removed The four
0ags, and put theaa, wlth affected
calelessness Ia the oark ltcesses .
little cupbosra wAsre she kept Ter ket.
Ties and frying pans.
But this ~ss worse still. Her eyes
seemed liked ia q lell-tsle gaze on The
place wnslv Tie treasure lay coI.ceai-
Gu. 80 one uay Alter uark she pref up
one if Tie nat stones Thlcn formed
D IT of a waIk ieau.uS 10 tho eprln&-
louise, uUg GU, son4s of tAe soil "n~ti-
meath 10 Inake iCoAl, place1 the lCur
little bags therein, and then carefully
replaced the stone, ..A4sAs
o 1t was not surprising that Mrs. Will
llams.was little lapprehensive, fol
she was usually quite alone during the
day time. Her brother had gone on his
Trip TO look for 8. mining camp, and
her husband was busy branding calves
and seolts at a Iound-up seven miles
away. Nevertheless, Mabel was by no
neana.a timid awoman. ( She brokesall
her husbands colts, and was. never SO
49, -
happy as when Lconquering mettle-
some broncho. .She was now subduing
particularly t1Kel. II CT hbred colt
named Taurus, which was ktpl II HE
s.able instead CT being alloNta 10 fol-
low the here, mucn 10 his anger sn,
disgust.
one morning, while she was ongag q
with household duties IN the cao'n, a
loud, ringing blow sounded upon the
door. UPON opening it she was con
L.. i, ll.a. J.