The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-03-10
Crossing
The Divide.
BY AXLE AIDYL~
Copyrighted. 1908, by Jessie Morgan.
By AXLE AIDYL.

snappy December evening. The driver
swung his six horses with great four
ish and cracking OF whip through the
rough but level road Of the main street
and out at the north end of the town.
A brilliant dash down the steep In
cline to the creek, and he brought the
coach far up the road on the other side,
where the mountains rose so suddenly
from the plains. And so began the
climb over the divide.
The three passengers inside the
coach, young girl and two men, ap-
parently accustomed to this mode Of
travelling, did not brace themselves to
resist the pitching and rolling Of the
ponderous vehicle, but allowed them
selves to sway with Its every motion. :
The road was broken and rough from
the heavy autumn rains, Once the
coach struck 'tchuck hole" which al
most brought the inmates to their feet
and caused general friendly laugh.
Up to this time the girl had paid no
attention to her fellow travellers, She
had been absorbed with her own home
sick thoughts. To start the drudgery
of a governess' life, miles from mo-
where, with no prospect of returning
home for year, was depressing. On,
well, she must make the best of it.
She tried to distinguish the mems faces,
but it was too dark, and both were
muffed in heavy overcoats. AS they
boarded the coach at Redding she had
noticed one was an old man, the other
gray as to hair, broad, strong and
youthful as to shoulders. se
The older man sat beside her on the
back seat. The two men chatted about
the rich strike" in Deadwood, where
fortunes were being made In a day,
She gathered that the young-old man
was mining an old hydraulic property
just beyond Lewiston, and he was on
his way there. Well, she was going
''just beyond Lewiston also, and she
wondered If this huge person was to
be neighbor Of hers. T
Their desultory talk gradually died
away, the old man fell asleep. and his
head bobbed and swayed and ducked
about until he seemed IN danger Of
losing it, but he slept on oblivious of
such alarming possibilities.
At II O'Clock they reached the Half
way House, and while the driver
changed horses the passengers stretch
ed their cramped limbs, pacing the
narrow porch of the inn, Later they
went into the low, long dining room,
where a cold lunch and hot coffee were
served them on a table spread with a
red and white cloth. The girl saw
that the young-old giant could not be
more than thirty-seyen or thirty-eight
years old. though his hair was silver.
And such blue eyesl They seemed
to belong to a child, SO clear and IN
clouded were they, 3
He supplied her needs at the table
without seeming to do so, and when
the driver called "All aboard" he
helped her into the coach in the same
unobtrusiye manner.
The fresh horses, only four now, as
the heavy climb was over, pulled the
stage along at a livelier pace, and
within a half hour they had reached
the summit of the divide and com
menced the descent
The driver cracked his whip and
they whirled down the narrow noun
tain road, swinging the horses far out
on the very edge of the embankment
as they turned the outward curve of
the mountain and then sweeping rapid
ly in at the bend-as only a stage
driver can and keep his coach in the
middle OF the road.
It was a magnificent night the moon
light making it clear as day. The
girl from her window could see in,
Vulnerable lofty peaks Of the great
coast range stretching in what seemed
level line.
The passengers were startled by a
sudden jerking of the coach and wild
imprecation from the driver.
Something's wrong" said the giant,
and he opened the window olAthe right
hand side and looked out. In a mo-
ment he drew back.
"The off lead has broken the inside
trace and is frightened he said as he
Invested himself Of his oyercoat. The
driver must have some help. f'Don't
be nervous''-thfs to the young girl.
wen fix it all right" s9
He opened the door and stood on the
step a second By this time the terror
of the runaway was communicated to
the other horses, and they were fast
getting beyond control. The coach was
rocking and pitching at tremendous
rate.
"Close the door after get on top"
he called to the old man, who was
thoroughly awake by this time, and
then. waiting until the coach swung
around the inner curve, he put one
foot halfway up the door on the open
window ledge and, grasping the low
railing above, pulled himself up on to
the top Of the coach.
| The girl had closed the door and,
leaning far out, watched him as the
swinging coach permitted step to the
seat Of the driver and over the dash
board to the tongue. A terrible lurch
and he had to pause and hold on for a
moment.
"Pull hard on the wheelers," he said
to the driver. '1'll look after the
Others"
Slowly he began moving along the
tongue Of the wagon, and the girl felt
sure he was talking to and reassuring
the horses, for his presence did not
seem to further alarm the poor fright
ened brutes
The girls hands suddenly grasped
the sides of the window as she saw
him near the end Of the narrowing
tongue and realized what he purposed
doing. For moment he paused to pat
| the neck of the wheeler; then. stand
! ing with one foot on the swinging SIN
gletree. he gave a tremendous leap
and sprang to the back of the mad
dened leader. He drew himself along
over the foaming creatures shoulder
and. reaching forward, succeeded III
freeing the bit from its clinched teeth,
then. talking softly and gently patting
its neck. gradually quieted the poor
animal which now. responding to the
saving of the reins. came to stand
stir halfway down the mountain side.
The man sprang to the ground, as
did the driver, and together they mend
ed the trace and looked over the entire
harness. The horses. steaming and
trembling, were now docile as lambs.
you'll have no further trouble to-
night" said the man to the drive
These poor brutes are pretty thor
oughly exhausted"
Smoking Jehoshaphat, but that was
a close shave" said the driver. WED
all been in kingdom come If it hadn't
been for you"
ooh, not as bad as that, / guessw
answered the man and, turning to the
horse who had caused all the trouble.
"You would have come to your senses
in time, wouldn't you, old boy?" The
horse answered by rubbing his head