Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-03-27

l .I,"0c 90, a. ; .'',;iJ pay ing The driver
hr say:. That so Then he takes n
quick look Ground. We can pay him
IN full too. old horse. he holiers, and
there was a most joyful smile ON his
face.
Red says lie. don't YOU know this
is the only ford on the river for-l
don't know how many milcs-perhapS
the whole lcn,h Of her|
".Wcl.' says /.
".Our LITTLE placer claim says Aggy
slowly. rubbing his hands together,
covers that ford. and by n judicious
taking up of claims for various uncles
and brothers and friends Of ours along
the creek on the lowlands we can fix
1t SO they can't even bridge It.
"'Do you mean they can't cross our
claim If we say they can't"
"'Sure thing says Aggy. There's
you and me and the law to say mo
to that I wish had gun
"'You don't need any gun for that
skunk Of a driver
"'Of course not, but there'll be pas
sengers. and there's no telling how ex-
cited them passengers will be when
they find they've got to go over the
hills ford hunting
"'Are you going to send 'em oil
around, Ag?'
1.-THE whole bunch. Anybody CON-
ing back from the diggings has gold
In his clothes, SO 1t won't hurt 'em
none, and propose to give that stage
line an advertising that won't do 1t a
bit Of good. Come along. Red. Let's
see that lad that has the shack up
the river. We need something to eat,
and maybe he's got gun. II he's a
decent Teller. We'll let him In on q
claim. Never mind about the hole
1t won't run away, and there's nobody
to touch anything. Come on
$50 we went up the river. The
mans name was White, and he was q
white man by nature too. He fed us
well and was just as hot as us when
We told him about the stage drivers
trick. Then we told him about the
find and let him in
"'NOw,' says Aggy, have you got 9
gum
az have that says the man. My
dad used to be duck hunter ON Ches
apeake bay. When you say gun" III
/ show You gum He dove In under
his bunk and fetched out what l should
say was No. bore shotgun, witt
barrels six foot long.
Gentlemen says he, holding the
gun up and patting it lovingly. If yor
ram a quarter pound Of powder ir
each one of them barrels and hand
full OF buckshot on top Of that you've
| got an argument that couldn't be upse
by the supreme court. Ill guarantee
that when you point her anywheref
within ten feet Of a man not over 9
hundred yards away and let her do bel
duty. all the talent that that mans
family could employ couldn't gather
enough Of him to recognize him by
and you won't be in bed more'n long
enough to heal q busted shoulder
81 hope 1t amt going to be my pain
full line Of performance to pull tho
trigger says Aggy. 4 think the sigh
Of her would have weight with mos
people. When's the stage due backT
"'Day after tomorrow, about noon
"'That gives US lots Of time to stake
and to salt claims that can't show
cause their own selves says Aggy. =
think we're all right
1.-The next day we worked like thu
old Harry. We had everything fixed
up right by nightfall. and there wa!
nothing to do but dig and wait.
Curious folks we all arc, amt we
should have said my own self that Il
| I'd found gold by the bucketful, I'd b.
| more interested In that than l would
be In getting even with q NUT that hai
done me dirt, but it wasn't SO. Per
haps 1t was because l hadn't pait
and l had paid the strictest attention
to the way other people used me. Liv
ing where there's SO few folks &C
counts for that, suppose.
Getting even on our esteemed
friend. the stage driver, was right IL
your Uncle Reddy's line, and Aggy and
our new nard, White, seemed to takt
kindly to It. also.
III ever you saw three faces flllet
with innocent glee, 1t was when W.
heard the wheels Of that stage coming
why. the night before was WOKE
up by somebody laughing. There wa.
Aggy sound asleep. sitting up buggInl
himself In the moonlight.
"'Oh. my! Oh. N.Y. says he. It'll
the only ford for 1900 miles,
I'VE planted a sign In the middle Of
the road with this wording on 1t In bi:
letters, made with the black end Of .
stick:
NOTICE!
| rhis and adjoining claims nre the prop
erty OF Agamcmnon G. Jones. Red Saun
dcrs. John Henry White. ct al.
Trespassing done at your own risk
Owners will not be responsible for tn,
remains.
There was stretch Of about mil,
on the level before us. When the stage
come In plain sight Aggy proceeds t.
load up old Moral Suasion.' a. b
| CuA1Cu ACIp 81 SAA'it tic AOihS COulu SIT
there was no attempt at deception
They come pretty fairly slow after
that. At fifty yards, Ag hollers 'Ialtv
The team sat right down on their
tails.
"'Now, Mr.. Snick' umfritz,' says Ag.
81, you that drives. l mean. come here
and read this little sign
Suppose l don't? says the Teller
trying to be smart before the passen.
gers.
Its horrible suppositlon,' says
Aggy. and the innocent will have to
suffer with the guilty Then he cocks
the gun.
"'GOd sakes! Don't shoot! yells one
Of the passengers. Man. YOU ought to
have more sense than to try and pick
him out Of q crowd with shotgun!
Get down there. you fool, and make II
quick"
$50 the driver walked our way and
read. He never said word. l reck.
on he realized 1t was the only ford