The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-11-22
STRATEGY WITH
GOOD RESULTS,
BY SUMNER cHlLps.

~ tONt StOfy ~ HlJ ille Shlu tue
rx-stage driver "You bet. 1t hap
pened Oh the last drive 1 made, aud
that drive was between Virginia City
and Sacramento. at that time there
was frequent stage robberies o the
Wells Fargo express treasure OWN
to the fact that some one connected
with the company was passin' word
to the road agents wherever large
amount o gold dust was to be shipped.
well, one day d lot o. treasure boxes
was hoisted aboard the stage and the
inside was full O passengers when a
little schoolma'am from New England
came a-trippin along from the tavern.
maxim straight for us, When she
come up was on the box and told
her the coach was full and she'd bet.
ter take the next one. She looked aw-
full disappointed and said she was due
at one OF the stations on the road the
next day and there wouldn't be an
other coach goin' for three days, The
passengers was all men, and they
poked their heads out O. the winders,
starin' at the gal. but not one OF 'em
offered To git outside and give her his
seat She looked mighty astonished
at this. for she'd been trayelin' in
coaches In the west and knew what
Difference was usually shown to wo-
men.
"Whatd the little gal do but climb
right up beside me. The express agent
who was superintendent the loadin' o
the boxes told her she couldn't go on
that coach. She asked why. and he
said the coach might be attacked by
road agents. She answered him by
sayin' that the road agents was vel
come to all she had / tipped the lead
ers on the ear. and we were of.
n was q young man then, and didn't
let slip chance TO say soft things to
the little schoolma'am. told Der that
If we was attacked she mustn't be
frightened. for road agents wouldn't
hurt such tender little thing as she.
But | noticed she Struggled pretty close
to me. We'd gone past the second re-
lay when suddenly, on maxim a turn
around blum. man stepped out and
said good naturally:
"'I'n take your Wells Fargo freight.
II you please.
"sYou'n End 1T in the boot ! re-
marked. puIlin' in.
THE Teller had no rifle, but knew
that hts pals was GOVERN me from
behind the bushes He went TO the
boot. unstrapped the cover, and one BY
one his hackers Joined him and helped
him OF with the boxes. One O. the
men come up front and said bed take
the mail bag IL didn't mind reach
ed under my seat. pulled II out and
dropped It down 70 him.
Goodness gracious. exclaimed the
little schoolma am, swhat lonely place
for postoflice.
Poor little Innocent She never mis-
trusted that she was sittin' on a vol
cano. And didn't want her 10. ! told
her the bag would be taken to town
or the road where the postoffice was
located.
by this time the boxes was IN
loaded on the grass beside the coach.
The robbers was tryin' to git on the
covers by rippin' EN- up with their big
knives when ali of sudden there was
a craekin' o rifles from within the
coach. Four road agents topped over.
one tried to crawl into the bushes. and
three ran for their lives. The little
threw her arms around
me and buried her face in my whisk-
ers.
"You see. the company had sent the
coach out for a decoy. A few days be-
fore they had let it leak out that on
that date they would send $4,000
worth o. dust over the road, OF course
this was reported TO the band, who lay
in wait 10 relieve us o. the treasure.
The boxes were filed with sand. and
in every seat inside the coach sat a
man with a concealed gun. They had
a leader, who watched till the agents
got careless. when he gave the word to
fire and scooped the party
We'll. left the little schoolma'am
with her arms around my neck. and
WIS In no hurry to unwind EN-. The
men IN the coach got out. examined
the dead. took IN the only man left and
signaied me to drive on
~ was very much mortified /
said to the gal, at what appeared the
bad manners O the men 10 the coach
not maxim way for you when you got
on. Bnt. you see. TO have bad woman
IN that party would have spoiled the
game. The express agent knew what
was a.goin to happen and tried to
stop you goin' with as, but when you
climbed up here so conhdent-Iike
hadn't the heart to make you git down
I'm glad you come, though
"'WhyT
sWell. found 1t mighty nice to feel
your'
"She bIushed red as a ROSTERS comb
and moved as far as she could get on
the other end b the seat.
4 dropped her Of at her station,
When got back to yirginia City the
Wells Fargo superintendent asked me
why / consented to let gal go ON
such an expedition. To throw the
road agents off their guard, ! told
him. They'd never suspect danger
with a little chick like TINT perched
on the box. The idea struck him all
o. heap. and when the wounded rob