Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-01-15
GRANDMOTHER Yarn.
[original.l

don't ask any questions till l get
through, for / don't want to be inter
rupted. When l was a young lady
my father took us all out to a mine he
owned in Colorado. In those days he
railroads were not yet built, and we
were obliged to go by stage. Fathers
mine was up in the mountains. 1t was
a rough country at that time. / had
no associates and found it hard to get
away with the time.
zone day l heard that there was GO
ing to be a masquerade dance at the
tavern. l couldn't understood how they
could get costumes in that coL~ so
remote from civilization. l was just
crazy to go to the dance, but of course
father wouldn't hear Of such a thing.
But life for me was dull, and l kept
thinking what a curious affair a mas
querade ball would be among such a
people, and 1 resolved to steal away
and go without father or anybody
knowing about 1t. I had gone to a fan
cy dress ball in the east as Marguerite
and knew how to get up heAostume
night for the dance came around I
stole out after all in the house were
asleep and Joined the dancers in the
dining room of the tavern.
There were not many different cos
tunes, the DISCUSSES consisting mostly
of Mexican, Indian and made-up dress
es that represented nothing in particu-
lar. Since all faces were masked there
was no difference in this from any 9TH
er ball, except that the people were
noisier."
when is the stage robbery to come
in, grandma?' interrupted the listener.
Didn't you promise to ask no ques-
tons? Well, to go on with my story,
a man in the costume of a Mexican,
sombrero, jacket, slashed rousers and
all that, with plenty of gold lace, came
up to me and asked me to dance. l
preferred to look about. AS there were
twice as many men as women, l saw
at once that this was impracticable.
Besides. there was something about
the Mexican-I could not tell what
that was familiar to me, and l was
sure l had heard his voice before. /
fancied he might be a young mining
engineer whom l had previously met
At any rate, l danced with him and
found him a very good partner, easy
on his feet and light as a feather.
after our dance we made a few COM
monplace remarks to each other when
he said:
1t is hot IN bare-Cdme outsid9
81 took bis arm and went with lkm on
to the veranda, where, after walking
back and forth for a time, we took
seats IL a corner, when we removed
our masks. which were uncomfortable.
l could see something of his face in
the dim light, and he could see as much
of mine.
ITO make a long story short, he made
love to me. and l confess he did it very
nicely. He told me he was a rich
mine owner and had to start at 5
o'clock the next morning for Mexico.
where his mines lay. l told him of my
being at the ball without permission.
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him from the ball, marry him and ac-
company him to Mexico"
but, grandma-the robbery; 1 hear
nothing of that"
FLUSH. child; it's coming. My lover
drew a ring from his finger and gave it
to me. l took it to where the light
poured through a window, and it
sparkled beautifully. 1t was a dia-
mond in an antique setting. I went
back to the giver, thanked him. and
when he continued to urge me to go
with him I hung my head as if sorely
tempted. He redoubled his pleading,
endeayoring to catch the fancy of a
young girl by the omanc of such an
elopement. Finally l told him that l
would go home. gather up what valua-
bles / possessed and meet him in an
hour at my fathers front gate. To this
he consented, and l left him, running
home as fast as my legs would carry
me-"
"Oh, grandma, 1 don't believe the
~stagecoach robbery Is In the story at
ALL"
"Yes, it is. In an hour | looked out
toward the gate and saw the dim fig
ure of my lover waiting for me. I
put a whistle to my lips and blew a
shrill blast. He bounded away, but
was met by figures on every side that
l could see dimly. and | heard cries of
Throw up your handsp My lover was
captured, and I had arranged his cap
ture. He was q road agent"
whats thatT'
"a stage robber."
"Now are we coming to the rob
bery?"
EYES,"
"How did you know he was a rob
ber?'
"When we were coming from the
east the coach was stopped by a mask
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