Rocky Ford enterprise., 1910-12-23

coach, and make it right with him,
called upon my fair fellow passenger
to acquaint her with the part she was
to play in the little stratagem. /
found her grief-stricken anew by the
received from the land
lord that her father had been buried
that afternoon, no word having come
as to the disposal of the body and the
difficulties of travel in the present
state of the roads being against its re-
moval to the distance, had that been the
After short conversation it was
decided that she should accept the
situation as the landlord had stated
it, and express her intention of re-
turning home by the first outgoing
coach. She was to nerve herself
against any demonstration if she
found herself in familiar presence
in the coach, and preserve her equa-
nimity as much as might be until she
reached the end OF her journey. In
return for this she was assured that
her mission after her fathers body
would not be. in vain; she would have
The satisfaction of giving her beloved
parent interment in the family resting
place. and that without expense tc
Ter, for we intended that the corpse
ihould travel on the Coloners ticket.
In due time our coached coachcI
called "All aboard" and we, with al
most offcious interest, gave the now
quite helpless Colonel our liberal as
sistance to the vehicle. while his prop
r valet was being detained to drink
me more glass to the confusion oi
he Liberal cause in Upper Canada
md the destruction of all Reforming
.ebels. We helped the Colonel care
fully in at the nigh door of the coach
md as carefully out at the off one,
stopping inside just long enough to
ransfer his overcoat, shawl and muf.
lers to his dead double. who had been
previously conveyed to the vehicle.
Ne then hurried him away to the
:ongenial atmosphere OF another vii
lage tap-room.
The driver again gave forth his
usty "All aboard" with an impera-
i've accent. and the rest of the pass
myers came bustling forth just a
he young lady in black was helped
o 4 place next to the quiet old gen
leman buried in muffers. The doors
we're closed, the driver sprang to his
eat on the box and giving the dou'
lie semi-quaver twirl to his long
ashcd whip cracked it over the ears
# his lead horses, who bent to thcii
work with the new energy born OF
'ull stomachs and Jack Frost's tenn
)orary Improvement of the roads.
The coach safely and surely away.
he Colonel was brought forth again,
being first served with a strong po-
ion to ensure his playing the part
If dead man for some little time
md carefully bestowed in the con
,eyance belonging to the young med
COS.
By this time the eastward stage
.oach was ready to start. and 1t Wa
with some misgivings that | became
onc of its passengers. not knowing
What sort of pickle" the more or less
lrunkcn medical students might get
he Colonel into providing he did not
'ccovcr from his stupor before they
cached London with him. But as in
he natural probability OF things the
,oach would reach the city before
hey did. ! went on and took the pre-
.aution on getting there to have
;omebody unobtrusivcly on hand to
.njoy the lark. and guard against
nishaps to the Colonel on his arriv-
al.
As to the other parties to our prac-
:ical joke. | knew that little harm
-Ouiu DctaH ucau fHaH, anu Ien
hat had done the cause of political
-cform good turn in turning back
he Colonel. 1t was not until many
months after that ! learned ] had al
20 done Reform journalist a good
urn by associating him in fifty milo
ride with one of the pretticst girls il
has ever been my fortune to meet,
hough the surrounding circum
tancccs of the association woul6
rave been thought not the most pro
,itious for kindling the pleasant
lame of love. But sympathy is otter
me of the strongest incentives to
sentimental interest. and beneath tho
surface of our little political joke
here was real serious purpose tC
''elp woman in distress. However
t came about, they sent me an invita-
ton to the wedding. and as the road
we're in better condition | accepted