Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1910-12-29

A stagecoach numbered up a zigZal
road in the Rocky mountains On the
outside seat behind the driver sat a
gentleman whose eminently respectable
travelling suit and his clean cut fea-
-t1res indicated that he was 10 tho
manner born Beside him sat a young
man in the costume of the country
Ills skirt was flannel; his hat was Il
sombrero
On the next seat back sat a lady
the aristocratic genheman's wife, aud
beside her a girl OF nineteen, then
daughter The man in the Sombreru
was telling them about the mountains
and its people and pointing out the
more prominent peaks, 10 which the
travellers listened with great interest.
The sun was hot the pace was slow.
and the two combined tended To make
the driver drowsy When the coach
reached an emineuce and started down
an incline, Instead 'Of being wide
awake to the dangers of mountain
travel he was nodding He not only
failed to put on the brake. but drop.
ped the reins He was awakened by
the shouts Of the passengers behind
him who saw Il terrible death staring
them ia the face The horses. I'M
checked started down the slope and
were soon going at Il breakueck pace
The driver baStly abandoned his
post and putting his foot on the iron
step beside him, swung himself to the
ground. The young man who had been
pointing ont objects Of interest let
himself down over rhe foOtboard on tC
The tongue. gathered up the rcins
quickly remountcd 10 the box. put On
the brake and managed to reduce tht
pace sufficiently 90 enable the coacs
10 turn n curve without going over q
precipice. Then after further short
descent he brought the horses to 4
standstil Thc first sensation that
came 10 him after It was all over was
feeling the arms of the aristocratiC
gentleman about his neck
one day couple of years after this
episode Mrs Murphy and her daugh
ter, while bowling along Ocean avenue
at Newport. received terrible shock
"Oh, heavens. mother there's Bar
ton Keith look the other way
quick"
Miss Murphy pretending 10 see some
thing to which she desired to call her
mothers attention pointed in the on
posite direction from the young man
the carriage rolled by, and the womer
began to discuss the situation.
What in the world could have
brought him here exclaimed the
mother
81 would as soou have expected to
see Mississippi pilot
Bart has been stage driver"
Hell tell everybody here all about
our antecedeuts
lie won't know any one to tell"
I'll seems hard to cut him after that
affair you had with him
There have been changes since then.
At that time father was building his
little branch railroad. he hadn't got on
to the main line"
Well. | don't think there's much
danger considering that he can't have
auy entrce here Heaven knows what
a time we've had TO even get in on
the outer circle How can Bart Keith
with no money get in mt ullF"
He may be prosperous. he's well
enough DRESSED "
That uisht there was a grand func-
tion lt one ut the cottages. and the
next morning Mary Murphy ran TO her
mother with ii newspaper in her hand
and her eyes wide rpcu
For hands sake mother listen Ia
this among Iuse present a, Mrs.
Athcrtou's ia>t Night was Mr. Barton
Keith
You don't mean it,
How in rhc name Of conscience d.
you suppose he got in thcret
81 can't imagine | know we couldn't
get bid
lie must have q pun somewhere
Your father had a pun. but II didn't
work He offered Peter Jones tip
on the stock Of our road If he'd get
him an invitation 10 the Athertons'
But Pete said they were of the ON
New York blue blood and rich beside
These people who have both blood ana
money are the hardest OF an to move
Ohio Here's tho explanation and
she read Il social item
Mr. Barton keith is visiting Mr. and
Mrs Emerson Forbes
oh my goodness gracious. cxclaim-
ed the mother how i'm the world dll
he ever get IL with themY"
There WAS a silence between the two
which Mary ended by saying
Mother we've gone and done Il
so we G3ys
We mus; dad a way to, take a back
track
so we must"
But We're entirely ignorant of the
key 10 the position"
What do you mean by that3"
we don't know what reason the
Forbes have for taking In Bart
DO You suppose they know what
he's been3"
"Of course they DO hart couldn't
keep 1t II he wished That's the sin
gular part of it. The Forbes have