Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-09-08

night nor in the early dawn, when he
mounted by preference the vacant
seat by the sta5e-driver, did Whist
ling Sandy vouchsafe an explanation
of the why's and wherefores of his
burden. None but an observant eye
could have detected when he bound
his tiny poke" of gold inside the lit
tie shirt, that in his estimation the
latter was the more precious. Nor
could any one have observed that this
solicitude was continued at Forest
Hill, where the steaming horses and
sleigh from Indian Spring gave place
to fresh ponies and wheels
Away off down the divide, through
ever-decreasing snow and over wind
swept, rock-streWn spots, the stage
clumsily ratified. It's inside passen-
gers, consisting Of a travelling man for
an Eastern mining-machine house and
a large, fat woman, who had been
cook at an upland mining-camp, bump
ed hither and yon as the vehicle found
declivities.
Every now and then the driver, as
he threw his lash out over the lead
ers, complained, in the whispering
voice of the West, about the RESPONSE
bilities that had been thrust upon him
in this trip
Here comes a cleanup from the
Golconda-twenty thousand, anyhow
and for the fust time in year they
amt no Wells-Fargo man along to
watch the job. Last time this thing
happened they stuck us up and poor
old Tom Smith gifts shot offn the box
for forgettin' to shove up his hands
when a gent with a handkerchief tied
over the lower half of his mug makes
a gentle request
Sandy involuntarily thrust his hand
around the buckskin shirt, which, to-
gether with the scant store of wealth,
reposed within the sagging folds of
his blue flannel shirt
Great heavens! He had never
thought Of this before. Suppose they
should be held up on this trip? He
wouldn't mind the loss of his poke or
any other valuable possession of his
own, but the shirt! Why, if the high
waymen got that, his little pardner"
way back east would wait disappoint-
ed on that disappointing Christmas
day But, shucks! they want goin'
to be no hold-up," and he lighted his
pipe.
Even in the land of certainty the
unusual happens. So it was that as
they rounded the turn of dread Dead
Mans Curve, there came crisply out
in the morning air the command
Halt and hands up! The brakes for
yours!"
Sandy, for the instant bewildered,
caught Kaleidoscope glance of two
masked men on the hillside above
the mountain-road, menacing figure
near the head Of the leaders, a point
ed rife, and the drivers frantic ef
forts to pull up. Like flash came
the thought of his mission and the
necessity for escape.
The whip lay before him. Without
less of the recklessness of his action,
he seized the whip, sprang to his feet
in the box, and sent the long lash
curling, quivering and viciously snap
ping across the palpitant tanks of the
maddened leaders. At the top Of his
voice he urged the horses into con-
tinued speed, swearing with only such
oaths as come to the man Of the from
tier when meeting a crisis.
The driver, astonished, released his
foot from the brake and thoughtlessly
rose to understanding posture. A
rifle on the hillside cracked with a
spiteful suddenness, and in huddled
heap the driver dropped forward, lib
Grating the reins from his hands. The
terrified horses threw themselves into
the traces, the coach gave a leap
ahead, an ], driverless and aimless on
the mountain-shelf. the race was on.
Again a rifle sang from the hillside,
and one Of the wheel-horses dropped,
stricken so suddenly by death that its
body blocked the way, threw the other
wheel-horse out of the road, and
brought the stage to an abrupt stand
still Even as the wheels ceased
turning, the rife spoke again, carry
ing death to the other wheel-horse.
The leaders, surging upon the tugs,
broke loose from the blocking burden,
and went Gathering down the road to
the echo of pursuing shots.
A gaunt man, rife in hand, jumped
cometlike from the seat beside the
dead driver and sought protection and
barricade behind the body of a fallen
horse. A black barrel was thrust forth
from his place of hiding, and instantly
carried a messenger of death to the
nearest outlaw.
The other two, surprised. baked,
and angered. jumped to cover behind
convenient boulders, and sent volley
toward the battered old white hat
which showed itself above the CULVER
ing loins of the dying wheeler. There
came no shot in reply. Sandy was
biding his time.
From within the coach came asth-
matte screams from the erstwhile |
cook. and shouts of Eve surrenders!