Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-04-07

hour or so we pulled alongside the
American canon and could see the
smoke from the camps away over
across it, and the boys coming out to
work down below, and here and there
some others chopping kindling around
in front of their cabins, and by and by
we got to talking. The sun got behind
clouds and it grew warmer, and then
little flakes of snow began to fall and
that started us on snowstorms. she
said where she came from the snow
was very deep, and then for little
while nothing was said. I didn't no.
tice 1t at first, but all of a sudden
saw she was crying.
Now, I'm a sympathetic sort OF
cuss and so asked her what the row
was about, and pretty soon she told
me that away up on the divide near
Secret Canon she had buried her hus-
band but a little while before. It was
a right pitiful story the way she told
it to me after she got to feeling bet
ter. They had come out there across
the plains and taken their chance
along with the others, and he had al
ways been good to her and the little
, chaps, although I guess he wasn't a
strong sort of man. Had something
the matter with his lungs.
Well they pulled along together in
Sacramento and worked hard and
saved all they could till they got
enough to buy a prospecting-outf1ta and
then came to the divide. Luck is
| against some folks, and it wasn't very
kind to them. They got the worst of
! it for long time, and then it seemed
| to come their way for spell. They
| staked a good piece of ground and
| struck pay, and were beginning to feel
| happy when this lung business got
| the best of him, throttled him as a
wolf does a sheep, and he cashed in.
Yes, sir died just when everything
began to come all right, after all the
| years he'd worked, and suffered, and
| saved.
Somehow I understood just how
| lonely she felt, and how it all hurt, as
| she sat there in that humping old Con
| cord and told me about 1t. The little
| had a lump in my throat so big
couldn't say anything, I gathered him
| into my arms and tried to comfort
| him as best I could. That kind Of let
me down easy. I always did hate to
see woman suffer.
The snow kept coming harder and
| it gave the air that peculiar kind Of
| stiffness which comes in a MINDLESS
| storm. I was trying to think Of some
| thing consoling to say when there
| comes a quick jerk as the brakes
banged against the tires, yell outside
and time, almost with the drivers
Whoa" the bang of a gun
Held up, sure as the DEVIL" I said
| to myself, trying to get the boy off my
| lap; but he was frightened and held on
with his little arms SO tightly clutched
| round by neck that couldn't get loose
| for minute without hurting him, and
| that was enough to put us all to the
| bad. In the meantime the woman had
| sat with her eyes opened wide, and her
| tongue speechless.
What is it," she asked tremblingly,
while I was trying to put the boy
down. And then, as If answering her
| own question: BLACK Bart?"
TITS him. I guess, madam" I an
swered, still trying to quiet the lad
| All this time my mind was working
| like a ten stamp-mill. 1t dawned on
| me that probably every ounce of gold
| she had was in the bag which she had
held with such anxious care. Then
came the thought that it would proba-
| bly, be safer there than in the express
box, which would go for certainty, If
| she would only hide it and do a little
| fancy lying when the time came ALI
this unless we could pot the robber;
but even then I hesitated, because
with women and children aboard a
stage, it's bad policy to do much gun
ming. It's heap sight better to give
up and take no chance of stray bull
let's.
Before I had time to think any
further, smash went the window and
the glass came tinkling down over the
cushions. The hoId-up, who had stove
it in with one quick blow of his pistol
barrel, was standing but a few feet
outside where he could keep us as
we'll as the men on the box covered
He looked a sinister figure out there
on the white snow whose companion
flakes were settling down in a little
bank on his black hat, sitting into the
wrinkles of the black handkerchief he
1Cod for q mask and faIliro Ia zi1v off
his broad black shoulders. It was
Black Bart to all appearances. No
mistake about that part of it.
Cali out, and be quick about It."
came the sharp order from outside.
The widow started to go before
could advise her to hide her little for
tune, although tried to attract her at
tention She was too frightened to
hoar mo foIlowed and aS did 60