Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-04-07

hOur or SO we pulleu lhS
American canon and could see the
smoke from the camps away over
across 1t, 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 a 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 a
cuss and so asked her what the row
was about, and pretty soon she told
me hat away up on the divide near
Secret Canon she had buried her hus-
band but a little while before. 1t was
a right pitiful story the way she old
1t 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 tt her and the little
chaps, although I guess he wasn't a
strong sort of a 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-outfit 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 a long time, and then 1t seemed
to come their way for a spell. They
staked d good piece Of ground and
struck pay, and we're 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, INC
saved.
Somehow l understood just how
lonely she felt, and how it all hurt, as
she sat there in that humping old Con
cor and told me about it. The little
boy cried some, too, and being as !
had a lump in my throat so big I
couldn't say anything, I gathered him
into my arms and tried to comfort
him as best I could. That ktn of let
me down easy. I always did hate to
see a woman suffer.
The snow kept coming harder and
it gave the air that peculiar kind of
stiffness which comes in a MINDLESS
storm. 7 was trying to think Of some
thing consoling to say when there
oorpoc q r,icl iarE DC tha hroIynC
banged against the tires, a yell outside
and time, almost with the drivers
Whoa" the bang Of a gun.
Held up. ure 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 I couldn't get loose
for a 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 he
tongue speeches..
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?"
IT'S him. I guess, madam" l 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 UGH anxious care. Then
came the thought that it would proba-
bly, be safer there than In the express
box, which would go for a certainty, if
she would only hide it and do a little
fancy lying when the time came. All
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 a heap sight better to give
up and take no chance of stray bull
lets.
Before l had time to think any
further, smash went the window and
the glass came tinkling down over the
cushions. The hold-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
or the white snow whose companion
fakes were settling down in a little
bank on his black hat, Sitting into the
wrinkles of the black handkerchief he
used for a mask, and falling lazily off
his broad black shoulders. It was
Black Bart to all appearances. No
mistake about hat part of it.
All 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 I tried to attract her at
tention. She was too frightened to
hear me. I followed and as I did so
wondered whether 1t would be best to
make a quick jump around the lower
side of the stage the minute my feet
hit the ground and make a fight for It.
by taking it easy run the chance of
the woman's getting away scot-free.
The only thing I was afraid of all the
time was the danger that might come
to the children. No sooner had the
crunched under my heels tina !
got it again: