Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-15
TheEveniing Story
A Companionable
Girl
D. EDGAR L THOMPSON

D EDGAR L THOMPSON
When I was 4 tenderfoot In New
Mexico. clerking in 4 bank. I was sent
one day with $1,000 for q man who had
just opened q store In settlement on
the Pecos river.
I had about fifty miles to 80. Travelled
on horseback and. Of course, carried q
~ caliber revolver at my hip. took a
snack with me. but ate it up before 10
o'clock About in the afternoon I
passed house where there were . lot
Of horses tied to posts before the door.
Thinking ! might get dinner. rode
up to the door and called out:
"Hello. therey'
I heard commotion 1naide, and
pretty soon . man came to the door.
He looked 40 II he were ready to kill
some one II necessary. and 1 noticed
he held his right hand behind him, 90
that he could have easily drawn on me-
He asked what wanted. and when I
told him he said there were little salt
pork and corn pons In the house that
could have Il could worry them down.
dismounted. went in ana found IN.
other man and girl apparently abant
twenty years old. They gave mo the
eatables, and when I had finished my
meal one Of the men asked me who're I
was going. told him. and after q con.
ference with the others he came to me
and said:
"Neighboe, would you mind helpin' q
gal through on the way you're goin'r'
ia be very glad to do TO-" replied.
swell. Moll you'd better 60 with
him, and you'd better take two Of the
horses with you. We won't need 'em.
You wouldn't mind leadin' 'em, weuld
your
"Not BIT" said Moll.
Wed been on the road together about
an hour when We heard q distant clat-
ter Of horses hoofs behind Us. Mol
looked at me, frightened. asked her
what scared her, and she said she was
afraid road agents were coming. At
tho same time she turned her horses
head into a thicket beside the road.
I followed her, and after riding a few
hundred yards from the road she stop
ped We listened and failed to hear
tho footfallA Mol looked awfully
scared and said she believed whoever
she had heard behind NJ had seen MS
turn Into the wood and were following
US and that the reason they made no
sound was because they were riding on
the turf.
thought Of the thousand dollars
carried, and, thinking q girl might bs
better able to keep It from men, told
her ! had money with me and asked
her II she could conceal It on her per
son for me till the danger had passed.
She was too frightened to reply at
once, but when got her attention she
took the bills and crammed them into
her bosom. I was much pleased. for
felt that they were safer there from
men than on me.
1t was soon evident that some per-
son. or rather persons. were after us.
for we heard them near us in the wood.
but we were In a depression, with the
bushes thick between Us ana them, and.
although we got glimpses of them.
they didn't ind us. Our great fear
was that one Of the horses would be.
tray Us by a whinny. but fortunately
we escaped that. and In time our pur-
suers gave up hunting for NJ In that
vicinity. We heard q man call to an.
other, We've come too far; they turn.
ed in farther back" Then We heard
them 90 In the direction from which
we had come. =.
The girl, taking the lead, started M
and made for the road farther on.
following. But when she reached II
she kept on the turf I was astonish-
ed at the energy and foresight she
displayed. She chung to the led horses,
though occasionally when fearful Of
being overhauled she showed signs Of
turning them adrift Finally, hearing
approaching hoof beats on the road In
the direction ~ were going, she let
the horses 80, striking them with her
whip. and they made OF into the wood.
This done, she modulated her eait,
and We rode on at slow canter. We
met q man driving . team, and I sx-
pected loll would warn him Of the
road agents ahead Of him, but shs
didn't and we went On till he had
passed out Of hearing. when she BE-
gan to lash her horse hle q fury.
spurred my own mount to do his best,
but It was soon evident that he could
not keep up with hers, and the Arst
thing knew he stumbled and fell,
throwing mo over his head ON the turf
beside the road.
heard the road agents coming, but
could now do nothing to escape them.
Indeed. It wasn't necessary since Mol
had gone on with the money, at which
was much pleased. a. I considered