The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-12-20
A Cowardly
Schoolnlaster
BY ELEANOR TRAsK

When my husband got the gold fever
away back i'll the seventies, and de
clared he would 20 to Colorado, after
trying a long while to dissuade him,
said, Very well; I'll go with YOU He
was mighty pleased at that, for was
SO opposed to his going that he never
dreamed he would have me with him.
When we got out to Colorado and
jim went roaming about with his pick
| went with him, though about the
only thing / could do for him was to
cook and mend his clothes. We biv-
ouacked most of the time, though oc-
casionally we found a deserted hut.
half logs and half earth. But we didn't
like to stop ut any of them, for there
was generally nearby evidence of the
failure of prospectors in the shape Of
holes in the ground.
Up to n certain point we had the
same luck as the diggers of these
holes, but at last one day while we
were taking noon rest and Jim a
nap, seeing some red rock near by that
looked as if there might be gold In IT,
| took the pick and, going to where it
was. Clipped off bit of It, 1t looked
so well that | awakened Jim. who
the moment he saw it declared that 1t
was nearly all gold.
We worked the place for several
days, at the end of which time it was
decided that should 20 down to Den
4 IN
furnish the money to develop our find.
| filed a bag carried with specimens,
some of which We're intended to pay
my way. | left Jim with the claim,
walked to the road where the stage
passed and when 1t came along got
aboard.
The passengers had been told that 1t
wouldn't be safe TO carry any valu-
ables, for the coach had been robbed
nearly every day. They were all very
nervous and at the least sound were
badly frightened. There were woman
with coarse voice ana coarser fea-
lures. q couple of miners and school
master. The coarse woman said she
didn't care how many road agents we
would meet, for she hadn't anything
to lose The schoolmaster shrank back
in a corner as though DESTROYS of max
ing himself as inconspicuous as posi-
BILE. He was small sized man, but
seemed to me not to lack strength.
The woman asked him what he would
do If he were attacked, aud the Ques-
ton seemed to throw him into a panic.
He trembled all over.
The road agents stopped us. sure
enough. We heard II voice in advance
of us say 10 the driver, rein up. Josh, >
and the coach came to standstill 1t
was all so quiet that we could hardly
believe we were held up. But present
ly the door of the coach was thrown
open and a man with a revolver in
his right hand stood at the opening
As soon as he let go the door with
the other hand he took an additional
revolver from his belt.
step out. please. ladies and gents.
he said in tone so gentle that one
would have supposed we had come to
the end of our journey. The two min
erS got Cit first. then the woman. !
saw glance pass between the robber
and her that made me believe they
were friends. AS she passed him he
asked, Anything worth havingT to
which she replied, There's a man In
there playin' schoolmaster. but sus.
pect he's carryin funds for bank"
As she said this she threw off her wo-
mans hat and unbuttoned her dress,
and 1t fell Mt her feet. revealing n he
and not she
The only ones remaining in the coach
were the schoolmaster and |, sitting. he
on the front, on the back seat But
while this was going on he crowded
down under the middle seat.
Come out q that" yelled the rob.
Der. but the schoolmaster failed to
obey. and the robber undertook to
drag him out To do this with re-
volver In each hand was impossible
He put one weapon back In his belt
and with the free hand reached IN m-
der the seat aud took the schoomaster
by the collar While he was pulling
him out ! heard sharp explosion and
saw the robber fall back. But before
had had time even TO wonder what
had happened | saw the schoolmaster
jump like tiger on to the man that
had been playing woman and bear him
TO the ground The miners, seeing a
chance for victory. sprang to HIS assist
ance and held his victim till he got a
pair of bracelets ON the fallen mans
wrists.
1t turned out that the schoolmaster
was a sheriff. The recent robberies
had all been committed by two men.
One travelled on the coacf I'm various
DISCUSSES In order to learn what val
uables were aboard the coach; the 9th.
er did the robbing. The sheriff had
spotted the travelling partner and had
gone as a passenger TO break up their
game. playing timid in order to lead
his enemies into an ambush.
The robber that had been killed was
buried before we proceeded. his pal
was taken on the coach down to Den
yer. where he was tried for a highway.
man and sent TO prison for twenty