Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-09-26

SSSA' nave Sldheu iWelN6 OllIeIS,
but l doubt If | ever go back. I've
mad enough. and when bird from
Montana offered me $4,000 cash 1
took it. Some day I may be sorry
didn't stay and make a million"
He reaches into bag and brings
out nuggets of gold, hard for the
travellers to distinguish until he
picks into the soft rock with his
knife. He gives away some of the
nuggets. The movie queen displays
sudden interest in mining and at
tempts to draw the youth out on the
subject, but he only grins bashfully
and tells her about his girl back
home" in Wisconsin.
The train drives on for a rht
and brings the travellers in the mid
die of the day following to a water
ing place in Arizona just too late
for them TO view one of the best
shootings in a fortnight of desert
history.
The form of a man lies at the
track side. The man is dead, and
posse arrives after a futile search
of the mountains for the slayer.
The cattleman makes an investi-
cation. at was a clean shot," he
says. Drilled in the head by As.
big as your wrist. Chased him clean
to the tracks and shot him.
The train is delayed an hour while
the dead man is put aboard to be
carried to the nearest undertaken,
200 miles further on. Children on
the observation platform have wit
messed the whole thing and are told
the narrowing details by the pro-
fessor.
We reach Williams, where a short
line runs to Grand Canyon. The
guides say there are pumas and
catamounts in the Businesses at this
point A bedtime story is provided
for the children by travelling man
from Jersey City, who tells how he
Canada and locked the beast in his
hotel room at Banff Springs. The
bear broke out in the morning and
set the place in an uproar, and the
travelling man said it cost him $500
to get the bear restored.
This is the last but one of the
stories told on the trip. The other
comes from the truck driver, who
has been sharing potencies with the
Man with the Scotch most Of the
journey. He comes to life as the
train strikes Needles, in California,
and then crosses the divide at Sum
NIT to drop into the valley leading
to the coast.
The travellers for the first time in
two days see real trees and become
buoyant as if they were entering a
promised land. In less than 200
miles the train descends 5000 feet
toward sea level.
Deep valleys rich with foliage of
eucalyptus, and pepper and willow
trees range by the eye. The train
sweeps down long winding curves,
always dropping; mountains take on
greenery and begin to drop into the
background, but there are severe
passes. Pasadena is only six hours
ahead and beyond that Los Angeles
and the coast. Palm trees now and
then stand out like a glimpse into
Egypt. and the Professor recites
from Wordsworth.
I'VE decided the best thing to do
was to go back. and we did. 1
jumped in the drivers seat, singed
by the flames, and kicked off the
brakes, and then the helper and l
pushed on the tail board, coaxipg the
truck to the edge of the canyon.
don't know how long it took us, but
it was a desperate chance we took.
There was a ton of dynamite and
the truck weighed two tons, but we
moved her and she shot over the
edge like meteor. Down thou
sand feet she went, and there came
an explosion that sounded like q
thousand guns. That was all there
was to it. We had to walk ten miles
to water at the camp"
The truck driver has been over
passes just to the north, by johann
nesburg. where there are silver
mines. The truck driver was near
death there.
II had a truck of dynamite" he
says, land If I ever get another
squeak like that I'm going to quit.
1t is as hot up there as the desert.
Me and my helper drove the truck
to the top of the pass, when the gas
exploded and the front blew up. The
flames shot out. We jumped, but
we couldn't think of any place to
run that the dynamite wouldn't get
us.
The Man with the Scotch refreshes
the entire party after the thrilling
narrative. His White Horse has
vanished long since and he has only
a few half dozen bottles of bourbon
to ease the ending journey. But he
is still known as the Man with the
Scotch. He is given an affectionate
leave taking q few hours later at
Los Angeles. He announces his
plan.
I'm going by boat to Frisco, but
I'll not stop there. I'll take a train
to Seattle Che called it Sea-teD and
I'll stop by way of Vancouver a bit
till start for Winnipeg, and / think
Ill try Tia Juana before heading
back to Montreal"