Show PERILS OF THE PLAINS Story of a GenerousHearted Highwayman High-wayman While several officials were exchanging exchang-ing ghost stories a few nights ago In Washington Mr Milton E Alien Assistant As-sistant Secretary of the Treasury turned the topic to highway robbery by relating an anecdote he had heard during a recent outing says the Saturday Satur-day Evening Post It was told by our stage driver in Yellowstone park said Mr Ailes and was Intended to throw light on tho reputed chivalry oJ Western highwaymen high-waymen A stage was held up In the Black hills Among the passengers was a schoolteacher who by dint of painful frugality had saved up enough to Invest in a ticket to her home In Vermont and return with G left over for expenses en route Oh Mr Highwayman she Implored Im-plored do not take my money It Is all I have and without It I shall not be able to continue my Journey to my widowed mother In distant Mont peller Tho bandit opened her purGe and surveyed the six silver dollars Tears started in his eyes and he said chokingly chok-ingly No marm Ill not rob you entire en-tire Ill split the difference heros three dollars back and God bless ve GAGE WAS REMINDED That reminds me of an Incident In my own career observed Secretary Gage You wouldnt take me for an Indian fighter perhaps and thats where your Judgment would be most sound It happened years ago before the Union Pacific was completed to Denver Julcsburg was the end of the line I met on the westbound train eleven acquaintances from Chicago My destination was the terminus of the road but they were going on by stage 160 miles farther to Denver Several stages had been attacked recently by roving Indian bands and the excitement ana dangers of the approaching ap-proaching trip of my friends were uppermost In our minds Although I had no actual business in Denver I began > to long to share theperil of the journey Under orders oC Gen Sherman Sher-man then commanding the Department Depart-ment of the Missouri all passengers raveling through that country were armed and with our repeating rifles we felt unusually brave As our train pulled into Julesbuig a v stage arrived from the Colorado metropolis and among Its passengers was a typical frontiersman His hair was pictur esquely long His buffaloskin coat came to his heels and when It flapped back it disclosed at his belt a brace of bravelooking weapons He looked out amusedly from under his slouch hat at our tenderfoot company I accosted him and found he had come all the way from Denver Tell me said I If you had no busIness in Denver and some of your friends were going there would you accompany them just for the pleasure ot the trip Stranger if I had no business in Denver Id go In the other direction he replied sweeping his arm toward the Mississippi river There is real danger then from the Indians between here and Denver Den-ver to Exactly he replied the scalping business Is the chief industry of the Colorado plains Just at present 44 But you got through all right I persisted Yes but I know their ways know how to watch em and scar em off That was the knowledge I sought and I asked him to explain which he dId in detail Some of your party he went on wants to sit on the seat with the river These drivers bear watching for sometimes theyll get down leavIng leav-Ing the passengers to face the IndIans In-dIans DIDNT MAKE THE TRIP I The thing to do is to waich both drIver and mules The mule is the barometer of the prairie He knows when a storm is coming and he can sniff an Indian farther than a man can see him You musnt think of sleeping on the 160 miles Just sit with your rifle between your knees and hold it tight As soon as the mules snort warning of the Indians the driver should pull the team around short All the party should then get out and make ready to fire Youll see the Indians coming nearer and nearer Suddenly theyll rush toward you shooting as they advance and shriekIng their battlecry Thats theme the-me for you to display nerve Pick I them off one by one with your rifles I at the same time giving prolonged Imitation of their warwhoopthus and he emitted a series of alarming savage yells Keep up a steady fire now and above all dont let up a moment on the warwhoop The Indians are braVe In their challenge but they dont relish the answering defy I wasnt certain continued Secretary Secre-tary Gage that I could remember all this BO I asked him to repeat the pro gramme When he got to the warwhoop part of the performance and attempted tempted to drill me In making the sounds I suddenly got an inspiration Ive decided not to go I exclaimed Whats the matter he asked I shouldnt have any breath left l to make that warwhoop I replied |