Show COACH JOURNEY thae eab has brou wrought a wonderful in the modes of traveling in this western country before rall rail aaa were introduced among us all arund travel was by stagecoach stage coach km W it this very useful vehicle now nigh relegated into oblivion aft bt the recipient of much more vw A attention and interest than ordinary railroad train is of to by ven among us the genera t abow of today may be presumed to little of the typical stage 80 a passing and brief des won of it may not be amiss as a tade irude to my narrative h e old overland ove coach was quite eavy y vehicle and was usually wn by from n two to four spa span n of 84 the body of the coach was upon heavy beavy I 1 leathern eathern lowed h which 1 in some me degree aln lt it to conform to the w f the road but even with this y adapt pt at ease it was seldom that a y worn traveler reached his n without bruised and 8 bones when taxed to the e the interior would hold six ft ste W though only four could be 0 r ot seated the capacity v tir aerik h 9 t top 0 P was indefinite for no mat aw aaa ciany y its ite occupants there the she always room for one more P sha k oftentimes swollen cen proportions was the of the mall mail bags and josa 9 baggage passengers might so one might readily infer stag stagecoach with its inside outside passengers drawn swiftly aaa 7 ita th abree ree span of horses sight and as I 1 have g it was wag with feelings of no w ash terest 14 that its appearance Z wn by the fhe deop people e of the little the route ato to eanie to my story it was my fortune some years ago to make a trip of three hundred miles in a stagecoach stage coach As fortune would have it I 1 was not the only passenger an elderly gentleman with his two daughters sat opposite me while a third lady wrapped in sombre looking clothes sat beside me but she however did not remain long with us for she got off at the next town the country for some miles was level and the roads good at intervals ter vals the sharp crack of the whip broke upon the air as the driver urged hit horses to increased speed soon however we came to a rough and broken region and as we rumbled along the coach began began to jolt and sway in a most menacing manner then it happened that several articles strapped at the top of the coach came rattling down about our heads at this the girls gave utterance to a little scream while the lady who had not yet left us anxiously inquired do vou think we are going to upset I 1 was about to answer her in a m most at reassuring manner when I 1 was c cut u t short by a vigorous thump on the shin and a cry of pain from the elderly gentleman whose poor foot had been the unwilling recipient of a severe blow from a f falling alling package I 1 feel morally certain that he had corns for he seemed for a few moments as if he were going into convulsions and it was some time before he be sufficiently recovered to apologize I 1 accepted his apology as gracefully as I 1 could and then sought to condole with him in b his is own misfortunes inthis in this sethe wi wise the ice fee was soon broken between us yet his attention was pretty evenly divided between the conversation we now endeavored to keep up and his injured foot for this complaining member of his anatomy appeared to send periodical twitches switches tw itches of remembrance to his brain and while these continued he would make grimaces that were amusing not to say ludicrous di crous A few moments conversation informed me that the girls were both amiable and intelligent and withal a more than commonly good look ing which of course rendered them none the less engaging in my eyes I 1 soon learned that they lived in the 1 town to which I 1 was going they bad been visiting relatives in a distant city and were now returning to their homes after changing horses which you are aware is a frequent occurrence on a stage route we found on setting out from the next station that our number had been increased by the acce accession of a genial dutchman this good gentleman was uncommonly fat and as fat folks are was intensely good natured meeting every sway and jolt of the coach with some humorous remark which seemed to keep the company in excellent spirits despite the roughness of the road and our ever growing weariness the country had now become wild and picturesque in long and graceful curves the road wound the i angles of the mountains now by a long hong dugway cutting through the side of the hill and now running off onto comparatively level ground many feet below a mountain stream plunged along over its rocky bed here it was lashed into spray by its impetuous haste baste there soothed into rest as it reached some friendly haven where its loud complaint died into a gentle murmur in places the mountains came together apparently patently ly to form impassable barriers at others they expanded into diminutive valleys that might well be thought a remnant of eden it was springtime and the melting snow in the mountains had transformed usually small and quiet streams into large and dangerous ones so it was not without trepidation that we approached the ford of one of these the coach plunged into the stream As it sank deeper and deeper deepe r the water rushed into the interior through crevices of the doors the young ladies began to scream the old gentleman became almost frantic and the representative of holland though badly frightened was able to maintain a tolerable degree of serenity to be candid I 1 must confess as the water still rose finally compelling us to stand upon the seats that it really seemed we should be carried down the stream to find a watery grave in the dark and turbulent river meanwhile the girls were sobbing in their fathers arm armmand sand refused to be comforted at last the water began to lower and the coach once more reached terra tema farma rma it was indeed with relief that we reached it the short abort distance to the neighboring station was spent in mutual congratulations and it was with no slight content that we alighted at the door of the snug little hotel to whose generous larder we were disposed to do df ample justice the next morning the coach started out bright and early when about to take my seat I 1 learned from the old gentleman that on account of the indisposition of his daughters who had not fully recovered from the fright of the pro pre evening it was necessary for them to remain where they were for a day or two I 1 could not but express my deep regret at this for I 1 had counted on deriving much pleasure from their company the father very kindly invited me to call at his home after he should arrive an invitation which I 1 afterwards was only too willing to accept in place of these agreeable companions pan ions we now had a somewhat seedy and rough looking miner the road now became so rough that the swings and lurches of the coach became tremendous while we were crossing an unusually deep rut I 1 found myself precipitated into the bosom of the smiling dutchman I 1 humbly apologized he muttered between his gasps tor breath dat bat vas a pad but I 1 vey geben sie sic P meantime the miner came near splitting his sides with laughter and I 1 the least doubt that the scene was ex ludicrous it was now long past noon the rough road had nearly shaken us to pieces our weariness was beca becoming jang almost intolerable and our feet seemed altogether too large for the capacity of the coach I 1 really believe if it had not been for the sustained good humor of our friend hans we should have become confirmed misanthropes As it was the ordeal proved barely tolerable another twenty miles wore away and we ascended the top of the coach to enjoy the coolness of the waning day As the distance to our destination decreased our spir its ite rose in proportion friend hans bans was in iia the midst of a glowing description tion of his fatherland the miner and I 1 were listening with both attention and amusement he led us down the rhine successively noting each point of interest suddenly we became conscious of flying through space we scarcely realized what had occurred before we came to a halt a halt as unexpected as it was anomalous the coach had ad upset in running down a hill at whose base the road made a sharp turn at the side of a marshy ravine the driver jumped at the right moment and was safe but it happened less fortunately for his passengers hans and I 1 landed in a marsh he in a sitting posture I 1 head foremost picking myself up I 1 saw hans with nothing but his head above water and a look of mingled amusement and disgust upon his countenance then rising to his feet with dripping arm he pointed to a tree some few feet distant and said gaid dat peats der olt father bandl andl never before have I 1 seen men grow on trees and he made he be hills resound with his laughter cure ure enough there was the miner suspended like mahometa Ma homets coffin twixt heaven and earth his stout leathern belt had caught upon it a limb and he hung there arms and legs a dangling in the air it was as not long however before we mu rescued ed him from his perilous position the coach was righted after considerable sid erable difficulty and when we set iet out once more our spirits were effectually dampened for our impromptu p bath did not add materially to our comfort the little company any quieted down into a sustained silence ji lence while each mused over the ihen phenomena i omena of stagecoach stage coach traveling of which my readers will doubtless infer it was wa our good fortune to encounter on counter a very respectable portion fion at all eve events rits our destination was atvas soon reached and as the coach trove into the town it was with i ew regrets that we left its storied i depths ep it was fully a week before recovered from the trip and though many years have passed since then even to this day when I 1 vince hear ear the word stagecoach stage coach such a flood of recollections crowd upon me that I 1 am well nigh terrified J J A jk in twentieth ward institute index |