Sam Rice's Romance [pp. 372-381]

SAM RICE'S ROM,ANCE.
serve it. Piney-woods Station'ill do
just as well. Telegraph office there."
Mr. Rice was not in any haste this
morning, being, as he said, ahead of time.
He invited Mrs. Page to take her usual
place on the box, telling her the gentleman had concluded to go inside; and
brought her a glass of water from the
bar. While he was returning the glass,
the passengers, including him of the outside, being busied assuaging their thirst
with something stronger than water, a
rattle of wheels and a clatter of hoofs
was heard, and, lo! Mrs. Dolly Page
was discovered to be practicing her favorite accomplishment of driving six-inhand!
When the "outside" recovered from
his momentary surprise, he clapped his
hand on the shoulder of Mr. Rice, and
said, in a voice savage with spite and
disappointment:
"I arrest you, sir."
"Arrest and be d d!" returned
Sam. "If you had done your duty, you'd
have arrested her while you had the
chance."
"That's so your head is level; and
if you'll assist me in getting on to Pineywoods Station in time to catch the runaway-for she can't very well drive beyond that station- I'll let you off."
"You'll wait till I'm on, I reckon. My
horses can't go on that errand, and you
darsn't take the up - driver's team. Put
that in your pipe and smoke it, old
smarty! "-and Sam's eyes emitted steelblue lightnings, though his face wore a
fixed expression of smiling.
Upon inquiry, it was ascertained that
horses might be procured a mile back
from the station; and, while the baffled
officer, and such of the passengers as
could not wait until next day, went in
pursuit of them, Sam mounted one of the
"cayuses," and made what haste he could
after the coach and Wells, Fargo &
Company's express-box. Within a mile
or less of Piney-woods Station, he met
the keeper, the grooms, and an odd man
or two, that chanced to have been about
the place, all armed to the teeth, who,
when they saw him, halted in surprise.
"Why, we reckoned you was dead,"
said the head man, with an air of disappointment.
"Dead?" repeated Sam. "Have you
seen my coach?"
"That's all right, down to the station;
and the plucky gal that druv it, told us
all about the raid the'road - agents'
made on you. Whar's the passengers?
-any of'em killed?"
"Passengers are all right. Where is
Mrs. Page?"
"She cried, an' tuk on awful about ye;
an' borrered a hoss to ride right on
down the road to meet the other stage,
an' let'em know what's up."
"She did, did she?" said Sam, very
thoughtfully. "Wadl, thatisodd. Why,
she ran away with my team-that's what
she did; and it's all a hoax about the
'road-agents.' The passengers are back
at the other station."
Sam had suddenly become "all things
to all men," to a degree that surprised
himself. He was wrong about the
horse, too, as was proven by its return
to its owner four days after. By the
same hand came the following letter to
Mr. Samuel Rice:
"DEAR MR. RICE: It was so good of you! I
thank you more than I can say. I wish I could set
myself right in your eyes, for I prize your friendship
dearly-dearly; but I know that I can not. It has
not been all my fault. I was married to a bad, bad
man, when I was only fifteen. He has ruined my
life; but now he is dead, and I need not fear him. I
will hereafter live as a good woman should live. The
tears run down my cheeks as I write you this farewell -as they did that day when I saw that sweet
woman and her babe at the farmhouse-gate, and knew
what was in your thought. Heaven send you such a
wife. Good - by, dear Mr. Rice, good - by.
' DOLLY PAGE."
There are some men, as well as women, in this world, who could figure in
the role of Evangeline, who have tender, loyal, and constant hearts. Such a
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