The driver was evidently in the midst of an exciting colloquy with some one in the road,-a colloquy of which such fragments as 'bridge gone,' 'twenty feet of water,' 'can't pass,' were occasionally distinguishable above the storm. Suddenly the stage stopped and we became dimly aware of voices. There was no sound but the rattling of wheels and the dash of rain upon the roof. The lady from Virginia City, traveling with her husband, had long since lost all individuality in a wild confusion of ribbons, veils, furs, and shawls. The French lady on the back seat was asleep too, yet in a half-conscious propriety of attitude, shown even in the disposition of the handkerchief which she held to her forehead and which partially veiled her face. The tall man beside the Judge was asleep, his arm passed through the swaying strap and his head resting upon it,-altogether a limp, helpless looking object, as if he had hanged himself and been cut down too late.

We had not spoken during the passage of the last six miles, since the jolting of the heavy vehicle over the roughening road had spoiled the Judge's last poetical quotation. Home The Outcasts of Poker Flat E-Text: MigglesĮ-Text The Outcasts of Poker Flat Miggles

Jim wheel the outcasts of poker