Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-02
ledge in the road, q clatter in the rocky
cut beyond, and Dick was gone.

1
the sacred quest, the doughty deeds, the
battery of low churls, the fearsome ride
and grewsome peris of the flower of
| Simpsons Bar! Alack! she is dainty,
this Muse She will have none of this
bucking brute and staggering, ragged
| rider, and I must fain follow him in
prose, afoot!
| 1t was one o'clock, and yet he had only
gained Rattlesnake Hill! For in that
time Jovita had rehearsed to him all her
| imperfections and practiced all her vices.
| Thrice had she stumbled. Thrice had
she turned up her Roman nose in a
straight line with the reins, and resisting
bit and spur, madly struck across the
| country Twice had she reared, aud,
rearing, fallen backward; and twice had
the agile Dick, unframed, regained his
seat before she found her vicious legs
again. And a mile beyond them, at the
foot long hill, was Hattlesnake Greek.
Dick knew that here was the crucial test
of his ability to perform his enterprise,
set his teeth grimly, put his knees we'll
| into her fanks, and changed his defen-
sive tactics to brisk aggression. Bullied
and maddened, Jovita began the descent
of the hill. Here the artful Richard pre-
| tended to hold her in with ostentatious OBJ
jurgation and well -feigned cries of alarm
1t is unnecessary to add that Jovita IN
stantly ran away. Nor need | state the
time made in the descent; it is written in
the chronicles of Simpsons Bar Enough
that in another moment, as it seemed to
Dick, she was splashing on the overflow
ed banks Of Rattlesnake Creek. AS Dick
expected, the momentum she had acquir
ed carried her beyond the point of balk
ing, and holding her well together for
mighty leap, they dashed into the middle
| of the swiftly flowing currents. A few
moments Of kicking, wading and swim
| ming, and Dick drew long breath On
the opposite bank.
| The road from Rattlesnake Greek to Red
Mountain was tolerably level. Either the
p1udge in Rattlesnake Creek had tiampen-
ed her baleful fire, Or the art which led 10
it had shown her the superior wicketiness
of her rider, for Jovita no longer wasted
her surplus energy in wanton conceits.
Once she bucked, but it was from force
Of habit; once she SHE'D, but it was from
new freshly-painted meeting house at
the crossing Of the country road. Hol-
lows, bitches, gravelly deposits, patches
Of freshly springing grasses flew from be-
meath her rafting hoofs. She began to
smell unpleasantly; once or twice she
coughed slightly, bot there was no abate-
ment Of her strength or speed. BY two
O'Clock she had passed Red Mountain
and begun the descent to the plain Ten
minutes later the driver Of the fast Pho
| neer coach was overtaken ndpassed by a
imam on Pinto hoss"-an event sufti-
| GENTLY notable for remark. At halfpast
two Dick rose in his stirrups with great
| shout. Stars were glittering through the
rifted clouds, and beyond him, out of the
plain, rose two spires, a flagstaff and a
Struggling line of black objects. Dick
jingled his spurs and swung his RATA,
Jovita bounded forward, and in another
moment they swept into Tuttleville, and
| drew up before the wooden piazza of
'The Hotel Of All Nations"
| What transpired that night at Titus
vile is not strictly part of this record.
! Briefly | may state, however, that after
Jovita had been handed over to sleepy
Cstler, whom she at once kicked into I'M
pleasant consciousness, Dick sailed out
with the bar keeper for a tour Of the
sleeping town. Lights still cleaned from
a few saloons and gambling houses; but,
avoiding these they stopped before sever
al closed shops and by persistent tapping
and judicious outcry reused the proprie-
tors from their bed, and made them unbar
the doors of their magazines and expose
their wares. Sometimes they were by
curses, but oftener by interest and some
concern in their needs, and the interview
was invariably concluded by drink. It
was three o'clock before the pleasantly
was given over, and with a small water
proof bag Of India-rubber strapped upon
his shoulders, Dick returned to the hotel.
But here he was waylaid by Beauty
Beauty opulent in charms, atfluent in
Il c.-1 ,.ri,
in accent! In VAIN she repeated the in
vitation in Excelsior" happily scorned
by all Alpine climbing youth, and reject
ed by this child Of the Sierras-a reiec-
ton softened in this instance by laugh
and his last gold coin. And then he
sprang to the saddle and dashed down
the lonely street; and out into the lonelier
plain, where, presently, the lights, the
black line Of houses, the spires and flag
staff sank into the earth behind him again
and were lost in the distance.
The storm had cleared away, the air
was brisk and cold, the outlines Of ada
cent landmarks were distinct, but it was
half-pas four before Dick reached the
meeting house and the crossing Of the
county road. To avoid the rising grade,
he had taken long and more circuitous
road, in whose viscid mud Jovita sank
fetlock deep at every bound. 1t was q
poor preparation for a steady ascent Of
five miles more ; but Jovita, gathering her
legs under her, took it with her usual
blind, unreasoning fury, and half-hour
later, reached the long-level that led to
| Rattlesnake Creek. Another half hour
would bring him to the creek. Hethrew
the reins lightly upon the neck Of the
mare, chirruped to her, and began to
sing. Suddenly Jovita SHE'D with a
bound that would have un.eated less
practiced rider. Hanging to her rein
was figure that had leaped from the
bank, and at the same time from the road
before her arose shadowy horse and
rider. "Throw up your hands," COM
manded this second apparition with an
oath.
Dick felt the mare tremble, culver, and
apparently sink under him. He knew
what it meant. and was prepared.
''Stand aside, Jack Simpson. | know
you, You thief. Let me pass, Or"
He did not finish the sentence. Jovita
rose straight in the air, with a terrific
bound, throwing the figure from her bit
with single shake Of her vicious head,
and charged, with deadly malevolence
down on the impeachment before her. An
oath, a pistol shot, and horse and highway
man rolled over in the road, and the
next moment Jovita was a hundred yards
away. But the good right arm of her
rider, shattered by bullet, dropped help.
lessly at her side.
Without slackening his speed he shift.