New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-04-05

ers, the groom, who was having little diff
Guilty with his horse, which was plunging
and curvetting in diagonal position, as is
the manner OF eager horses, performing an
equine balance step without advancing par
ticularly. On Crusader catching sight of
initiate his actions with considerable
amount of exaggeratiOn. Patty, finding
him bursting into a canter attempted to
take up the curb rein, but only succeeded
in getting both in an inextricable confusion.
Then she chung in terror to them with both
hands, on which the irritable Crusader
fought himself into q confused canter,
which developed itself into a smart gallop.
dashed past the astOnished Withers, and
stampeded.
Our friend the ma jor had arrived at the
| meet that morning, and was considerably
chagrined not to find the object of his in
tentions present. THE stiffest bit Of cOun-
try for miles round, too, he said to himself
What can she be thinking f9' His de-
termination of the morning was still in his
mind, and he longed for an opportunity of
putting it in practice. Oh, for the sight of
the well known blue habit and iron gray
steed The ma or was destined to have his
| aspirations gratitied in an unex pected man
| ner.
He had been riding line of his own for
short distance. and was separated from the
when he heard the quick repeated rattle of
horse going at full gallcp in the road on
the other side of the high hedge parallel to
which he was riding, and in another mo-
| ment he eaw through the twigs the horse he
had looked in vain for at the meet tear past
him at mad speed, the blue habit streaming
back as the wearer swayed in the saddle,
holding the reins in both hands with the
cOnvulsive grasp ct fear
HRun aWav nv .SOVaW said tho mainrs
turning Zerlina's head without the least
hesitation at the quickest Two or three
intense, short strides-a rise, and crash of
| twigs-a rattle Of horse hOOfs as they patter
on the hard road, as Zerlina Just manages
| to save her knees and nose from damage by
a clever recovery, and then the major, as
cool as if he had been hopping Overa gutter
instead of one Of the ugliest drops in his ex-
Derience set her going in pursuit.
The tact was, the major was in that state
of exaltation that every soldier feels on
coming into action. Quick as lightning he
saw the coming situation, and braced him
| self to take advantage of it, and as he crept
nearer and nearer to the fugitives he felt
his confidence rise in his horses powers and
his own.
About half mile from the place where
this, stern chase commenced, where the
road was crossed by another at right angles,
stood an inn called the Cross Keys. The
major knew this, and alss that on the other
side OF it the road dipped down into rather
steep hill. He had got up some twenty
yards nearer when the inn appeared in
sight, and, keeping on the turf at the side
OF the road, that the noise of his approach
might not add fresh speed to the runaway,
he called on Zerlina smartly for decisive
effort.
In front of the Cross Keys there was a
ri n q ofOh Nf onAA <,,uf
Crusader came upon this he slackened his
speed very slightly; the major danced
alongside and seized the reins near the bit
in his right hand; the horse which was not
vicious one, stopped after few struggles,
as he felt the power at work ON the curb;
and the lady, falling fainting forward in
heap on his neck, would have tumbled to
leapt, from his saddle, and caught her in his
arms. 1t would have made capital picture,
the two horses standing steaming and pant
ing, and the major staggering under the
weight OF the senseless damsel, whose chin
hung over his shoulder, while her heir,
released from its bonds IN her wild flight
through the air, steamed down it's
scarlet-coated black.
With some difficulty the MAJOR carried his
lovely burden into the porch of the Cross
Keys.
''Show me private room. and get me
glass of brandy were the orders with
which he stopped the mouth of the aston
ished landlady.
LA! Poor dear young lady" said that
female, in voice of sympathy. as she |
brought the restoring fluid. '"Can do any
thing for her. sir ?"
mo, think not" said the major deci- |
sively. "Leave her to me. ave had some |
experience in cases of this kind and,
thrusting half crown into the woman's |
hand be shut the door in her face.
"Well, how she could ha' married he :"
said the woman to herself, as she returned |
to the bar. She evidently thought, from
the majors want of sympathy, that he
must be the husband of the sufferer.
and made the little back parlor look more
and more dismal and ldingy. The Major
raised the clinging veil sufficiently to thrust
the edge of the glass between the lips of the
patient Presently the color came back to
her face, she drew a long gasping breath,
and felt for her pocket handkerchief. It
was in the pocket of her saddle. The Doc.
tor instantly placed his snowy cambria in
her trembling hand. Then she overlooked.
tured to take the hand that was not occu-
pied with his pocket handkerchief, and said
in tone of respectful tenderness:
Don't, pray don't give way 50! You're
quite safe now, assure yon.'
Sob, sob.
IF you knew how every sob you utter
'ends my" (''vitals." the Major was going
% say, then he thought of breast" and
inally substituted) "heart, you-you
voul dn't keep on So"
"You don't know how have hoped, have
Onged for moment like this; to hold your
land in mine, to feel that we are alone
Ogether, that you do not repulse me, that l |
IN permitted kisses her hand) THAT |
'ou do not forbid me-" Business as before)
Sob, sob, sob. "When will she stop ~
bought the major.
"fou do not answer; speak to me-or t
ear me while tell you what have wished :
say for long days past. Miss Hartford \
llama, l love your! That was deucedIy =
ut, thought the major to himself u
Sir said the lady, suddenly becoming
lectrltied into an erect posture 1t was but :
ne word. but it was quite enough to almost
brow the imperturbable off his invincible p
quilibrium. For that moment Miss Rose Il
cath could boast of having seen that great i
lan-to use common, but expressive fl
rm-habbergasted. a
''Patty!-Miss Roseneath," r.
eyes, Major Majoribanks, Miss Roseneath Of
h, take me home, and never, never dare to | NJ
AL me Patty again.
''The-devilw said the major, slowly. in
eneath his mOustaches.
You might have been satisfied with max til
g fool of poor silly girl without insult
g her afterward. Oh, how could you be -
c-c-ruei!"
II cay, Patty-listen moment-don't CT
Tx like that. You don't suppose l meant A
hurt your feelings! Hang it, amt, l s sn
MT such cad as all that comes to- l :.
dnt know it was you'll took you for"
ooh, know; you took me for Miss Har- to
I'd. Dear Di she told me you had been Y!
aking love to her since you came. But |
ought You had only been f-f-hirting,"
i'd poor Patty, going off again.