Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-04-25

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hazard it had it not been for the con-
sternation in Richards face.
"Mr. Allerdyce, you are faint
hearted she said, gayly, as she started
on her downward course little more
rapidly than she had at first intended,
but Richard new tricycle. ran smoothly.
His heart was in his mouth, as the
country folk say, rs she began to glide
rapidly of. She turned her head, and
flashed back a merry defiance. my
uncle, the chemist at Rochester. used to
say"-. Then the wicked sparkle
faded suddenly, and she called quick
and clear: .tCan you stop me, pleasea
The brake is stiff; I can't make itwork;
It's running away"
Poor Richard of the faint heart! Il
seemed to die within him. The next
second he darted forward, but it was
just one second too late. The check
she had been able to put on the heavy
machine with the treadles seemed to
keep it back, and faster and faster Il
tore down the perilous road.
In all his life to come Richard will
never know any minute SO long as that
next, while the straight, slight figure
flying through the space seemed to swim
before his eyes, and his knees knocked
together as he STOOD.
On, on-faster, faster! She managed
somehow to cling to the steering handle
| and keep the machine in the middle Of
the road, but the mad pace grew more
desperate. She could never turn that
fatal corner by the. railway embank-
ment; over it she must go. And it was
just then that Richard and she both to-
gether saw the puff of snow-white smoke
from the hillside, that told them that
the evening express was out of the tun-
mel, and laundering down that very bit
of line.
1t all flashed yer Agatha in one rush;
would the fall kill her, or would it be
the train? 1t must be one or the other;
the next second or two would settle that;
and a swift prayer was on her lips, but
what, she never quite knew, for v as
she breathed it, someone or something
in brown tweed knickerbockers hurled
itself over the roadside stile before her,
a stout stick darted into the flying
wheel, and with one quick swerve, the
tricycle. crashed into the ditch, and lay
there, a confused mass of spinning
| spokes and mutitated tires, while Aga
tina flew out from its midst like a ball,
and alighted on a grassy bank yard or
two away; and the express rushed past
with a wild yell on the line just below,
and vanished around a sharp curve that
matched the road above it.
Then, and then alone, did Richards
legs regain their power of motion, and
he set off as fast as they could carry
him to where the little black figure Law.
Somehow, it took longer to run down
that hill than the last descent would
have led one to think, for when Richard,
painting and breathless, reached the
scene of the accident, the little black
figure, very much out of its usual trim
neatness, was seated on the grassy
tangle that broke her fall, busily bind
ing up with her own small handkerchief
a deep cash in the hand of the knicker-
bockered person who knelt at her side.
1t was a very pale face that looked up
at Richards, with the sort of awe that
any human creature must wear who has
just been face to face with death, but
her great gray eyes had a wonderful
shining light in them.
1.-The poor ~tricycle!" she said; II am
so sorry. Is IT very badly hurtp" And,
in the fervor of his relief and gladness,
Richard could find words for nothing
but:
"Bother the tricycle."
He was ready enough to say some
thing, however, presently, when he
found himself obliged to stop and see
it's remains decently cared for, while
Captain Hardwicke took charge of Miss
Travers' return to the rectory. She
said she was none the worse for herfall,
but perhaps she was a little shaken; but
Captain Hardwicke kindly offered her
his arm, and she took it. Richard hur-
ried after them before long, his whole
heart aglow. That awful minute this
afternoon had taught him that life with
out Agatha Travers would seem a poor
and worthless thing, were she a factory
girl. He hurried after them, therefore,
and came in sight of the rectory gate as
two hands. one very neatly bandaged,
%unclasped over it, and a small dark
head raised itself swiftly from a brown
tweed shoulder, where it seemed to have
been resting.
"Good gracious!" was all Richard
could utter, as Agatha vanished, and
Captain Hardwicke, looking odiously ra-
diaAt, sauntered toward him.
"Ah, Allerdyce, old fellow, caught
us, have your Then 1 may as well tell
you all my tremendous good luck at
once, and take your congratulations.
Perhaps you've heard how Miss Travers'
nursing saved my life last year, and
when, of course, 1 fell in love with her,
as who wouldn't? She would have it it
was only gratitude, and refused to let
me make what she called a mesalliance,
just because there's that brute of a title
coming to me some day. I told her I
thought all that rubbish was obsolete,
and offered to drop the title altogether
if she liked, but nothing would do, and
we parted rather out of temper. l
heard she was down here, and ran
down to see my uncle, hoping he would
talk her over, but l began to think it
was no use. And do you know, 1 was
frantically jealous of you, old fellow! l
saw she liked you, and I almost believe
you could have cut ME out early in the
day, If you'd had the pluck to try, she
was SO set against me. But to-day has
made it all right, and she thinks I've
saved her life this time, so We are quits.
Well, old man, am l not the luckiest
man alive"
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