Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-03-02


Kentil turned pale.
.sGet mother to fix your arm, and I'll
get the horse ready. You can't ride
much longer with an arm bleeding like
that that's certain. =
IT was certain. indeed Poor Harry
Reoua was about fainting from loss Of
blood already. He went into the house
while Kentil hurriedly led out her own
strong horse and put the saddle on him,
and led him out into the road, and then
called out: 1.-The horse is ready, mother.
Hurry"
Ne response came. and she looked
| down the path. No wonder that she
gave q shrek, for there, through the
pines at the bend of the road, she saw
bright red spot. and knew the dragons
were almost upon her. One moment she
staggered with fright, and the next she
was in the saddle, to all appearances the
young Major Requa, laundering along
the straight, level road. A yell from be-
hind told her that she was seen, so with
a determined smile on her face she set
her horse forward at tearing gallop.
The trees and bushes lining the road
few past her like whirling leaves in the
wind, and the wind struck her face like
a needle.
Suddenly she refined in her horse to a
more gentle trot and looked over her
shoulder as they went laundering past
the house and not man turned aside,
and she laughed happy little laugh and
set about throwing her pursuers out Of
the way of her brother. She went whirl
ing around the bend at she next Cross
roads and started at brisk gallop toward
Rye. She was playing with her pursuers
now and had no fear of not distancing
them when she chose to. The poor tired
horses of the dragons had good blood
In them, however, and they kept on be-
hind her. Still they rode steadily on,
the pursuers and the pursued, till the
grey mists began to float along the shore
of the pond and the distant tree tops be-
gan to grow indistinct and faint to the
sight. AS Kentil rode on and on, the
same stars that began to twinkle over
head saw Harry Requa riding up toward
Newburgh, safe within the american
ground"
As Kentil rode on and on, thinking
she had distanced her pursuers, three
dragons were riding across fields, taking
a short cut, to get in front of her. AS
Kentil rode on and on, the dragons
behind her were urging their exhausted
horses into last gallop. When the night
had spread over everything Kentil stop
ped her horse and listened. Yes, she still
heard them halt mile away, coming up as
fast as their tired horses would carry them,
those provoking dragoons Kentil urged
her horse into steady gallop aud soon
reached the bend in the road, where
three dragons were standing, their
horses in the road, and held their pistols
In readiness to fire. But Kentil saw them
and like flash turned her horses head,
took the low fence by the roadside
CALAMITY and was flying over the fields
with the three dragons after her. The
horses of two soon gave out, but she
still heard the other dragOon coming up
and-could it be2-he was gaining on
herl She was tired and stiff from her
novel mode of riding and he was
thorough horseman. Her horse was the
fresher, but he managed his so much
the better that he kept gaining on her.
So they rode on through the night like
two grim, silent spectres, for it was
grimly earnest now! A single misstep
of the horse might mean broken neck.
Slowly the moon rose from band Of
clouds that Law on the horizon. The
night grew brighter, and the horseman
was closer, still he did not fire. Kentil
shuddered and grew nervous. They
reached a swampy meadow and went
splashing through it, but as the horess
plunged deeper and deep into the slime
the pace grew slower and slower When
Kentil reached the next fence sine shud-
dered. It seemed higher than usual,
that fence, and she plunged her horse at
it desperately, and the next minute
Kentil Requa lay on the ground, and the
pursuer sprang from his horse with
cooked pistol and stood over her. The
moon shone down on her sweet, pure
she waited for him to fire. The suspense
was so terrible that her heart almost
stopped beating. She looked up and
saw Captain Gotham, the magnificent,
staring incredulously, with his arms
dangling nerveIessly at his sides, amused,
frightened, wondering, and q little
angry. The girl, so unprepared for this
denouement, lost her self control and
buried her blushing face in her hands
and sobbed pIteously, and the gallant
captain felt like q murderer r
Upon my word Of honor, Kentil,
didn't know it was you" he gasped'
penitently.
Then he went and got her horse, who
was hardly any the worse for the fall,
and lead it up to her.
Cant assist you to mount7r he
asked, rather maliciously.