Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-16

straight ont Denlnu, ner glorious eyes
flashing, her dark skin flushed with tri-
umph and he exhilaration of the dash
ing pace, hsr little hands wound about in
the reins 81 e holds so firmly. Splendidly
she sits her feet racer, and Dana has to
urge and spur his clumsier troop horse
to keep in close attendance. These four
are well In advance of all the others.
Back of them, gallantly urging on her
sturdy sorrel, comes Mrs. Sprague. with
Stryker riding warily alongside and
watching hsr going" before he will sat
isfy himself that il is safe to trust her TO
her own guiding. Level as the prairie
is here, he Knows that mile or so ahead
there are breaks" leading down into
the valley Of one of the innumerable
tributaries of the Washita Then the
story may lie different.
he looks mp in surprise at the thunder
OF hoofs close alongside. and Mrs. Law
renee, with excitement in her eyes. over
takes, then nasses them on the way TO
the front. 'Seer' he points to his part
ner, "see that dark shadow across the
prairie out there. We cannot ride at this
pace when we pass that hollow: the
breaks set in still farther" He glances
over his shoulder and signals to the near
est officer to follow Mrs. Lawrence and
look out for her, and the gallant does his
best, but all are at top speed; the colonel
and the heavy weights--infantry and
cavalry-are beginning to lose ground,
and still that gray puff ball" far to the
front seems inch 10y inch to be slipping
away from his pursuers. Will he keep
his determined course, up hill and down,
straight away TO the east, or will he lose
heart, tack, veer, double and twist? If
he swerve he is a lost rabbit!
Far TO the rear, yelping, painting, dis
tracted by this time, the terriers and
mongrels, the original leaders, have fall
en-. The field, too, is strung out nearly
mile deep 1t the end of the first six
minutes run, for some of the laggards
have given up and are disposed to wait
for the coming of the buggies and buck
boards. Hers at the front all is tense
excitement. All eyes are on the rabbit,
for now or never will the crisis come.
The horses are breathing heavily, but
with no thought of slackening speed.
Watch him now as he sights that
arroyo" shouts Graham to Parke, for
far out to the right front ravine bursts
off TO the southeast, and one of its shall
low contribU tors stretches obliouely
across the -abbit's frenzied vision.
"Veer that way; he'll take it suren
shouts the hmtsman; and, sure enough.
no sooner does he reach it than the grav
victim darts down the winding shelter,
as though hopeful that his sudden twist
would throw lis pursuers off the sight;
scent the greyhound has none. The
move is DISASTROUS; "Hir' shout the lead
ing riders. waving the pursuit to the
right front, and, obedient TO signal the
foremost hounds sweep in lons curve
into the coulee, striking it many yard
farther down than where the harried
chase first dived into its treacherous
shadows.
And now those hounds who were out
on the right flank are up in line with the
very leaders, and bounding along the
level at the side of the ravine, yet keep
ing wary eye upon the chase. So, too,
the horsenen. Making a deep curve in
the ravine five hundred yards ahead, and
confident that Bunny will blindly rush
along his winding track. they strike out
across the prairie, gaining twenty horse
lengths by the move; and now, with two
or three of the oldest hounds, Parke,
Dana and Mrs Belknap are darling on
abreast of the chase. Keep out there
TO the left, some of you!" shouts Dana.
q He'll spring up the other side quick as
he sees us. Drive him back" And,
to the signal of his waving
hand, two of the leading troopers breast
the slopes to the east, calling half dozen
hounds with Il EN-. Darling around a
bend, Bunny's agonized eyes catch sight
of the hounds and horses on the right
bank, and like & flash he whirls, scamp
ers up the opposite slope, and shoots out
on the prairie again just in time to meet
the hounds and troopers who have an
ticipated the move
Now lac is Wild and demoralized.
Once more he Oh yes into the ravine and
sends the dust flying into the very faces
II his pursuers, for now the leading
hounds are so close that the foremost
Jaws are swapping the air at his every
bound. A quick turn to the right and
lp the slope throws these leaders far
90 far-beyond; they sweep around in
ong curve; but, though he has thrown
hem off, the hunted, senseless, helpless
wretch has forgotten the trailers in the
ear; they spring across the angle he has
made, and are close as the original pur-
uers, and much the fresher. Wildly,
nadly now he twists and turns, first up
me bank, then the other. Far to the
ear the coming riders see the signs of
lis breaking down. mark the scurrying
o and fro of horse and hound. Come
N? they shout. He's gone now. and
We can be in at tie deathv' Mrs. Law
ence on one side IF the ravine is as far
o the front as Mrs. Belknap on the
'ther. One of the IN must lose the brush;
Ne cannot die OF both sides at once
The dark beauty ! as had more than one
-asping disappointment in the last two
lays; it would be intolerable now that,
after all, Mrs. La vrence, and not she,
should prove the victor.
Bunny makes ole frantic rush up the
Hope to the right, and, with half dozen
hounds at his very heels, spins in front
IF her eyes, catches sight of two fresh
antagonists fronting him, whirls sud
ienly about to the right, and almost
lives under her horses heaving barrel as
le once more plur ges into the ravine,
Town the rugged slope, up the gentle
lscent to the other side. There half q
iozen long, lean muzzles CLEAN close be-
lind him; he falters, wavers; u sharp
nose is thrust underneath him as he runs,
/ quick toss sends him kicking, strug-
fling into the air, md in another instant,
With piteous but Intellectual squeak and
pleading he is the center of a tumb-
ing. swapping, fang gnashing group of
and his little life is torn out al
most before Graham can leap from his
addle, beat them lack with the visor of
lis cap, then, seizirg the still quivering
'ody by the legs that would have saved
'ould that empty head only have direct
ID. holds poor Bunny aloft in front Of
'lrs. Lawrence's snurting steed and pro-
,laims her Queen of the Chase"
And this, too, has Mrs Belknap to see
md strive TO smile while down in her