Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-04-02
POLLrS STAMPEDE


| watching the restless cattle. There's
going to be a stampede sure. and you II
| be in danger. Ride hack to the ranch -
fast as you can go. won't you: Give the
| word there. III need help with this.
The cowboy dashed away again as fast
as possible, and Polly prepared 10 obey,
but not 50 promptly as her trusty friend
expected. Just for moment she could
| not leave the fascination Of that expected
stampede. 1t would be delightful to see
the whole performance. for -ir -bade fair
| to be the most interesting thing that had
| happened since the beginning Of her visit
| To her fathers great cattle ranch on the
| plains. ;,
But she must go. She had promised
| her father, when he reluctantly gave his
| consent to this her first visit to the herd,
| that she would do exactly what Dick
| Mayhew said.
Well. at least she would have the wild
| delight Of free gallop across the prai-
RE alone There was rapture in that for
| a girl whose fifteen years had all been
spent in an eastern city. She had learned
to ride like an Indian since coming out
here and had become almost as fearless
and self reliant as the COWBOYS.
..Dick will need beIp. sure enough
..;d pol,v looking after the COWBOY. ..If
!, onlv weren't for thar promise to father
Id stay and help him myself. would.
;ndaad,"
| usr blood danced at the thoucbt brt
with much firmness she pu, it TO one side
and nrenared to depart She made sure
that her continents were all right even
o,ha ,r,hrelI, her ,bopob,fpl father had
sl,ny to the saddle in case of sudden ne
cessitv and reluctantly rave her horse
| ~, Io,a da,aved SIGNAL 10 90
Tho .n;r,I obaxed the SIGNAL and went.
but the manner Of his going took his rid.
| or, h-o.,,, ,wov Tho horse had GROWN
ol5 !, the carrie business and il now he
c,,,e evident that his interest in that
business Amounted To enthusiasm.
Lido, nro,est he had stood ,olerablv
s,;ll unt;, now notwithstanding things
war. co;ny On which demanded his ac-
,;ra a,,ant;or Rut when ha was 70.
o,,;rod ,n turp and Gallon away from n
s,.,,,,.I;,o herd If c,ttle be simnlv re.
| fused N obav sucb "a nrenosterous rom.
mand So instead Of roinr in the direc-
tion sngcested TO him. he bolted and
d,ebed afrer Dick Movhew in fine STYLE
Polly hal her wish in snite of herself.
Int she felt more dismay than exultation
in the fact This was n very different
tbino from sitting nj a safe distance and
wishing she could ioin in the chase. But
she had no time for vain regrets now.
The terrible predicament into which she
was forced demanded. all her thoughts
and would require all her courage and
self possession.
| 1t was a terrible predicament. indeed,
and if she managed to keep her seat in
the saddle and to keep safely out Of the
way of all those tossing horns and thun.
derinc hoofs, she would have something
TO he thankful for NO long as she might
live.
| The crisis had deveIoped with wonder
| ful rapidity. When Dicks warning was
given the herd had been restless and un-
rulv; when Pollvs horse bolted with her
he raced after a great crowd of panic
stricken creatures sweenjnp like n tor.
nado across the plain. The stannede had
fairly begun. And. as is always the ease
in cattle stampedes, there was no appar.
ent reason whatever for the commotion
If Polly could have remained ouietlv
in her ORIGINAL nosition and watched the
affair at leisure. she would have euioyed
such an exhibition as she had never
| dreamed of All the cattle of the great
herd had become solidlv massed tocether
and were rushinp Mt headiony sneed over
tho Iare, oround
Ero,, n d;s,,nco . ,-e., da-, s,-a.,,
would have been seen po,,riny onward
with the swif, undula,;ons ri n rand
river From the nearer no;nt Of v;ew
that Polly was forced m accap, mora ,,..
tails we're visible and some Of them wora
not pleasant to look upou.
Evervwbere tbrouphout the mass fer.
ribIe white horns tossed aud ripnl.d lilo
,ba fro,h ~ tho angry curre,t Hero
and there az ono baaI af,er ano,b uao
roo rod unw,rJ tho rod olo,n, ~ n,,,.
danad evea wac visible Topcues lilo,
dr;nnad u;,h foam beoop IN .nn.ar
If n beast was crowded from its foot II
naver know what i, was To taka .notber
o,sn In IN ;retau, il wa, o,,.r,bro,.,,
tr,n,nIc,, ,ron hv hnn,lrs,lo ~ boofs and
left dead upon tho cronnd
And the noise of tho J;v;po torren,
was fearful The thunder of tIe o,llon.
inc boofs sounded ;nc.ssan,lv. tbere wao
a nernc,ual roar from the hellow;no
,hroots. ,ho r,t,I;,o cl.sh ~ h1r,,s as
the tossing heads struck tooetbar was
liz tho i,,,.t;ng Of hail and the ror,;n,
| &c n. L,,rr,;nr, hr,,os so,n1o,l i;l,o ~
.ns,, 80 n;nd >N '7 VIC
Al o,osn, ,ho ,,ot ,,,i. h,
or,n,, cl.,sa IL saan,aJ son,at;,nns ,I,a.
= no;r If u,v;n., borrs nust c,tch in
bar h,,,;, sLi,, tba tr;,,hta,,ad c;t,, ,,;,,
,,.as ho;,,, hrr,oI .Io,,,, H., I,ar ,,,'
.,,hI, -
But though frightened now in good
earnest Polly kept her wits about her.
With one hand she held her flying skirt
away from those threatening horns and
| the steady firmness of her hold on the
| bride kept the horse from crowdiny into
actual contact with the outside cattle.
1t was fearful race. None of the
maddened creatures paid tie slightest
attention to horse or rider. But the stu
alton was bad enough without that. At
any moment her horse might dash into
the midst of the herd. and then neither
horse nor rider would have another
minute of life to hope for.
A misstep at the terrific pace they
were gorng would throw the horse to the
ground and cast the helpless girl head.
long under the multitude of tralnpling