The Wahpeton times., 1890-08-21

horses in the darkness to Saumarez
telling me the story of his loving
Edith Copleigh from the first. He
was still clawing my shoulder and
begging me to tell him where Edith
Copleigh was, when anotherlull came
and brought light with it, and we
saw the dust cloud forming on the
plain in front of US. So We knew the
worst was over. The moon was low
down, and there was just the glim-
merof the false dawn that comes
about an hour before the real one.
But the light was very faint, and the
dull cloud roared like a bull.
wondered where Edith Copleigh
had gone; and us was wondering
saw three things together: First,
Maud Copleigh's face come smiling
out OF the darkness and move to-
wards Saumarez, who was standing
by me. heard the girl whisper
''George," and slide her arm through
the arm that was not clawing my
shoulder, and l saw that look on her
face which only comes once or twice in
alifetime-when a woman is perfectly
happy and the air is full oftrumpets
and gorgeous colored fire and the
earth turns into cloud because she
loves and is loved. At the same time
saw Snumnrez's face as he heard
Maud Coleigh's voice, and fifty yards
away from the clump oforange trees
saw IL brown holland habit getting
upon a horse.
1t must have been my state OF
over-eXcitement that made me so
quick to meddle with what did not
concern me. Saumarez was moving
Off to the habit; but l pushed him
back and said: "Stop here and ex-
plain. "Ill fetch her back!" And l
ran out to get at my own horse. l
had a perhaps unnecessary notion
that everything must be done decent
lyand in order, and that Summaries
first care was to wipe the happy look
out of Maud CopIeigh's face. All
the time | was linking up the curb
chain wondered how he would do
it.
cantered after Edith Copleigh,
thinking to bring her back slowly on
some pretense or another. But she
galloped away as soon as she saw
me, and was forced to ride after
her in earnest. She called back over
her shoulder: ''Goaway! Pm going
home. Oh, go away!" two or three
times; but my business was to catch
her first, and argue later.
The ride just fitted in the rest OF
the evil dream. The ground was very
bad. and now and again we rushed
through the whirling, choking "dust-
devils" in the skirts OF the flying
storm. There was a burning hot
wind blowing that brought up q
stencil ofstale brick kilns with it;
and through the half light and
through the dustdevils, across that
desolate plain, flckercd the brown
holland habit ON the gray horse.
She headed for the station at first.
Then she wheeled round and set off
for the river through beds of burnt
down jungle grass. bad even to ride
a pig over. In cold blood should
never have dreamed OF going over
such IL country at nj CHIT. but it SEEM
ed quite right and natural with the
lightning cracking overhead, and
reck like the smell OF the pit in my
nostrils. rode and shouted, but
she bent forward and lashed her
horse. and the aftermath OF the dust
storm came up and caught us both
and drove us down wind like pieces
of fpaper.
don't know how far we rode, but
the drumming of the horse hoots and
the roar of the wind, and the race of
the faint blood-red moon through
the yellow mist seemed to have gone
on for years and years, and was
literally drenched with sweat from
my helmet to my CATERS when the
gray stumbled, recovered himself,
and pulled up dead lame. My brute
was used up altogether. Edith Cop
leigh was in a sad state, plastered
with dust, her helmet off and crying
bitterly. "Why can't you let me
alone?" she said. II only wanted to
get away and go home. Oh, please
let me CO."
"lou have got to come back with
me, Miss Copleigh. Saumarez has
something to say to you"
1t was Il foolish way of putting it;
but hardly knew Miss Copleigh, and
though l was playing Providence at
the cost Of my horse, could not tell
her in as many words what Saumarez
had told me. l thought he could
do that better himself. All her pre-
tense about being tired and wanting
to 60 home broke down, and she
rocked herself to and fro in the sad
die as she sobbed, and the hot wind
blew her black hair to leeward. |
am not going to repeat what she
said, because she was utterly un-
sJrung.
This, il you please, was the cynical
Miss Copleigh. Here was 1, almost
an utter stranger to her, trying to
tell her that Saumarezl loved her, and
she was to come back to hear him
say so. 1 believe l made myself
| understood, for she gathered the gray
together and made him hobble some
how, and we set off for the tomb,
while the storm went laundering
down to Umballa and a few big
drops of warm rain fell. ] found out
that she had been standing close to
Saumarez when he proposed to her
sister, and had wanted to go home
to cry in peace, as an English girl
! e.1&@ Il L.,