The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-08-27
THE old BROWN MARE

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I bcheId him stretched ddt upon hts back
What my parents can have been think.
ing about when they branded me at the
baptismal font with the name Of Diana
! cannot imagine. How were they to
foresee that hunting would ever become
the one pure and unmixed pleasure Of
my lifel Nothing. suppose. could have
seemed to them more improbable; but
OF the age Of seven-and.twenty | had
been my own mistress for . good many
years, and had consulted my own incli.
nations without any morbid disquietude
as to what my neighbors might think
about me. I lived during the greater
part Of the year at my house, Newton
Selby, with my worthy old duenna, Mira
Robertson, and l had learned how to
manage my estate, and l had, believe,
o conscience as void Of offense as that Of
the majority Of human beings
Being pretty well of, need scarcely
say that had at one time or another re-
ceived offers Of marriage from every eli.
gible and ineligible bachelor in the
county, as well as from q considerable
number Of London men whom | had
met during my annual visits to the me.
tropolis. and II, as Mrs. Robertson as
sured me was the case, had acquired q
character for eccentricity, | can only at.
tribute this to the circumstance that
had been compelled to decline all these
gentlemen with thanks. What may per.
haps be taken as some proof that | was
not really wanting In common sense was
that had ended by accepting my sec.
ond cousin, Granville Maitland, but as
he was up in London. attending to his
parliamentary duties, ] did not bother
my head very much about him during
this last hunting season Of my spinster
hood
1t was on . nice, mild, misty morn
ing that | set of for the meet, riding
the old brown mare. had not hunted
her at all that season, because, to tell
the truth, she was rather too many guns
for me when hounds were running, and.
TO make further confession, my nerve
was no longer what It had once been.
Old Colonel Wharton shook his head
when he rode up to say good morning
and recognized my mount knew very
well what he was thinking; but must
say that he had no business to have such
thoughts, for never in my life have in.
jured hound. However, he was too
polite 10 put his unhattering apprehen-
sions into words, and as we moved along
toward the covert side be introduced a
young friend Of his who, he said. was
staying with him for q day or two, and
whom he hoped to persuade that there
was such 4 thing as hunting In our
parts, though there might not be great
deal Of uninterrupted galloping. | did
not notice much about this young Mr..
LOngfeld except that he had q hand.
some, boyish sort Of face and a fair mus
tache, and that the colonel had put him
up on the roam. So like old Wharton to
have given his friend the roan-a sly
little horse, clever enough at banking
but with about as much speed as Q cos
termongeris donkey.
Well. we found at once and had q nice
little burst Of about fifteen minutes, fol
lowed by check. The mare OverpOw.
cred me, as she always does, but carried
me splendidly, and Of course WI
little sorry to be caught up by the 2
the field. However, after . short
the hounds got upon the scent agar
away we all went, helter skelter,
narrow lane into which we had to
] could hardly tell how many
were ahead Of me. and naturally
not care, because ! knew that u
got half q chance should soon
Of the crowd. Only was very q
10 get once more into the open, fo
muddy, slippery lanes are apt to b
ward when your horse is practical
ming away with you. And preser
came to Q sharp tun-the very
that had been dreading. They a
srnd it safely except that unfort
Longteld, who, ! suppose,
Nken the corner too close. A
rwn the roam horse came,
to him before | had time
ything more than that
vas inevitable. It may
fault or it may have be
the brown mare-whic
y Of saying the same
certain is that we we
z, and that onSOf Us IA
reat upoessainty as to whether
thfs ~Orld or the next.
mead had ceased whirlipo
nad risen to mr. feet anil
% the mud out Of my ewes b
'ought, as l need scarcelv sov n
man whom had DrobS ~. !.
snail never forget the sict. :.
,on OF terror with which i =
stretched hat upon his back a Z
NSenaed helplessly, and I'm d'
VINO had scrambled m ge
y him. -Four or 6ve NJ an
:. and were ready with tba no
suggestions, 10 which IN,
All ! wanted to know v1as =.
ts stu alive-which. 10 y -
. feiief, found that Re
showed no signs Of con. ulh
81 fortunately, We wera con
q couple Of miles N
'ut We're close to q pub. =
'er ! Immediately sen, vert
'ous individuals 10 q. his
9 OF some kind. Then ara
ItneT with an urgent tbev
- "ui'e thei way