The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-09

quite as big a place to stop him when
hounds were running But he also knows
that he has short, round legs, which give
him somewhat of "washball" seat on q
horse, and that q want Of swagger and
smartness would prevent him ever having
brilliant reputation like the ether
It Is ''Tops," however, and not Captain
Lester, who puts Miss Errington on her
horse at the meet, for the chestnut is
fidgety, and Jack Lester has no idea of
having his feathers spotted or his boots
dirtied on the muddy road He simply
disappears. Self preservation Is the first
law of his nature, and be thinks Miss
Errinsten is sufficiently honorea when he
gives her Leave for the second time to
follow him as soon as abe hounds find.
George Topham weald give his eyes to
be her pilot, but he has no chance after
this. Miss Errington keeps Captain Lester
steadily in view while they are drawing
narrower covert, and when the hounds are
seen streaming away from one corner of
the wood, and Jack Lester, thrusting his
hat firmly on his head, Jumps tolerably
stiff hedge almost at standstill to get
out of the road, the next to follow him Is
Miss Cissy on her chestnut.
1t must be owned that neither by look
nor word does he give her much encourage
ment to do so. He is simply obvious OF
everything but the business on hand; but
if his whole attention is fixed on the work
ing of the hounds, she never takes her eyes
off the tall figure on the big black horse,
always half field at least in front of her.
1t was splendid gallop, fo,4 scent was
good and the hounds ran fast. The coun-
try was broken into hills and hollows, and
being stiff one to boot, the field was scat
tered in wonderful manner. Indeed, few
rode the line from find to finish, for there
was many handy road and lane. Jack
Lester, however, was one of those who
stuck to the hounds throughout, and was
in the same field with them when they
rolled their fox over In the open.
HAS any one seen Miss Errington?" asks
George Topham, who arrives on the scene
of action a trife late.
He never was 80 lucky in getting away
as Jack Lester, and the block in the road
when the hounds found had thrown him
out today When he comes up Captain
Lester is already on his second horse, and
the best covert in all Blankshire is about
to be drawn.
"Seen herr" says Jack. "No. haven't
set eyes ON her since we found. 1 believe
she followed me for bit, though l must
say I forgot her. But she's somewhere
about, l expect"
George Topham waits another quarter
of an hour or so. The hounds are now in
Dingley Gorse, and their eager note tells OF
a fox on foot. Captain Testers face is posi-
lively lit up with anticipation.
Look at Jack Lester" says one boy in
his teens to another, in tones Of heartfelt
admiration. "He does look keen. doesn't
her"
George Topham comes up once more to
interrupt him. Lester" he says, 81 am
certain Miss Errington has come to grief.
Even if she had got thrown out, she must
have been up by this time. Every one is
here now, that l can see. Think, man!
where do you remember seeing her last"
81 don't remember seeing her at all, !"
answers the other. "How you do fuss,
Tops She has most likely gone home
horse lame, or something of that kind"
"Tops" waits yet another five minutes or
so. but no pretty girl on light chestnut
appears. A few of the despised beings who
gallop aimlessly on the hard, high road on
a hunting day come up, and he cross-ques-
toned them; but no one has seen Miss
Errington. Then he turns his back on
Dingley Gorse and the field of eager horse
men and tries not to listen to the whimper
of the hounds as they hustle about in the
covert, but goes back on the line of the
run. 1t takes certain amount
of determination to do this, and not little
moral courage. He, too, would like to win
laurels today, and this fresh second horse
of his is the pick of his stables. 1t is with
a heavy heart he gives it all up and goes
back alone to see what has happened to
Miss Errington.
She is fortunate, indeed, in having such
a friend, for the poor girl is sadly in want
of help. She is half sitting, half lying
among wet grass and brushwood, under
the struggling hedge that surrounds
small spinney.
She had followed Captain Lester too
and the nasty place that he had
got over with a scramble, and with the
help of the fifth leg his horses always
seemed to have in reserve, had been too
much for the chestnut and herself. Her
hunter slipped and came down on his side,
her foot and leg as ne did so. A
total inability to move is the first sensation
she feels. She tries to stand, and falls
back In heap on the further side of the
blind ditch; but she is not stunned, and it
does not take her long to realize her for
lorn condition.
She is alone-quite alone. No sound of
any kind falls on her ears. The hunt has
long swept by. 1t is still, damp day, and
the heavy, misty air seems to wrap her as
in pail. She feels alone in the world; the
only living thing near her is the chestnut,
who, with his fore leg entangled in the bri
die, is trying to Craze at the end of the field
Her foot and leg are very painful, but she
could stand even greater suffering if
only knew where help was to come fr
Who would find her here? Who wou
think of looking for her, at any rate, till
night came and she was missed? Some
passer by might come that way, to be sure,
but there was no footpath or road near, and
even a mischievous boy could not find |
much to tempt him to those woods in the |
month of December. No, no; she would !
be here, alone and suffering, all day, and |
lucky if she was found by nightfalI Per
laps she would be there the long, dreary |
night as well! Perhaps they would never |
ind her
She remembers a legend of some keen |
sportsman who was not found for two |
lays after he had met with an accident |
when hunting in some wild part of the /
They found him at last in a |
hitch from which he had not had the |
strength to crawl, and they said he must |
lave died by inches. Was that true? and |
so was a similar fate to be hers? Tears |
hat pain could not bring to her eyes drown /
her cheeks, and she sobs bitterly as she |
links of the dismal nrnsnect An hnnr-