Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-08-16
CHAPTER

A0e my fAiCnNc NNn n0Nt OCCn
thinking about when they branded me
at the baptismal font with the name OF
Diana l cannot imagine. How were
they TO fOrSee that hunting would ever
become the one pare and unmixed pleas
ure OF my life? Nothing, I suppose,
could have seemed to them more i'm
probable; bat az the age OF sevea-and-
twenty had been my own mistress for
a good many years, and had consulted
my own inclnatiOns without any NOR
bid disqnietude as TO what my neigh
bOrS might think about me. I lived
during the greater part of the year at
my house, Newton Selby, with my
worthy old duenna, Mrs. Robertson, and
/ had learned how to manage my estate,
and / had, believe, conscience as
void Of OfTenSe as that OF the majority
of human beings.
Beng pretty we'll of, I need scarcely
say that / had at one time or another
received offers OF marriage from every
eligible and Ineligible bachelor in the
county, as we'll as from considerable
number of London men whom l had
met during my annual visits 10 the me-
trODOlis, and if, as Mrs. Robertson as
sured me was the case, had acquired
a character for eccentricity, can only
attribute this TO the circumstance that
! had been compelled TO decline all
these gentlemen with thanks. What
may perhaps be taken as some proof
that I was not really wanting in COM
mon sense was that / had ended by &C
cepting my second co uin, 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 SpinsterhOOd.
10 was on q nice, mild, misty morning
that I set off 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 a further confession, my nerve
was no longer what il had once been.
Old Colonel Wharton shook his head
when he rode up to say good morning
and recognized my mount. l knew very
we'll what he was thinking; but l must
say that he had no business to have such
thoughts, for never I'm my life have in
iured q hound. However, he was too
polite 20 put his 0niiattering apprehen-
siOnS into words, and as we moved along
toward the covert side he introduced a
young friend OF his who, he said, was
staying with him for day or two, and
whom be hoped to persuade that there
was such a thing as hunting in our
parts, though there might be great
deal of uninterrupted gallOping. l did
not notice much about this young Mr..
Longfeld except that he had hand
some, bOyish sort Of face and a fair
mustache, and that the colonel had put
him ND on a roam. SO like old Wharton
TO have given his friend the rOan-a sly
little horse, clever enough at banking,
but with as much speed as a coster-
monger's donkey.
Well, we found at once and had a nice
little burst Of about fifteen minutes, fol-
lowed by a check. The rare oyerpow-
cred me, as she always does, but carried
me splendidly, and Of course l was
little sorry 10 be caught up by the rest
Of the field. However, after a short de-
lay, the hounds got upon the scent
again, and away we all went, heller
skelter, down a narrow lane into which
we had to Jump. l could hardly tell
how many people were ahead OF me,
and naturally I did not care, because 1
knew IL that / only got half chance l
should soon dispose Of the crowd.
Only l was very anxious to get
once more into the open, for those
muddy, slippery lanes are apt to be awk-
ward when your horse is practically run
ming away with you. And presently we
came to a sharp turn-the very thing
that / had been dreading. They all got
round il safely except that unfortunate
Mr.. Longield, who, l suppose, must
have taken the corner too close. At any
rate, down the roam horse came, and l
was on 10 him before / had time 70 re-
alize anything more than that catas-
trophe was inevitable. IL may have
been my fault or it may have been the
fault of the brown mare-which Is an
other way OF saying the same thing;
what is certain is that we were both
sent flying, and that one OF us had
moment of great uncertainty as to
whether she was in this world or the
next.
When my head had ceased whirling
round. and l had risen to my feet and
wiped some OF the mud out OF my eyes,
my first thought, as I need scarcely
say, was for the man whom had prob
ably killed. and I shall never forget the
sickening sensation of terror with which
I beheld him stretched fiat on his back,
his arms extended helpleSSly, and the
TWO horses, who had scrambled up,
standing over him. Four or five men
Ia tho
usual senseleSS suggestions, 20 which
paid no heed. All I wanted TO know
was whether he was still alive-whleh,
to my unutterable relief, l found that
be was, though he showed no signs OF
consciousness. Most fortunately, we
were not only within a couple OF miles
Of Newton Shelby, but were close to
public house, whittier l Immediately
sent one of these OfliciOus individuals 10
secure a cOnveyancS OF some kind. Then
/ DISPATCHED another with an urgent
summons 10 the local doctor, while the
rest OF us took q gate off It's hinges and
placed the injured man upon 1t.
He recovered consciousness before we
reached home, but had evidently very
confused idea of where he was and what
had happened TO him. told MIN IL was
all right, only he mustn't talk. or
course I was by no means sure that II
was all right; I could but hope for the
best, and Mrs. Robertson, TO do her JUS
tice, behaved admirably when our mel
ancholy procession arrived at the door
IL was no small relief 70 me 10 hear the
report Of rosy checked little DR.. BowieS,
who was soon upon the spot, and who
made a long and careful examination OF
his patient.
''He will pull through, Miss Seloy,