The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-04-21

i she rounded the summit Of the long.
heaving prairie swells In her mad
flight a CLEAN Of hope Ightened her
almost despairing eyes. An irregu-
lar line Of small trees appeared in the
! distance, and she knew that they
marked the course of the longed- for
stream. If she could reach them ahead
of the conAagration she was saved,
But old Buckskin's mighty and
long continued efforts had almost ex-
hausted him, and the flames swept
along hot upon his track.
Emily estimated the distance in
either direction and the probable
duration of her horses failing energies
and a single despairing groan escaped
her. Then she compressed her lips
and strove to encourage her painting
steed tosyet greater speed.
Nearer and nearer drew the trees
with every instant but so did the
flames. The air became like a fur
mace. Great blackened cinders.
whirled aloft by the wind. began to
fall around her. and her skin dried
and cracked in the intense heat. But
courage. only five miles more and the
| terrible race is won. g.. 49,. .. ~
Just as Emily felt that she was
! saved, that the heroic efforts of old
Buckskin would yet bring her to the
life preserving stream ahead of the
| destroying element an unexpected
and awful calamity overlook her.
The old horse stumbled in the burrow
OF a prairie dog and fell headlong.
throwing his little rider heavily to the
ground.
She was on her feet in an instant
and tugging with all her strength at
the bride. but it was useless The
poor brute had fallen heavily upon
his outstretched neck and it's Joints
were shattered and di=located by the
shock. Old Buckskin's gallops were
over. He was stone dead.
Then. and not till then. did the in
domitable heart in Emily Arban's
puny little frame give way to despair
1t seemed so hard. just at the mo-
ment of her apparent salvation this
unexpected accident had doomed her
to an awful death. Only three miles
away tossed the waving branches of
perfect safety. But alas! half mile
off the other way the seething pillows
of fire came rushing on with a roar of
eXultation.
EaWith a cry of bitter agony she
threw herself rostrate on the fallen
form Of the dead horse and clasped
his huge neck in her poor puny arms
TO be so near safety and then to die;
it was awful.
Suddenly as she embraced the gil
gantic form Of her dead playmate, a
thrill of hope once more shot through
the child's slight frame, and she sprang
to her feet. With hasty fingers she
snatched from her pocket the heavy
clasp-knife she always carried, and
opened its largest blade.
Forgive me, old Buckskin," she
cried with choking Sob and with 2
firm hand she plunged the keen steel
to its handle in the carcass of the dead
horse.
The sharp knife Kissed through the
warm flesh as Emily drew it along the
animals side, and with single, long
cut ripped him from hip to shoulder.
With frantic haste she tore out the
great mass of entrails and as she did
so the fire fiend came swooping down
upon her with a deafening roar of tri-
umph.
There was no time for squeamish.
ness or delay. With feverish speed
Emily wrenched open the yawning cut
and forced her slight figure into the
smoking. bleeding carcass of the dead
horse She had scanty time to wedge
herself into her noisome shelter and
draw the edges of the cut together
again when the avalance OH fire de-
scended and she knew no more. The
strain upon her nerves had been too
great, and Emily Arban tainted dead
away.
III A few minutes later band of horse.
men, headed by Edward Arban, came
squirting on in the track of the fire in
search of the missing girl. and found
the scorched and blistered carcass of
the gigantic Buckskin lying on the
black and smoking plain A stirrup
of peculiar shape lying beside it iden-
tilted it beyond all question, and the
disastrous end of the terrible race for
life was only too apparent
"Oh. my God! my poor little
Emily" groaned the father. with
CHASTITY face and drawn, quivering
lips. SO young, so innocent; and to
meet such horrible end! How can I
endure it,"
Even as he spoke the carcass of the
dead horse was thrown open, and
from the cavity within crawled little
pale. blood-stained being that every
soul in the party recognized in an in
slant in spite of it's soiled and draggled
appearance and the strange, noisome
shelter from which it came. Chicago
Sun. ..ss... .... III. /.
Didn't Foot Up Right.
':Now Mary hang out the clothes
so that the neighbors will see the best
OF Them" said Mrs. s.; .we're
new people here and must put the
best foot foremost" All right
num-" said Mary. I'll put all the
rufied things on the outside to make
n cho s,,1 :: 80