The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-02-26

shot out to4R ~ from The marx, A,
fret the rums( practiced At flying nom
the start, AID having iess momentum
than the hor4 ~ pw out In front. ia a
few seconds f>e some twenty yards
ahead. The gap between them
decreasing sa0 ll0ll - |Ihas gaining
slowly at tirst. but gaining surely .strldo
by stride. When half the coursd. was
covered THE horse bad drawn up level
and then. came such a race as had never
yet been seen. For a hundred wards and
more tAe two ran locked together, side
by side, fbe runnet almost flying over the
crisp turf, tho horse stretched out in a
fierce gallob, with the rider standing in
the stirrup& And now the goal was only
fifty yards away; but the gazers drew a
ieep breath as hey saw that now tho
horse was gaining {was drawing out in
iro mt. For one Instant it seemed that
all was over; the next, to their amaze.
mcnt, they were conscious that the horse
was failing. Theu they saw gallant
sight; they saw tho: runner nerve him
self for last effort and close upon the
goal, dash paststaf horso aud past the
judges and fall hi long on the turf.
At that scene, ihbpitc of disciplinc,a
frantic cheer broke forth along the liue.
Even Feversham himself smiled grinAy,
as one who, though he had just lost
bet, had gained lts full equivalent III
plcasurable excitement.
The winner, VINO had fallen painting
and exhausted, was raised into sitting
posture by two troopers, and in few
seconds he was able, though still weak
and dizzy, to stand upon his feet aud
look about him. =
A few PAGES off bis beaten rival stood
beside his horse. Dare looked at him,
and their eyes met. Quixarvyn's face
bore an almost imperceptible smile ;but it
was not this, but something in his look
which the other could not have defined,
which struck him backward like
shock. He staggered buck pace or
two, bewildered by the light which
broke upon his mind. Fhen he stepped
up to his rivals side, and the guards, who
saw no cause to interfere, falling back
little, he put his mouth close TO Quix.
arvyn's car:
"You pulled that horse, he said.
Quixarvyan looked at him, but
answered not a word,
"You let me win," tire other went on,
his voice breaking. "For her sake you
did it,"
Quixarvyn drove his nails into his
palms, he had acted, he was acting, not
without a bitter cost.
''Makc her happy" he said, briefly.
AS he spoke he turned away aud strodc
swiftly to his old position at the head of
the line of prisoners, before which the
firing party was again drawn up.
Dare turned his back upon the scene
and thrust his fingers in his ears. Never
thcless, he could still hear with horrible
distinctncss the Sergeant's loud, clear
voice, with an interval between the
words
"Readyw
"Presentl"
"Fire!"
Almost as the wor d was given came
the crash of the report. Moved by an
impulse which he could not conquer he
turned around with shuddcr. The
soldiers were lowering their smoking
muskets, aud n thick white cloud hung
above the line Of the pr isoncrs stretched
upon the ground. At he extremity OF
the line Quixarvyn lay upon his face,
with his right hand clenched upon a
portrait which he had taken iron his
breast, aud a bullet through his heart.
The Strand Magazine.