The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-08-16
and she laid the lash smartly on the shining
h0ckS of tho animals


down with a succession of bounds that
brought the light buggy leaping after them,
with its wheels scarcely touching the
ground. The unlucky lash had knocked
away the bonds of a few months seryitude
and sent the half-brCllen brutes Instructive
ly careerng with arched backs and kicking
heels into the field toward the nearest
cover.
Mary Rogers cast a hurried glance over
her shoulder Alas, they had not caicu-
lated on the insidious levels of the terraced
plain, and the faithful Pedro had suddenly
disappeared; the intervention of SIX inches
of rising wild oats had wiped him out of the
prospect and their possible salvation as
completely as if he had been miles away.
Nevertheless, the girls were not frightened;
perhaps they had not time. There was,
however, the briefest interval for the most
dominant of feminine emotions, and it was
taken advantage of by Susy; at was all
your fault, dear she gasped as the fore
wheels Of the buggy dropping into Il gopher
rut suddenly tilted up the back of the
vehicle, and shot the fair occupants into
the yielding palisades of dusty grain. The
shock detached the whiflletrce from the
splinter bar, Swapping the light pole, and
turning the row thoroughly frightened
animals again from their course, sent them
Eoaded by the gathering fragments, flying
down the turnpike. Half Il mile further on
they overlook the cleaning white canvas
hood of Il slowly moving wagon, drawn by
two oXen and, sWerying again, the nearer
pony stepped upon TRAILING, trace and in
gloriousy ended their career by rolling
himself and his companion in the dust at
the feet of the peacefully pOddng team.
Equally harmless and inglorious was the
catastrophe of Susy and her friend The
strong, elastic stalks of the tall grain broke
their fall and enabled them to scramble to
their feet, dusty, disheveed, but unhurt
and even unstunned by the shock. Their
first instructive cries over a damaged hat
ripped skirt We're followed by the quick
reaction of childish laughter They were
alone, the very detection Of Pedro consoed
them iii its absence of any witness to their
disaster; even their previous slight attitude
to each other was forgotten. They CROPPED
their way, pushing and painting, TO the road
again, where beholdng the overset buggy
with its wheels ludicrously III the air, they
suddenly seized and shook each other, and
in an outburst of hilarious ecstasy, fairly
laughed until the tears came into their eyes.
Then there was a brcathlesS silence.
''The stage will be coming by in mo-
ment.' composedly said Susy. Xix me,
dear"
Mary Rogers calmly walked around her
friend, bestOWing Il practical shake there,
pluck here, completely relying one bow
and restoring an engaging fullness TO an
other-yet critically examining, with her
head on one side, the fascinating result
Then Susy performed the same function
for Mary with eqral deberaton and delft
ness. Suddenly Mary started and locked up
ITS coming" She said quickly, and
they We seen us
The expression of the faces of the girls
instantly changed s panied diSnity ana
resignation apparently born of the most har-
rowing experiences and controlled only by
perfect good breeding. was distinctly sug-
gested in their features and attitude as
they stood patiently by the wreck of their
overturned buggy awaiting the oncoming
coach In sharp contrast was the evident
excitement among the passengers. A few
rose from their seats in their eagorness; as
the stage pulled up in the road beside the
buggy tour or five young men leaped to the
ground
Are You hurt miss?' they gasped, sym
pathetically.
Susy did not Immediately reply, but o7ni-
nously knitted her pretty eyebrows as if re-
pressing a sPaSm of pain. Then she said,
Not at ALL coldly, with thtftrggestion of
stoacally concealing some lasting or perhaps
fatal injury. and took the arm of Mary
Rogers. who had III the meantime established
touching yet graceful limp. Declining the
prolterCd assistance OF the passengers, they
helped each other into the coach and frecz-
ingly requesting the driver to stop at Mr..
Pcytons gate, maintained Il statuesque and
impressive silence. AT the gates they got
down. followed by the sympathetic chances
of Nhe others.
IW all appearances, their escapade, albeit .
fraught with dangerous possibilities, hao. :
happily. ended But in the economy Of hui
denly let loose without more or less sym
pathetic dist urbance, which is apt to linger
after the impelling cause is harmlcssly
spent. The fright which the girls had un-
successfully attempted to produce in the
heart Of their escort had passed him to be.
come panic elsewhere. Judge PcytOn, rid
ing near the gateway of his rancho was
suddenly confronted by the spectacle of one
of his yaqueros driving before him the two
lassocd and dusty ponies, 7 it'll a face that
broke into violent geStlcuatlng at his mas
ter's quick interrogation.
All! mother of Cod 1t was an evil day!
For the bIOnchos had broken away, upset
the buggy and had only been stopped by a
brave Americana Of an OK team-whose
lasso was even now around their necks to
prove it-and who had been dragged Il mat
ter of hundred varaS like calf Mt their
heels. The senoritas-ah! had he not al
ready SAID they were safe by the mercy Of
Jesus! picked up by the coach and would
be here at this moment"
What was he doinc?' demanded Peyton
with darkencd face and gathering anger.
The vaQuero looked at his master and
shrugged his shoulders significantly At
any other time Peyt0n would have remem-
bered that Pedro, as the reputed scion of
6 decayed Spanish family and claiming SUI
periorty, was not a tayorite with his fel-
low retainers. But the gesture half of sug-
gestion, half of depreciation, irritated Pew
ton still more.
We'll, where is this American who did
something. when there wasn't a man among
You all able to stop n childs runaway DO
Mes" he said sarcastcay. Let me see
him
The vaqucro became still more dcpreca-
tory. "Ah, he had driven on with his team
towards San Antonio; he would not stop
to be thanked. But that was the whole
truth He, Incarnation, could swear TO it
as to the creed. There was nothing more"
Take these beasts around the back way
to the corral" said Peyton thoroughly en-
ragged, 'aud not word of this to anybody
at the casa, do you hear? Not word to
clear the rancho of the whole lazy crew of
you at once. Out of the way there, and
be off"
He then spurred his horse past the fright
ened mental and dashed down Tx n*ITow
lane that led to the gate But as ncarna-
cion had truly said: 1T was an evil day"
For at the bottom of the lane, ambling
slowly along as he lazily pulled yellow
cigarette, appeared the figure of the erring
Pedro. Utterly unconscious Ct the accident,
attributing the disappearance of his charges
to the inequalities, Of the ,lain. ard in
truth little interested in what he firmly
believed was his purely artificial function,
he had even made o larger circuit to stop
at waysida fonda for refreshments.
Unfortunately. there is no more illogical
sequence of human emotion than the exas.
peration produced by the bland manner of
the unfortunate object who has excited IT.
E.. b.,