The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-07

ueniy Tilted mp the back of the vehicle
ana shot the fair occupants into the
yielding palisades of dusty grain. The
shock detached the whiffietree from
the splintered bar, snapped the light pole.
ana turning the now thoroughly fright
ened animals again from their course.
sent them goaded by the gathering
fragments flying down the turnpike.
Half mile further on they overlook
the cleaning white canvas hood of a
slowly moving wagon drawn by two
oxen, and swerving again, the nearer
pony stepped upon trailing trace and
vigorously ended their career by rolling
himself and his companion II the dust at
the very feet of the peacefully Flooding
team
Equally harmless and ingiorious was
the catastrophe of Susy and her friend.
The strong, elastic stalks of the tall grain
broke their fall and enabled them TO
scramble 10 their feet, dusty, dishevelIed,
out unhurt and even unstunned by the
shock. Their first instructive cries over
damaged hat or ripped skirt were fol-
lowed by the quick reaction of childish
laughter. Iney were alone, the very de-
lection of Pedro consoled them in its alb
sence 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, beholding the overset buggy
Is
they suddenly seized and shook each
other, and in an outburst of hilarious
ecstacy, fairly laughed until the tears came
into their eyes.
Then there was a breathless silence.
The stage will be coming up in mo-
ment." composedly said Susy. Fix me,
dear"
Mary Rogers calmly walked around her
friend, bestowing q 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 equal elaboration and deft-
ness. Suddenly Mary started and looked
up.
ITS coming" she said quickly. ''and
they'v seen us"
The expression of the faces of the girls
instantly changed. A panied dignity and
resignation apparently born Of the most
narrowing experiences and controlled only
by perfect good breeding, was distinctly
suggested in their features and attitude as
they stood patiently by the wreck OF their
overturned buggy awaiting the on-coming
coach. In sharp contras' was the evident
excitement of the passengers. A few rose
from their seats in their eagerness; as the
stage pulled up in the road beside the
buggy four or five of the young men leaped
Are you nurt, Miss?' they gasped
sympathetically.
Susy did not Immediately reply. but
ominously knitted her pretty eyebrows as
if REFRESHING spasm of pain. Then she
said, Not at all" coldly, with the sugges-
ton OF stoically concealing some lasting or
perhaps fatal injury, and took the arm OF
Mary Rogers, who had in the meantime
established touching yet graceful limp.
| Declining the proffered assistance of the
passengers, they helped each other into
the coach and freezingly requesting the
driver to stop at Mr.. Peyton's gate, main
tanned a statuesque and impressive silence:
by the sympathetic chances of the others.
To all appearance their escapades, al
| belt fraught with dangerous possibilities,
had happily ended. But in the economy
| of human affairs as in nature, forces are
| not suddenly let loose without more or
less sympathetic disturbance which is apt
| to linger after the impelling cause is
| harmIessly spent. The fright which the
| girls had unsuccessfully attempted to
| produce in the heart of their escort had
| passed him to become panic elsewhere.
Judge Peyton riding near the gateway of
| his rancho was suddenly confronted by
| the spectacle of one of his vaqueros driv-
| ing before him the two lassoed and dusty
| ponies with a face that broke into violent
| gesticulating at his masters quick inter-
| rogation.
"Ah! Mother of God! 1t was an evil
day! For the bronchos had broken away
upset the buggy and had only been
| stopped by brave Americana of an OK
| team-whose lasso was even now around
| their necks to prove it-and who had been
| dragged matter Of hundred varas like
| calf at their heels. The senoritas-ah
| had he not already said they were safe, by
| the mercy of Jesus picked up by the
| coach and would be here at this moment"
but where was Pedro all this time
| What was he doing?" demanded Peyton
| with darkened face and gathering anger
The vaquero looked at his master and
| shrugged his shoulders significantly. At
| anv other time Peyton would have re-
membered that Pedro. as the reputed
scion of decayed Spanish family and
| claiming superiority, was not fayorite
with his fellow retainers. But the gesture
| half of suggestion, half of depreciation,
| irritated Peyton still more.
"Well, where is this American who did
something when there wasn't a man
among you ali able to stop a child's run
away ponies" he said, sarcastically. Let
me see him."
The vaquero became still more depreca-
tory "Ah, he had driven on with his
team toward 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
enraged, land not a word of this to any
body at the casa, do you hear? Not a
word to Mrs. Peyton or the servants, or by
God! I'll clear the rancho of the whole
lazy crew of you at once. Out of the way
there, and be OFF,
He spurred his horse past the frightened
mental and dashed down the narrow lane
which led to the gate. But as Incarnation
had truly said, lit 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 of the accident, at
tributing the disappearance of his charges
10 the inequalities of the plain, and in
truth little interested in what he firmly
believes was his purely artificial function.
he had even made a larger circuit to stop
at a wayside fonda for refreshments
Unfortunately there is no more illogical
sequence of human emotion than the ex-
ASPIRATION produced by the bland manner
of the unfortunate object who has excited
| it, although that very unooncern may be
the convincing proof of innocence of in
tentlon Judge Peyton, already infiu-
| enced, was furious at the comfortable OBJ
Hviousness of his careless henchman and
| rode angriiy toward him. Only a auick
| turn of Pedro's wrist kept the two men
from coming into collision.
is this the way you attend TO YOUR
duty?" demanded Peyton in a thick. sun.
pressed voice. ''Where is the buggy?
Where is my daughter?
There was no mistaking Judge Peyton .
manner, even if the reason of it was not so
II 4