Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-02-17

private equipage if he had not become martyr to rheumatism. Mot gout, not a bit of it," Stanfield's informant had added; ''he's altogether too plain liver for that"
 And now, as the slow, massive car riage passed him, ,Stanfeld glanced with in it and disceFned, though somewhat faintly, thin, hard-faced man leaning against its back cushions. Just after this glimpse of his unknown uncle had been offered him he started as he per ceived large dray, drawn by two mad dened runaway horses, come dashing up the street. At first there seemed no danger to MT. Van Doren's carriage, though the coachman brought it to an abrupt standstill and watched the hur- | rying bulk with anxious eyes. As it sped nearer, however, the headlong reg alarity of its progress changed. The driver was gone, having rashly jumped from his seat some little time ago. The horses now began plunging course and several other wagons narrowly es- capped collision. Not so Mir. Van Doren's vehicle. Towards that the wild crea- lures now swerved, and in another in stant they were rearing furiously and yet still galloping onward, with their own wheels locked in the heavy yellow ones. It was a horrible moment for Stanfield. Young, strong, with urgently humane impulses. he saw the carriage of the old man violently overturned and the coachman flung from his box. There Is no doubt that he now acted with splendid pronr+ness and courage, for in trice he had darted, fleet of foot, after the whole hurtled comminglement of horses and woodwork. The Van Doren team had not yet taken fright and were pulling stolidly against their terrified brothers. This gave Stanheld a chance, and he leaped with great dar- ing and nimbleness upon the shafts of the dragging coach. Still greater was his act in springing thence upon the dray itself. He happened to have large clasp-knife in his pocket, a me mento of shooting trip in the South Carolina wilderness, taken but short time before his romantic marriage. He remembered afterwards that while get ting himself over the dashboard of the dray, and clinging to it with one hand as he cut the traces with the other, it flashed through his mind how he was almost giving his life one chance out of twenty. But few 1unges of that stout steel blade so far unfettered the furious horses that within the next twenty sec onds they had quite rid themselves of every restriction and were scampering uptown with a new and horrid liberty.
 Stanfeld felt dazed after his magnif- cent work. Still clinging to the dash board, with the knife in his hand, he fancied himself for the first time in his sturdy young life on the verge of 8 l VoOSifiuo STuOO0
 Then somebody caught him and he opened his eyes without realizing that he had closed thein.
 A crowd bad collected, and plaudits rang to him from every side.
 ''The most heroic thing I ever saw" said a man who had the speech and ap- pearance of gentleman. "1'm proud to shake hands with you, sir. Perhaps you don't know whom you saved from horrible death," he continued, while holding Stanfield's hand. "It's MT. Van
 Doren, the retired shipping merchant" /"
 'sVan Doren?" faltered Stanfeld, who
 now began to feel himself again, his
 brief faintness vanishing as a scrap of
 mist is blown away from a rugged hill-
 side. ''Do you mean Err. Myndherst
 Van Doren?"
 "Yes," said another voice, before
 the gentleman could respond. "Here
 he comes, now. It's a wonder he
 wasn't killed by the carriage upsetting
 as it did"
 Nothing could more clearly have ex- pressed the provincialism of New York
 at that period than what now followed
 from another member of the throng: ''Oh, he's so gouty, or rheumatic, or whatever it is, that he keeps hss carriage all padded inside, just like a baby's."
 "Hush! here he comes," murmured
 the gentleman, and soon MT. Van Doren moved up to StanAeld with an extended hand. His rheumatism made him limp a little, but he had sustained no injury. His greeting Of the young man who had certainly saved his life was civil, ! but by no means gracious. The face ) which his nephew looked upon, rising clean shaved and sharp-featured from it's ample stock, was almost frigid and lifeless enough to have been carved ], from some sort Of grayish marble. ''I thank you, young sir-I thank you
 very much, very much" He was hold ing Stanfield's hand while he thus . spoke, but on a sudden dropped it and F fumbled in a side pocket of his . coat, which was cut like the evening S ''swallow-tail'' coat of the present 7 Soon he produced wallet and drew - from it card, which he handed Stan. : field. "Therel" And then he stared : fixedly at his preserver for an instant, 2 finally giving helpless little shrug O. e the shoulders and disclosing shattered } pair of spectacles which he had thus fal l kept in his dropped left hand. ''I cant see anybody very we'll without these, l he pursued. "But I'll be able to lool 3 at you better if you'll call upon me . Come tomorrow at eleven o'clock 1T :, the morning, will you? I'm a little ! shaken up, you know, though I aim r hurt" He said this with sort of gen erally challenging grin to the crowd