Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-22

well.
"Woll,' he said now. with cold kind
Of irony, well. since you know that you
may know all
is there morn 10 tcili' she asked pain
fully. and shrinking still
Yes, much more. Please come here,
and be went towards the open window Of
the room She came. lie pointed out to
whore his horse stood in the palms. That
IS my horse he said He whistled TO the
horse. II pntked up its ears and came
almost Immediately 10 the window The
name Of my horse he said, may be IA
miliar to YOU lt is called Firefoot
''Firefoot,' she answered dreamily,
that IS the name OF HylanTs horse-Ey-
land the bushranger!
This is Hylands horse" and he patted
the animals neck gently, IA it thrust its
head within the window.
But you said Il was your horse" she
added hesitatingly, and as If the thing per
picked her sorely
1T is Hyland's horse: Il is my horse
he urged. without looking nc her His
courage wnll-nigh failed him. II was a
desperate thing TO do And. after all, was
IL bcstt lie thought hard for an Instant,
and decided that be- must 20 on. be saw
the foundations of her love for him crumb-
ling away.
She suddenly gave n cry Of bitterness
and agony a low. trembling cry, as though
her heart-strings were being taken away
brutully all att once. and drew back from
hiui--bnck towards the middle Of the room
lie came towards her. reaching out his
arms; his last situation Ina the drama.
"Oh, no, neyerI' she said with horror.
But someone else had heard the cry.
Houghton felt now that the worst had
come, whntever IL was, and he knew
where his place was. He passed into the
house, through the hall aud entered the
room. He saw his wife, all her strength
gone, her face turned still Oh Cayley with
horror She stretched ont her arms to
her husband though she still looked nc
the other Tom She said, TON, take
me away lie took her gently In his
arms.
"Iioughton," said the man, who, fold
Ing the flesh Of his horsc's neck In his
fingers, looked hard nc them, 81 have
been telling your wife what / was who /
ans. She is shocked. l think now that
had better GO
The womans head had dropped on her
husbands shoulder She did not raise it.
lloughton waited To see II she would.
But she did not. He looked at Cayley
and shook his head. Cayley also waited.
The thing had been dOue He knew thnt
the woman had lost her ideal forever:
that, hencefOrth, he must be hateful In
her thoughts. But he said tO himself
also that maybe some day, here or here
after, she could know the truth. Her
happiness now was at stake; her life,
perhaps. He called a low goodbye to
HOughtOn, whose lips framed q silent
God bless you. stepped swiftly through
the window. and In an instant was on
his horses back and moving away through
the palms 10 the gate.
Cayley had bitterly slandered himself.
The horse had been Hyland's but two
days before Hyland had escaped from
Australia In vessel bound for the New
Hebrdes He had done il with the assist
auce of mnn who had known him In
wiser aud better days. That man was
Cayley. The horse was Cayley's now He
himself intended leaving Australia for
ever in two days lie had made this jour
ncy to see the woman he loved once more.
lie had made II with q little hardness of
heart He had not thought much Of what
pain IL might bring TO her nor what an
ger to her husband, He was selfish, and
he did not fear any mans anger But he
was an honest man at best lac loved the
woman too well TO do her any harm at
all and when he faced the husband and
his misery, aud heard what tragedy hung
about the two. he made his resolve and
Kept II To the letter. lie rode away toward
the hill, thinking hard. but not altogether
bitterly. IL was uuly when lac had climb
ed the hill and come to the steep road
bnrricadod from the cln, and looked
back that the emptiness of his life mock
ed him There in the valley with the tor
rent of the farther hillside for n back
ground was the house from which he
had come; the house where she was,
Well, in all regards, he had lost her. He
had lost her years before. but il was
different They had had memory. there
WIS nothing now A sob surged up In
her thruat He swung his horse suddenly
ON the steep road aud ran the rOWels
along its flank. II galloped madly up.
lie had angered Il. As suddenly he
wheeled it again towards the valley
and sent Il pounding down There was
mad despair In his face He was think
ing of the woman and for moment he
did not care what came 90 him. He
would RIDE the ride she intended. There
| was a grim irony IN II. The lust of de-
struction was on him, But thought
flashed across him. lie remembered
! Houghton's face when he left the house.
| ana the words framed ON his lips That
| God bless you was IN his ears now. He
hap lost not only the love but the respect
| of the one woman whose good thoughts
| OF MN ne was most anxious to keep. But
| ne had gained the man he had won II
| lifelong friendship aud gratitude; while
rom houghtOn lived he would bless
| that act OF his. For he was sure that the
| wife would low give her husband her
| loVe-it not at once, yet there would
come time!
These things passed like lightning
| through his mind. even while his puIses
| were bounding with the violence of This
| wild steeple chase There was the barrie
! cade almost before him He sawed al
| the blt aud with great wrench tried 10
swing the horse from the straight path
] over the fence aud over the cliff but
! dozen men could not have STONED no
moddened beast Ii made big ump M
the fence. Even MS Il did so the thoueht
! rushed through his mind, shall | 20 with
! the horse or make the leapy His eyes
flashed down the valley, he saw the horse
| and two figures standing ina thealoorwov
| lie threw himself OF, even as fbe borss
rose at the fence, and fell upon the cliff
rolling near tn the edge, but NOT over
| anu saw me horse with a shrill horrible
| his way into the bush and over the biils.
neigh, make the awful leap. down i0nG
! fern. "S uhu
Cayley rose TO his feet and slowly mazda
his head bowed ON his breust; and be was
seen no move. "''
From the house In the valley the two
had seen that dreadful ride. had Watched
II with 4 strange aud siclcning intent
! ness The thought In the mind of eacb
| was the same; they were Ia 10
| ality looking upon themselves r,dm,,
that steeplo chase Of death. They sfond
| cold and still, their hearts beating min.
iullY' And when they saw that the horse
alone went over, and thai the man hod
saved himself they saw their own Ian
| ger and their own sAfety-as In n dread
| full ullcg0ry The horse had been sorri
heel 70 the saving Of that mau What