The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-08-24

youH hump yourself ana hump that
horse
The "midnight" went shricking by
them rs the horse was getting down to a
stiff trot. Merrill stared gloomily at the
mufiled "sleepers," knowing that his
heroine was being carried away from him
by the laundering train. Gibbs horse
was good stopper, but Gibbs did not
seem to bs pressing him After they
were fairly started Gibbs admitted that
the horse had bsen driven rather hard
the day before, and that he couldn't
afford to be harsh with him. AS it was
he did not intend to bring him back from
Mandy's until daylight.
When about half the distance had been
accomplished Gibbs suddenly said: 81
guess you had better let me have some of
that money OF course l don't know
you, and this is pretty heavy job. The
horse is acting mighty queer, and I'm
not sure this racket won't do him up"
To Merrill there didn't seem to be
much danger. care you afraid you
won't get me there?" he asked.
'I'n get you there" returned Gibbs.
Merrill gave him ten dollars. ''The
fifteen when we get there he added.
Then the horse began to lame. Gibbs
muttered an oath, stopped the horse and
got out. Merrill saw that he was look
ing at the hoofs for a stone. Evidently
he didn't find anything of the kind.
The limp continued and Gibbs kept the
beast at walk, a pace that made the
sweat start on MerrilPs temples.
Merrill wondered if ever bridegroom
was in such plight before. If he had
read of such thing in a book he would
have impatently condemned the ex-
aggeration of the author. 1t. began to
be comfort that the Gibbs contract
only extended to Mandy's. At the sick
enihg rate of the Gibbs horse the bride
groom calculated that he would reach
the bride at about A. NJ which seemed
like preposterous thought. There
could not be a worse horse at Mandy's.
Merrill twice asked Gibbs how much
/ further they had to 60, but as Gibbs
each time seemed to allow the horse to
walk at a still slower pace, Merrill con-
cluded that it would be unsafe to say
another word.
At the foot of long hill the horse
stopped. 1t was quarter to three. 81
guess we'll have to leg this" said Gibbs,
'if we ever want to get there" at the
top of the hill Gibbs told Merrill to get
in, but he himself continued walking at
the head of the horse. The sky had be-
come overcast. Going to be bad
night" growled Gibbs. Merrill mental
ly remarked that the night had already
been pretty bad for him.
They reached Mandy's at four o'clock.
The rain was falling. Gibbs called up a
man who lived in white house, after
having made Merrill wait until he had
bestowed the horse and buggy in the
barn back of the village store. "Giles," p"
said Gibbs, to the head that appeared at
window, "this gentleman wants to get
to Pittston. Have you got horse y
can let him have?'
"Waal, l dunno" responded Giles.
"Got to go south with my mare at SIX. "
"Hain't y got that. bay?"
eth bay amt fit" said Giles. He
added, "What's it wuth 2"
" Ten" said Merrill, "if you'll drive
me over in hurry"
Gibbs disappeared after getting the
balance of his money. 1t was twenty
eight minutes later by Merrill's watch
when the second start was made, and it
was at the end of the first mile that the
second horse stumbled in tho wet morn
ing twilight and splintered the shaft of
the buggy.
Merrill sprang into the road. "Good
morning ~ he shouted, striding Oft
through the soft clay. But when he
heard protesting snort from Giles he
turned about for moment and showed
So bill into the mans hand. For an
hour he struggled on through the dim
road, which grew but little lighter dur
ing that time, and became increasingly
wet. At the fork of the road he had to
delay for ten minutes until he could find
a sleepy man with red whiskers who
gave him instructions to keep to the lett
all the way Merrill looked at his watch
with shudder. A quarter past b. He
kept to the left with Il persistency born
OF lovers faithfulness and expectancy,
until he came against a huge barn.
When he appealed brokenly to solitary
woman at a we'll she yelled back at him
that he would have to go back about
three-quarters of mile to where the
quarry was, and then take the road just
beyond the tobacco barn.
Poor Merrill, who pitiably timed every
turn, reached the tobacco barn at twenty
minutes to six. He then pat in straight
half hour on the right road, and at the
end OF this very muddy period he heard
the low whistle of locomotive. 1t was
the train he might have comfortably
taken if he had kept out of the Gibbs
contract.
At seven o'clock he reached the out
skirts of towE.
"Is this Pittston?' Merrill asked of
boy with pail.
'East Pittston,' said the boy.
Chow do you get to the Pittston STA
tion?"
'Thercs a horse car down there" the
boy said, pointing through side road.
Merrill found the track. The car was
not so easy to find. The bob-tail car
with sad horse hove in sight at the END
of seven minutes. That this car could
actually be going direct to the station
seemed to Merrill too good to be true. |