The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-10-01
TWO WOMEN IN A WAGON,
And the Adventures They Adventured.


studied the situation in silence, Katie occa-
sionally turning back and observing them
in mildly medtalive fashion, what sie
thought, could fshe have expressed the
same, would doubtless have been. highly
edifying If nosentertainin to her drivers.
Atlast PortiaIsaid: HE seems to SCI us
How would isdo TO show him the hoe?
IAN excellent idea, commented dypa1
/ tia. Iwonder i never thought OF that i
will get outfat once, lead him up to 1t and
call his attsntfo to it, Then. as the horse
is. said tofbe an Intelligent animal, and
this one vas recommended to me as excep-
tienally Clever. L think.:::h he Will know
enough, ID stepover It,"
I'll sesrns very muddy right here" Portia
ventar.d. What apity that you should,
get ousinto it,.
Hy5atia regarded her disapprovingly,
"Do youtbjnk / would stop to consider
littls' mud" she said. severely, when
Kites legs, possibly. his life, may be at
staxe?"
Firmly she. descended from the pha-
enn,. tiptoed through the mud. seized
| tie Bride and led Kittte. whom any horse
nan would have recognized as an IN
usually intelligent animal. with a broad
forehead, level head and kind. bright.
Observant eyes of her. Own, close to the
edge of the hole, pulling her head down
toward it and pointing toward 1t with a,
':Ihere; see that, Kittie. Now, don't you
break yonr legs In It.
Kitty considered the hole attentively,
smeied of ii, aud then looked at Hypatia
busy scraping the adobe from her SHOES
against the step of the phaeton.
81 guess it's all right now" said that
young woman finally, and she climbed int
the vehicle and resumed the retns "G0
along now, Kiltie," She said. and Kittie.
her head in air and her eyes fixed upon
the distant landscape, stepped over the
hole, apparently unconscious of its pres
ence anywhere in the road. =.
"WhyW exclaimed Portia, HE never
looked at'it. Apparently not" said Hy-
patia. Perhaps he saw it all the time"
There was silence for few moments,
and then Portia ventured to ask;
DO you suppose, Hypatia, that Kittie
is laughing at us? He chances around SO
peculiarly"
''I thought OF that, "was the reply, "but
do otbelieve he is. II he reasons at ali
he knows we did it out. of kindness: |
don't believe Kittie is an tinktEd!y minded
horse. l am sure he understood that l
meant to show him the hole"
She was safe In saying so, Tor klttie was
al any rate too nobleminded TO. contradict
her, ana they proceeded without further
adven tnre until the mud was left behind
and a firm broad road was reached, which
skirted the hills that they had finally de-
cded not to ascend, as IL looked so much
like rain Hypatia had just remarked that
it would be we'll TO be travelling hoineward,
when suddenly the Threatened downpour
came. Not gentle steady rain, such as
we so often have. but genuine winter
torrent, coming in great drops that soaked
wetly into the earth and: battered heavily
on the eucalyptus leaves. They pulled
up in the shelter of some .overa rching
branches, while Kittie stood with her
head dropped disconsolately. Portia sur
veyed her for moment and then had a
sudden happy thought. ''I'll do It." she
cried. Il had a presentiment about bring.
ing that umbrella. and now know why l
did it," and springing out into the rain
she unfurled a handsome silk umbrella
she had brought with her. THAT horse
will catch his death coId." she explained,
standing there in the rain. am going to
hold this over his head" And suting the
action to the word she stepped to Kitties
head and raised the umbrella above il.
Now kittie's nerves had been pretty
sorely tried that afternoon, and at this
last unexpected apparition she gave a
great snort of fright and establishment and
jumped violently from beneath tie uD-
welcome shelter. Startled and surprised,
Portia t0ek a backward step and sat down
heavily in the road. while Kttie. Hypatia
and the phaeton dashed away into the
moist remoteness of distance.
When she was sufficiently recovered
from her sudden Introduction to the road
way mud Portia arose. picked up her re-
jected umbrella and started after them.
Presently she met them returning defect
eddy. kitte was too well broken TO run far
after the first impulse OF frigh. had sub
sided. and looked thoroughly ashamed of
her part in the episode. She did not even
look resentful when Portia denounced her
as an ungrateful creature, but, her passen-
gers once more collected, meekiy trotted
home, possibly rejecting in her equine
brain that '"twas we'll twas no worse"
AS for Hypatia she vouchsafed no reply to
the stableman's wondering query:
Coin ter build house,? Where on
earth did ye get all the 'dobe on them
wheels?" MISS RUSSELL.