Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-09-06
"I'll get YOU there. returned Gibbs,

SuNC I'LL tcu uOlltISs AhS
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 stone. Evidently
he didn't find anything of the kind.
The limp continued and Gibbs kept the
beast at a walk, pace that made the
sweat start on Merrill's temples.
Merrill wondered if ever bridegroom
was in such plight before. If he had
read of such thing in q book he would
have impatiently condemned the ex.
aggeration of the author. 1t began to
be comfort that the Gibbs contract
only extended to Mandy's. At the sick
ening 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 worse horse at Mandy's.
Merrill twice asked Gibbs how much
further they had to 60, but as Gibbs
each time seemed to allew the horse to
walk at still slower pace, Merrill con-
cluded that it would be unsafe to say
another word.
At the foot Of a 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 ut
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
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,"
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"
WAL, l dunno" responded Giles.
SCOT to go south with my mare at SIX"
"Hain't y got that bay9'
eth bay amt tit," said Giles. He
added, "What's it with 2"
"Ten," said Merrill, 'if you'll drive
me over i'll hurry"
Gibbs disappeared after getting the
balance of his money. 1t was twenty
eEht minutes later by Merrill's watch
wien the second start was made, and it
way at the end of the first mile that the
second horse stumbled in the wet morn
ing twilight and splintered the shaft OF
the buggy.
Merrill sprang into the road. GOOD
morning J" he shouted, striding off
through the s,ft clay. But when he
heard protesting snort from Giles he
turned about for moment and showed a
S. 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
wOt. 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 left
all the way. Merrill looked at his watch
with shudder. A quarter past B. He
kept to the left with a persistency born
! Of lovers faithfulness and expectancy,
until he came against a huge barn.
When he appealed brokenly to solitary
, woman at 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
3 turn, reached the tobacco barn at twenty
, minutes to six. He then put in straight
; half hour on the right road, and at the
, end of this very muddy period he heard
: the low whistle of q 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 town.
as this Pittston?' Merrill asked of 9
boy with a pail.
EAST Pittston," said the boy.
r Chow do you get to the Pittston sta
r tion:'
' "Therc's horse car down there" the
Y boy said, pointing through side road.
$ Merrill found the track. The car was
o not so easy to find The bob-tail cal
with sad horse hove in sight at the end
l of seven minutes. That this car could
/. actually be going direct to the station
y seemed to Merrill too good to be true
0 He twice asked the driver about the sta
2 ton, and was twice assured that the sta
f ton was at the end of the route.
Merrill was on the platform OF the ca
t when the station became visible. HI
} rushed almost madly into the waiting
: room. No bride was in sight. Nor could
a he see any welcome figure in the ladies
+ waiting room.
= He was almost running across the sta
r ton to the inquiry window when the vic
lent tapping of pencil on the ledge O
. the telegraph office attracted his atten
y ton. The pretty girl behind the grating
: was reckoning to him.
As he paused there the pretty tele
4 grapher was asking: care you the gen
tlelnan-that is looking for the lad
who-who was waiting for the gentle
l man.
Eyes, am" gasped Merrill.
l "Well, she is in here"
Merrill found her sleeping on sofa
:: Her eyelids were red. AS the bride
Il groom we'll wet and spattered with mud
Il knelt down beside the sofa and took hol
e OF one of her hands the bride awok,
with start and the pretty tele
+ grapher turned her face away.-[Phila