Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-08-24

Its a bargain" said Merrill, If
you'll hump yourself and hump that
horse"
The midnight" went shrieking by
them as the horse was getting down to
a stiff trot Merrill stared gloomily at
the mufiied "sleepcrs." knowing that
his heroine was being carried away
from him by the laundering train.
Gibbs horse was q rood stopper, but
Gibbs did not seem to be pressing him
After they were fairly started Gibbs
admitted that the horse had been
driven rather hard the dav before. and
that he couldn't afford to be harsh
with him. As it was he did not intend
to bring him back from Nandy's until
daylight
When about half the distance had
been accomplished Gibbs suddenly
said: 4 guess You had better let me
have some of that money. OF course 1
don't know you. and this is a 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. Are you afraid you
wont get me there" he asked.
I'm get you there" returned Gibbs.
Merrill gave him ten dollars The
fifteen when we get there" he added.
Then the horse began to go lame.
Gibbs muttered an oath, stopped the
horse and got out. Merrill saw that
he was looking at the hoofs for stone.
Efxvf1nr. 41,r ha Islv,sf Z
the kind. The limp continued and
Gibbs kept the beast at a walk, pace
that made the sweat start on Merrilrs
temples.
At the foot of long Hill the horse
stopped. 1t was a quarter of three.
Il guess we'H 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 con
tinued walking at the head of the
horse. The sky had become overcast.
Going to be a bad night, growled
Gibbs. Merrill mentally remarked that
the night Lad already been pretty bad
for him.
They reached Mandy at four
o'clock. The rain was falling. Gibbs
called up man who lived i'm a 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 gen
tleman wants to get to Pittston. Have
you got a horse v can let him have?"
WAL, | dunno, responded Giles
Got to go south with my mare at six"
fIaint " got that bay?"
TIL bay amt fit" said Giles He
added: What's it wuth?'
Ten said Merrill IF you'll drive
me over in a 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 the wet
morning twilight and splintered the
shaft of the buggy.
Merrill sprang into the road. Good
morning. he shouted, striding off
through the soft clay. But when he
heard protesting snort from Giles he
turned about for moment and showed
a five-dollar bill into the mans hand.
For an hour he struggled on through
the dim road, which grew but little
lighter during that time, and became
increasingly wet At 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 five He kept to the left
with persistency born of lovers
faithfulness and expectancy, until he
came against a huge barn. When he
appealed brokenly to a solitary woman
at well She yelled back at him that
he would have to go back about three
quarters Of a mile to where the quarry
was. and then take the road just be-
You'd tn, tobacco barn.
Poor Merrill, who pitiably timed
every turn, reached the tobacco barn
at twenty minutes to six. he then put
in a straight half hour on the right
road, and at the end of this very
muddy period heard the low whistle of
locomotive II was Unc Tram ne
might have comfortably taken If he
had kept out of the Gibbs contract
At seven o'clock he reached the out
skirts of town.
''Ts this Pittston?" Merrill asked of a
boy with pail
East Pittston," said the boy.
How do you get to the Pittston sta
tion?"
There's a horse car down there, y
the boy said, pointing through a 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 lie twice asked the driver
about the station and was twice as
sured that the station was at the end
Of the route.
Merrill was on the platform of the
car when the station became visible.
He rushed almost madly into the wait
ing-room. No bride was in sight. Nor
could he see any welcome figure in the
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