The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-01-13
THE DEVILS MILE.

He refined in his black horse in the
courtyard of the Plough, and the foam
fell from the black beast as snow from
a bush. We had followed him with diff
Guilty in the dark out yonder, for he
rode like a madman, and a thousand
furies at his heels could not have forced
another effort from the 6-year-old mare
which carried him so well. Heaven,
what a mailman he was. turning the
whole village out to see him dare the
DEVILS Mile at l O'Clock in the morn
ing and coming home when an hour had
gone, with the brute a mass of white,
and he a shaking, quivering coward,
who seemed to have fost in that 60 min
utes out and home every spark Of the
old devilry which had carried him on
his mad errand! And where was Dick
Dick, who had taken up the mad wa
ger to gallop the mile with no moon
showing, and the mists rising FROM the
channel, and the darkness lying thick
between the hills, as though it had been
dropped upon the land? Where, indeed,
was Dick? Did he lie like a log in the
hillfoot springfield he broken his head
at the White Row hurdle? Were we to
go out with fiambeaux and spread afield
to bawl, dick, Dick, hast broken thy
neck?" But the man who came in could
tell us nothing. He had lost Dick the
moment We had given him the word to
so. Dick was well enough-that he
would swear. 1t was he who needed
our attention, and would we get him
some brandy:
We got him the brandy, and we prop
ped him up before the blazing fire i'm
the kitchen-every one sat in the kitch-
e N o. nights in that little Hampshire
hunting box, the Plough, and then we
began to look at him. He was very
white, truly, and his hair was dank, M
though he had been dragged through the
ditch in the clover patch, but beyond
this there was a very fever of fear mark
ed upon him. In all my life l have
never seen such a depth of nervous deg
radiation. He trembled like a horse that
has scented fire, and for many minutes
he could not speak a word to rs. With
any other man this would have excited
our merriment, but with Douglas Tas-
ker! Why, there was not a man in tho
country who had half his devil or could
hold him for a moment over any sort OF
country. The thing was too absurd,
and / waited for his explanation, know
ing we'll that it would vindicate him.
But it was curious that such q light
~ made wager should have had such an
end, and l fell to recalling all the old
women's tales of the hills and Of the
bevy OF sprites and imps that haunted
them. Pshaw! What rubbish they all
were!
1t had been some three hours before
this ride that Douglas had thrown down
the glove to the equestrian sages of the
inn. There were q dozen of us there
dining in our quiet way-old Colonel
Blake, who had hunted the pack 30
years ago and now hobbled ont TO his
dog cart on erutches; Harry Dixie, the
whip; DIR. John, who swore that the
hunt cheated him, for there Were no
falls; several boys just promoted to cobs
and half a dozen Of the very sfraightest
horsemen we could show. We mad these
little gatherings many a night In the
winter, and many Q man hunted oven
the table there as he had never hunted
over the country round. ! used to lis
ten to their tales and say to myself I
would write them all up some day, If
Parson Bob Tollemache didn't write
them before me. Aye, a rare hand with
the pen was he, and as for the country
he knew every inch of tia veritable
chart on a beach horse. That was d
pretty argument for disestablishment
when the bishop got him-the best
that ever strobe a pony over any
gallop, with q nerve like bessemer and
La Judgment that never failed him. He
listened that very night among us, and
saw the twinkle in his eye when Doug.
Las offered to 90 out against the room
at 12 o'clock and ride the DEVILS Mile
for a hundred down on the table at
breakfast. He wal sane, Of course, and
madmen only receive pity from him,
but he said nothing. Who knows tina,
the old spirit did not Turk somewhere
down beneath the black in spite Of II
years of homily and when the wicked
man?' You can never tell, for parson,
do not carry their hearts upon theil
sleeves for every daw to pick at, and b,
was no exception.
"A wager, q wager!" The cry hat
been taken mp as the men rose to theil
feet, not a little flushed, regret to say