Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-01-17

and proceed to think chiefly of horse:
for the present. Look at those brute,
of donkey carts." They We're lust 60
ing up the hill which was abne,mall,
| crowded. The donkey carts Were ubi
quitous.
Il never saw them so thick before.
said Strange, why. forgot OF course
it's a holiday.51 wonder if it will b,
so crowded down the hill? Thos,
tram lines are the deuce for hoofs.''
They drove on silently between tn,
rows of quaint old houses till the,
got to the crest Of the hill turnin:
down toward Holloway
''The horses seem steady enough
now" said Gwen.
Yes, they're all right-just as vel
too. Did you ever see such a crowd
-Phewr'
There was a rustic and flying glim
mer of white from a cOStermonger's
cart coming slowly up the hill behint
jaded ass.
1t was the Echo of the day before
caught by a sudden Pickering breeze
and carried REALISTICALLY to and FRI
right under the horses noses: they
threw up their heads and shifted an
grily, but Strange had them we'll in
hand and soothed their terror gently
and being no fools the brures We're
just realizing the causelessnesS OF
their fright, when a demon got into
the breeze, caught the paper in its
clutches and with a rushing swirl OF
leaves, dashed 1t into Hengist's two
eyes right between the blinkers.
Just As they got very nearly down
the hill, there was sudden Earring
click. Gwen saw her husbands leg
drop sharply. He turned one look on
her.
Brakes goner he shouted. saving
the mouths of the frantic horses till
the veins stood cut like cords on his
wrists.
He would have felt the whole thing
less hideUuS and awful if even then
he could have seen one sign of fail
ing courage in his wife, if she had
once clutched him; once cried out.
once showed an atoul of eak woman
hood. But in all the mad tumultuous
race with death her calm, inscrutable
half-scorrful face loOmed on him,
watching each movement of his. and
not one shade paler.
She was more beautiful and less of
q woman tbap cba haa avon l,oo,,
all her life.
They were just at the twist of the
hull, the traffic was denser th:ln ever.
the carriage swayed wildly. and the
shrill screaming of women was giving
the last touch to the horses madness.
The final crash was upon them.
Zone last experiment" thought
Strange, laughing aloud in q grim
spasr, of humor. "Gwen!" he shouted,
"will you kiss me once, as women kiss
men?"
She might have done it without that
clause, she changed color for the first
time, her mouth twitched, she loosed
her hands from their half-mechanical
grasp on the seat, and looked in her
husbands face laughing above her.
No tears ever held the pathos of that
laugh.
'Why can't l kiss him and be done
with it?' she thought wildly. Truth
or lie, what matters it nOw!'
She moved forward slightly with
curved lins. then she looked again,
one little look, but it was enough. her
hands fell limp into her lap, and she
shivered from head to foot
'No!' she shouted, her eyes aflame,
eff that had been possible I shouldn't
have left it until now"
Then she pulled herself together to
show a decent front to death
The silent laugh ON Strange's face
broke into sound, above all the bedlam
of clang and yell, then it ceased sud
denly.
Great gouts of blood and foam flew
to right and left from the lips and nos
trils of the horses, who were blind now
in their anguish.
Hold tight. Gwen!' reared her hus-
band hoarsely. The horses swayed
and shuddered screaming with ter
rOr.
With one despairing shrek, Bell
covered his face.
The swerving wheel caught in he
tramline and then came the end
To Be Continued.