Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-27
HOODS Sarsa pariIIa

certain lE IS She came to have n crude , notion of why Frank Armour married her. The servant was dismissed duly, but that was after the contretemps It was late afternoon. Everybody had been busy, because one or two other guests were expected besides Captain Vidall. Lah had kept to herself, send ing word through Richard that she would not ''be English, " us she vaguely put it, that day. She had sent Macken- zie on some mission. She sat on the floor of her room as she used to sit on the ground in her fathers lodge Her head was bowed in her hands, and her arms rested on her knees. Her body swayed to and fro. Presently all motion ceased. She became perfectly still. She looked before her, as if studying some thing.
 Her eyes immediately flashed. She rose quickly to her feet, went to her wardrobe and took ont her Indian cos tune and blanket, with which she could never be induced to part. Al. most feverishly she took off the clothes she wore and hastily threw them from her; then she put on the buclzskin clothes in which she had journeyed to England, drew down her hair as she used to wear it, fastened round her waist long red sash which had been given her by a gov ernor of the Hudson's Bay company when he had visited her fathers coun- try, threw her blanket round her shoul- ders and then eyed herself in the great mirror in the room. What she saw evil dently did not please her perfectly, for she stretched out her hands and looked at them. She shook her head at herself and put her hand to her cheeks and pinched them-they were not so brown as they once were-then thrust out her foot. She drew it back quickly in dis dain.
 Immediately she caught the fashion able slippers from her feet and threw them among the discarded garments She looked at herself again. Still she was not satisfied, but she throw up her arms, as with a sense of pleasure and freedom, and laughed at herself She pushed out her moccasined foot, tapped the floor with it, nodded toward it and said word or two in her own Ian. guage. She heard some cue in tho next room, possibly Mackenzie. She stepped to the door leading into the hall, open ed it, went out, travelled its length, ran down a back hallway out into the park toward the stables, her blanket, as her hair, flying behind her.
 She entered the stables, made for a horse that she had ridden much, put Q bridle on him, led him out before any one had seen her, and catching him by tho mane suddenly threw herself on him at bound, and giving him a tap with short whip she had caught up in the stable headed him for the main avenue and the open road. Then a stableman saw her and ran after, but he might as we'll have tried to follow the wind. He forthwith proceeded to saddle another horse. Boulter also saw her as she passed the house, and running in told Mrs. Armour and the general. They both ran to the window and saw dash ing down the avenue a picture out of Fenimore Cooper-a saddlelesS horse, with rider whose fingers merely touch- ed the bridle riding as on Q journey of life and death.
 My God. it's Lali! She's mad she's mad! She is striking that horsel It will boltl It will kill herl" said the general
 Then he rushed for horse to follow her. Mrs. Armour's hands clasped painfully. For an instant she had all most the same thought as had Marion on the first morning of Lali's coming, but that passed and left her gazing help lessly after the horsewoman. The flying blanket had f,i"htcncd tho blooded holse, and he ma,,c ,!e perate efforts to fulfill the generals predictions.
 Lai som found that she had miscal- culated. She was not riding an Indian pony. but a craEed. high strung horse As they flew. she sitting superbly and tugging at the bridle, the party coming from the railway station entered the great gate, accompanied by Richard and Marion. In a moment they sighted this wild pair bearing down upon them with Q terrible swiftnesS
 As Marion recognized Lan she turned pale and cried out, rising in her seat Instinctively Captain Vidall knew who it was. though he could not guess the cause of the singular circumstance He