The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-05-22


counting house stool, and the variation
of being projected over the fence.
When found that Chu Chu had not
accompanied me saw Enriquez at my
side. 'More than ever it become nee
essary that we should do thees things
again." he said, gravely, as he assisted
me to my feet. Courage, my noble
general! God and libcrtyl Once more
on to the breach! Charge, Chestare,
charge! Come on Don Stanley Ere
we are!''
lie helped me none too quickly to
catch my seat again, for it apparently
had the effect of the turning peg ON
the enchanted horse in the Arabian
Nights, and Chu Chu instantly rose
into the air. But she came down this
kitchen, and l alighted easily on the
dresser. The indefatigable Enriquez
followed me.
won't this do?" asked, meelzly.
st ees better, for you arrive not on
the ground" he said, cheerfully, "but
you should not once but thousand
times make trial. Hal Go and win!
Nevare die and say sol Fave aheadl
Fave! There you are!"
Luckily this time managed to lock
the rowels of my long spurs under her
girth, and she could not unseat me.
She seemed to recognize the fact after
one or two plunges when to my great
surprise she suddenly sank to the
ground and quietly rolled over me.
The action disengaged my spurs, but
righting herself without getting up,
she turned her beautiful head and
absolutely looked at me!-still in the
saddle. 1 felt myself blushing. But
the voice of Enriquez was at my side.
"Errise, my friend. you have con-
quer! 1t is she who has arrive at
the groundl You are all right. 1t is
done-believe me, it is flemish! No
more shall she make thees thing.
From thees instant you shall ride her
as the cow-as the rail of thees fence
and remain tranquil. For she is
a-brolze! Ia, ia. Regain your hats,
gentlemen. Pass in your cheques! 1t
is over! How are you now?"
He lit a fresh cigarette, put his
hands in his pockets and smiled at me
blandly.
For all that, ventured to point out
that the habit of alighting in the fork
of tree or the disengaging of myself
from the saddle on the ground, was at
| tended with inconvenience, and even
ostentatious display. But Enriquez
swept the objections away with a sin
gle gesture. "It is the principle-the
bottom fact-at which you arrive. The
next come Of himself! Many horse
have achieve to mount the rider by
the knees, and relinquish after thees
same fashion. My grandfather had a
barb of thees kind, but she has gone
dead, and so have my grandfather.
| Which is sad and strange! Otherwise
shall make of them both an instant ex-
ample!"
1 ought to have said that although
these performances were never actually
witnessed by Enriquez's sister - for
reasons which he and thought sufi-
cient-the dear girl displayed the
| greatest interest in them, and perhaps
aided by our mutually complimentary
accounts of each other, looked upon us
| both as invincible heroes. 1t is possible
also that she overestimated our success,
for she suddenly demanded that I
| should ride Chu Chu to her house, that
| she might see her. 1t was not far. By
| going through a back lane could
| avoid the trees which exercised such
fatal fascination for Chu Chu; had al
| ready succeeded in holding her up long
| enough for me to dismount; there was
| pleading, childlike entreaty in Con-
suelo's voice that I could not resist,
with slight flash from her lustrous
dark eyes that did not care to encour-
| age. So resolved to try it at all haz-
| ards.
My equipment for the performance
was modelled after Enriquez's previous
costume, with the additions of few
fripperies of silver and stamped
| leather, out of compliment to Consuelo,
and even with a faint hope that it
might placate Chu Chu. She certainly
looked beautiful in her glittering ac-
couterments, set off by her jet black
shining coat. With an air of demure
abstraction she permitted me to mount
her, and even for hundred yards or
so indulged in a mincing, maidenly
| amble that was not without a touch of
coquetry. Encouraged by this, ad-
| dressed few terms of endearment to
her, and in the exuberance of my
youthful enthusiasm / even confded
to her my love for Consuelo, and begged
her to be "good" and not disgrace her.
self and me before my Dulcinea. In
my foolish trustfulness l was rash
enough to add a caress, and to pat her
soft neck. She stopped instantly with
hysterio shudder. knew what was
passing through her mind; she had
suddenly become aware of my baleful
existence. The saddle and bride she
was slowly becoming accustomed to,
but who was this living, breathing OBJ
iect that had actually touched her?
Presently her oblique vision was at
tracted by the futtering movement of
fallen oak leaf in the road before her.
She had probably seen many oak
leaves many times before; her ances-
tors had no doubt been familiar with
them on the trackless hills and in field
and paddock, but this did not alter her
profound conviction that 1 and the leaf
were identical; that our baleful touch
was something indissolubly connected
She reared before that innocent leaf,
she revolved around it, and then fled
from it at the top of her speed.
The lane passed before the rear wall
of Saltello's garden. Unfortunately at
the angle of the fence stood a beautiful