The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-12-03

| gaDle- -fOOf6d saddle. mp was away
/ like an arrow shot from a bow. The
| air Whistied in my ears, as we cleft it.
| swift as whirlwind, and my breath
! seemed taken from me by the velocity
Of our movement. / could only fling
myself forward, with my arms round
Gip's neck How | clung there, the
! few moments | did heaven alone
/ knows. [ was conscious of rising in
the air as though upon wings. | felt
a conclusion that seemed to shatter
| bone and nerve. and the next | knew,
opened my eyes on the hillside, out
side the meadow. / was in such pain
that | could not stir, but l could see
from where / lay, Gip's handsome
supp,eness horribly doubled up on the
greensward, his slender forelegs crush
ed under him. his starry front twisted
away toward the right foreshoulder,
almost backward. Somebody was
handling my left arm. l cried out
sharply at the pain, and saw It was
Ransom Dart.
What have | done?' ! exclaimed.
Broken your arm and Gip.'s leck," "
he replied, drily, bending those red
dish. brown eyes upon me, with look
that tempted me to wonder if | had
not better have reversed the situation
Of affairs between me and poor Clip.
He was really dead, the sleek, grace
ful creature
"Oh, Clip! Clip Clip" l cried out,
in passion Of pain, ''how shall [ ever
forgive myself"
Ransom Dart went and stood be
side his pet an instant. | could not
see his face He came back present
ly,
1t can't be helped now," he said;
"and the next thing is to get you to
the house. Nould you mind being
left alone a bit?"
For answer, | burst into tears.
He stood a moment, as though
puzzled what to do next, and asked:
Could you walk if [ helped you?"
The pain of the broken arm, in
making the effort to rise, was so eX-
crutiating that /. nearly tainted, and
seeing that, before | suspected what
he was about to DO, he had lifted me
IN his great strong arms, and was
striding away houseward with me-
The nearest doctor was miles away,
and Ransom Dart laughed at the idea
Of waiting for him.
Your arm will be SO intlamed be
fore he can get here" he said that
he will be more likely to cut 1t off
than to set it. | will set it for You at
at once, if you will let me-"
YOU"
He smiled.
You don't think | can p
You may try it." | said, decidedly,
though Inwardlv qutking.
He smiled again.
You doubt my ability, but you
need not" he said. quietly.
In fifteen minutes the arm was set.
and the first admiring glance | had
ever got from this proyokingly un
conscious rustic, | got at the conclu-
sion Of that Bone setting operation,
during which he was pleased to say |
had behaved beautifully.
That was the real beginning Of my
Irritation with Ransom Dart. From
that day he sucoumbed.
All the weeks that ] lounged upon
the sofa with my bandaged arm, was
the last one he spoke to ere he quilted
The house for farm duties, or if | We're
still asleep when he left, he would
Ii axe an errand back to see how |
was. At noon or at night, wheE he
came in, his bold, firm step strobe
straight through the kitchen to me,
before he did anything else, and in
the long summer evenings he would
sit rocking slowly to and fro in his
mothers parlor easy chair, and talk
ing III pleasant under tone as the
twilight fell, and long after. | found /
that he knew a great deal moro than
l, (which Is not saying much, but he
knew q great deal more than | thought
he did, He talked very differently
from the men [ had been in the hab
1t of flirting with, and when it was too
dark to see that his unmentionables
were too short, and his coat checked
shirt, it was not difficult to imagine
him knight of high degree"
He had crazy old violin, that
sounded just as it looked in anybody's
hands but his; in his it was a veritable
CremOna, a wonder that walled,
laughed, talked to You like a human
voice, and always sweeter than that. |
" hen he was tired of talking, he
would drop the bow upon that violin, |
and tell the evening hours off with |
golden bursts OF music, that were
worth all the operas [ had ever heard |
IN my life.
l humored him. Whatever he chose |
to talk about [ was profoundly inter
ested in; lii fact, | did like it all-the |
talking and the violin, the gradual |
yielding to my sway of q nature so
IN many respects. [ spared |
nothing to strengthen the charm, but |
IN spite of all, | was more thoroughly |
myself than L was accustomed to be. /
really enjoyed what | was in the
habit of pretending to enjoy.
Finally, having suffered Ransom .
Dart TO talk of everything else with |
out leU or hindrance, it was not easy
him when he began talking
if | had wished to: and !
really he talked it 50 much better than
any body else, thai [ rather liked that /
too.
L meant, however, to stop before it !
was too late. Inever meant that he |
should In SO many words ask me to /
be his wife, however much he might /.
look the question, to which | was to |
reply with that silence which is a /
lovers sweetest Tantulus. But | !
based my calculations on my past ex-
periences. | made Insufficient allow /
ance for the masterful straightfor
wardness Of this man, and one night !
he contounded Inc by putting the
plain question.
Positively, / was so frightened ] /!
could not speak. All the presence of /
mind usually mine deserted me in a i
flash an11il e =