Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-11-04

bringing MS INST up against the door.
eff the things settled by Saturday
week, we'll have the dance. If it isn't
we'll, it won't be. I'm going over town
after the mail"
He turned and went out of the ROOM
AS the door closed he heard his siste,
say, tittering:
"Clint has about as hard time
counting Isabel as you had counting
mother"
This was warm thought of comfort
to him. At least Isabel had never de-
MED him her love, and he knew that
his mother had been hardly won.
It was bright winter morning. Be.
fore him was clear stretch of road to
the Iowa river, three miles away.
The white fields on either side
sparkled in the sunlight The great
drifts, rolled up along the fences, looked
blue in the shadows of their fantastic
terracings. The sleighing never was
better.
All at once Clint heard the noise OF
sleigh bells, and voice called to him,
"Give me the roadP'
He turned and saw Isabel Hilton
coming toward him, driving her own
bay ponies at fearful rate.
Clint drove quickly out at one side OF
the road and she sped by him.
= He saw that her horses were running
away.
There had been no alarm in Isabel's
face, though she was holding the reins
with all her strength, and had looked
neither to the right nor the left as she
passed Kim. If there was one thing
more than another that the Holdermans
prided themselves in, it was their
knowledge Of good horse and splendid
Workmanship.
Isabel Hilton's love of horses and her
daring in driving them had been one OF
the first things that had won Clint's
admiration. Her control and courage
now appealed to him tremendously. His
own horses seemed to have felt the spir-
it of the runaway pair ahead, dis they
flew along over the snow after them.
Clint knew that at any moment Isa-
bells slight arms might lose the power to
hold those tense reins so securely, and
the horses dash to one side and the
crash come, and there was nothing he
could do. On went the cutter ahead of
him, swaying to the left and the right,
but still keeping the road. The bridge
across the Iowa river was just ahead
Clint thought of the bridge with terror
If the cutter swayed to one side, as it
was doing now, the crash would come
on entering.
He saw Isabel's strength Tightening
on the reins and knew that she felt the
+ ,,sa.nger.
Her hsrses few up the slight incline
to the bridge, and Clint braced his
nerves to Withstand the shocn. But to
his amazement he saw that the horses
We're slowing up and entering the bridge
with all the respect of we'll trained
horses, and by the time they were over
the frozen current below they were
walking as quietly as though they had
decided on that point as the end of their
excitement.
Clint entered the bridge as Isabe.
was leaving it. She drove out to one
| side of the road and waited for him tc
come up to her. "I'll let you go on
ahead of me now if you want to, . she
called out as he stopped.
Look here" Clint called back, did
you think of those horses stopping at
the bridge that way, I'd like to know. /"
Yes, didn't you? knew they might
not, but thought they would if 1 could
keep them in the road Didn't you
think of them doing it?''
"Well, no, had something else to
think about, looking at her admiring-
ly.
Isabel's face flushed, but she looked
at him smiling.
II wasn't afraid as long as the road
was clear, but I should have lost all
courage if I had seen team coming.
"Talk of pluck" Clint said, driving
little nearer to her cutter. Isabel,
what did you think of last night? What
did you think Of me anyway"
She drove out into the road ahead of
him and then looked back over her
shoulder, laughing. 1 thought if you
had only waited half an hour longer
would have been 49, 1t is my birthday
today" And with that she touched her
ponies with the whip and Kept we'll
ahead Of him all the way to the village.
When they met again, it was before
the fire in the sitting room at the brick
house, where they had held the hours
the night before. But the contest with
the judge had lost its seriousness.
Between them he sat, imperturbable,
as he had sat the night before, but to-
night he was only an amusing barrier
and not a serious obstruction. Love had
leaped the bounds and was free. 1t tri-
umphed In their eyes as they looked
across him and over hun, smiling know.
ingly at each other.
"We're going to have dance over at
our house Saturday week and an oyster
supper. It is going to be a celebration
of great event i'll our family" Clint
announced with q meaning gesture tc
Isabel.
whats the event you'te celebrat.
ing?" the judge asked, looking over his
spectacles.
"Well, that's something of secret
until tomorrow. hope I can tell you