Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-03-04
CHAPTER VIII.

looks. Maybe they had better not go to
church, after all, she said. No; she
would not lnind-that is, not very much
though Ninesy-little angel-had just
insisted that sister must wear the new
hat first. Still, if Jack was too i'll to en-
joy the day, she could not think Of drag
ging him through the heat
Jack out short her protestations. II
am we'll enough" he said. "A little
overstrained may be-this is the anxious
time about the crop, you know-but
staying at hCme is the last thing care
to do. must be at something all the
time so shall not have leisure to wor
ry."
"Whoever thought of your bein nerv-
ous an f1dgety like that?' Miss Winfold
returned. "Mommer is, know, an
Uncle Ben-hc's just tho dearest old
grumble all the timel BY the way,
wonder Isn't it just too ridiculous
the way he's maxim a show Of himself,
an poor Aunt Louizy not two months In
her grave?'
"It ia natural, perhaps" Jack said.
breathing hard. "Most men, l hear it
said, bury their wits with their wives. "
"Yes, they seem to-" Miss Winfold
said, clambering heavily into the buggy.
Some way the sight recalled to him
Rob's light lift from the impulse OF his
hand. hor dainty way Of settling herself
in exactly the right place beside him,
her eager, coaxing eyes, as she held out
her hands for the reins, saying, with
soft mischief:
"Jack. do be good fellow. Let me
show you how these horses ought to be
driven. OF course know ever so much
better than you. People always do, you
see, about things that they have no con-
cern with. When I set up for philoso-
pher--I shall one of these days-1 mean
to give my whole mind to discovering
what it is that makes the wisdom OF in
experience so very, very wise. y
Then, of course, he had let her drive
be1 fill, delishting no less than herself
in her knowledge of all the finer nice
points. She knew and loved horses as
we'll as himself. Up to three years back
she had had the best mount in the coun-
ty. Nothing there could give dust to
Lightlady, the Lightfoot mare out OF
Bonnybel, that Rob had broken and
trained herself into a pattern Of equine
virtues. A thief had come in the night
and stolen her from the pasture where
she ran at grass. Rob had got white and
breathloss minute when the certainty
of loss came to her, then broken into q
laugh, saying as her color came back:
"The fellow should be ashamed OF
himself No artistic horse thief would
ever have demeaned himself to take any
thing so ridiculously easy, but if he had
good taste in horsehesh Lightlady was
a temptation. Nothing in the state had
better blood or action. If he was IN
strait, he chose we'll. No doubt it's aw-
fully unprincipled to say it, but II he was
in danger forgive him and hope he got
away.
"Never mind, daughter. You shall
have better than Lightlady rs soon as
ever Jack can find it for you, Mr. Nc
Gregor had said and Rob had flung up
her hands, saying, with mischievous
laugh: Daddy, do you mean that? On,
you can't! Surely you'll let me choose
my own saddle horse. Remember, 1may
one day have to choose a.
Husband, Jack had broken in,
laughing over the face she made, though
she ran on az though he had not spoken.
-"person to inherit my vast estate.
What will you do then if you cannot
trust me now? You know, people always
show the best side of themselves. and,
like my daddy, never look under the
surface.
"Yet you would venture upon horse
trade," Jack had said, lifting his eyes
oommiseratingly, "when you know that
even my father, the honestest man allve'
admits that trading horses is mighty
strain on such qualities. In fact. some
times-say when he comes home with a
beast worth about twice the one ho rode
away-I have my doubts If the strain ls
not little too much even for him."
"Shut upv' Rob had cried. II will
not listen to treason, not against Colonel
Talbot. If it was his son now-but l
won't DO personal. You see, l have
taken tho colonel's Judgment, and he
says Bonnyhels new little colt IS finer
than silk and going to be handsomer
than Lightlady. So shall train 1T up
in the way it should go and ride Bonny-
bel until her baby is bridlewise. -
There the matter had rested. All the
talk came back to young Talbot as he
gathered up his reins and sent the sor-
rels away at slapping pace. Even II
she had asked it be was fur too wlne to
risk Miss Winfold's heavy hand over
them. Intelligently docile, the creatures
were full of subtle and sympathetic fire.
They knew AL alien touch and resented
it nightly. But for Rob they did their
best, moving with smooth. skimming
stride, free Of darts or pointing ara as
evenly as though there were one spirit
in twin bodies Today they felt their
masters mood and were so skittish and
restive Miss Winfield began to scream,
not aloud, but in faint spits and spurts.
"They are, amt they, runnin away!'
she asked, clinging to his arm.
"Perhaps, Jack said, "but think l
can hold them, though if you are afraid,
Miss Alice, I'll take you back. Your
mother is behind in the barouche'-
"Yes, know. Little Ninesy begged
so to come an see the big meetin crowd, "
Miss Winfold said, calming herself.
"But 20 back! The idear! You know l
amt afraid, nor mommer amt afraid
for me when have you to take care OF
me- Mommer thinks there s nobody like
you, so good an kind, you know. An l
don't hardly SEQ myself what we will
do when you-that is, if anything should
ever take you away from us.
."You mean when you are taken away