Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-10-08

dance TO celebrate your engagement aud
an oyster supper. l suppose there's no
rush about ordering the oysters?''
"I'll hold you TO that Clint said,
bringing his fist Up against the door
IF the things settled by Saturday
week, we'll have the dance If it isn't
well, 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 sister
say, tittering:
"Clint has about as hard time
counting Isabel as you had counting
mother. -
This was a 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 a 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 a voice called to him.
"Give me the roadi'
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 aud 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 him 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, as they
few along over the snow after them.
Clint knew that at any moment Isa-
bells slight arms might lose the power to
nun lAAOcO tCuc0 ICkl1S cO cCCuIO1Ns anu
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
danger.
Her horses flew up the slight incline
to the bridge, and Clint braced his
nerves to Withstand the shock. But to
his amazement he saw that the horses
were slowing up and entering the bridge
with all the respect of well 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 Isabel
was leaving it She drove out to one
side Of the road and waited for him to
come up to her "I'll let You 60 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. ="
Eyes, didn't you? knew they might
not, but thought they would if 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.
Il wasn't afraid as long as the road
was clear, but / should have lost all
courage if had seen a team coming.
Talk of pluck" Clint said, driving
q little nearer to her cutter. Isabel,
what did yon 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. q thought if you
had only waited half an hour longer /
would have been Is. 1t is my birthday
today" And with that she touched her
PONIES with the whip and kept we'll
1 N~-NSNN u A4AAA SA4O way W tAlO fA4Actf5C-
| 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 serious obstruction Love had
leaped the bounds and was free 1t tri-
nmphed in their eyes as they looked
across him and over him, smiling know
ingly at each other.
We're going to have dance over at
our house Saturday week and an oyster
supper. 1t is going to be celebration
of great event IN our family" Clint
announced with meaning gesture to
Isabel.
whats the event you're celebrat-
ing?" the judge asked, looking over his
spectacles.
''Well, that's something of a secret
until tomorrow. hope can tell you