Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-10-05

Many, many time had | sat on that I
very gate and gazed upon her AS she
hrowssl before me, while the smoke
curlcd up from my well-loved pipe and
my mind was at peace. And now
Neither Horace nor ! could full to
grasp instantly how she had mot her
fate. The hoy sank down upon the
ground and covered his face with his !
hands, moaning in despair.
''What a wretchealy, heastly, cruelty |
unlucky thing to happen II said. 1t |
did indeed seem about the most atroc.
iously bad piece of luck that could |
Of accidents, added, land the General |
must be made to SEQ it in that light. -
tOh, oh, oh ~ Iioraee moanod. ~
ought to have known she was there.
ought never to have put up my gun
at all. ~
1t would be utterly absurd to blnme
you for the accident, answered. How
on earth can any one tell what's on
the other side of a hedge If he can't
sec through it?''
Horace rose slowly from the ground.
There was look in his face ! had
never seen there before-a look of
frmness, even pluck.
Mr., Harding, he said slowly, "you
don't know what the Governor is. lie
would never listen to reason he thinks
more of Audhuma than anything else
in tho world. He'll kill me if he finds
it out; he'll thrash me till Pm dead
Nonsense "
81 can't stand it. l won't stand it,"
the boy went IN. I'm going to bury
her if can; if can't, I'm going to
run away from home. l don't ask you
to help me. Mr., Harding, and | don't
ask you not to say anything about it il
you think you ought to. "
my dear Horace
They'll think she's broken out
through the bottom fence and stlayed;
she did that last year, and they found
her 10 miles away"
"But---''
"You can't talk me out of it, Mr..
Harding. You must do what you think
you ought to do. I'm not going to BIO
thrashed to death. "
felt somewhat bewildered. ''Smith
will be down for the other COWS at
tive," | said
II know. And it's four now. TIN
take me about 20 minutes to cut home
and get spade. l shall have to slip
round through the back strawberries. /"
For moment Horace and looked
at one another in silence. was
astonished-it is the least forcible word
| can use at the boys determination,
determination born of despair. AT the
end of that moment | acted on an ire
sistibe impulse.
Horace" | said, "bring two
spades. IN stick to you whatever
happens"
| saw tears start to his eyes.
You re brick, MI. Harding" A
second after he was speeding on his
way towards the house.
1t was % minutes past four when
| Horace, breathess and almost drop
ping, arrived with the two spades.
We had 30 minutes before us; Smith,
the cowman, never failed to reach the
meadow exactly at five. Thirty five
minutes in which to dig cows grave
and bury the COW
threw off my coat and hat and
buckled in with will. Horace did
the same. | shaved as | had never
shaved before. Finding, after two or
three minutes, that the boy hindered
rather than expedited proceedings, |
told him to put down his spade and
keep watch. He did so rather reluc.
family. Then, my field of action uniin.
peded set myself to do all knew in
this race against time. | worked like
a dozen navvies the perspiration
streamed from my face in great drops.
But had undertaken the task and
meant to complete it, at any rate if
such feat lay within the power at a
single man. | chopped and shoyelled,
and shovelled aud chopped, and threw
out bushel after bushel of the loose
chalky soil. My back and arms felt
the unaccustomed strain to terrible
extent my wind troubled me almost as
much, my hands were badly blistered
before | had been at the work five
minutes.
My excitement all the while was Of
the kind which does not often come
more than once in lifetime. Every
moment | fancied | could hear the
generals voice. 1t was the only occa-
sion on which thoughts of the gen.
eral filled Inc with something an
preaching terror. Each minute my
true position in the matter was forced
more strongly upon me- | felt like q
criminal of criminals, almost like 1
murderer. More, great deal NOR,
than j cared to think about, hung
. upon the success or otherwise of my
self-imposed exploit. II the genera
should catch me in tho very act: i
, Smith should arrive before his time
. if, though i succeeded in putting
Audhumla under ground by D, it shoulo
, all come out afterwards; if my con
. duet should reach my uncle's ears
, thoughts such as these surged one afte
/ another through my whirling brain
, had practically made up my mind tina
if our dark deed was discovered ant
Horace really bolted, l should bolt, too
, when | suddenly became aware of tn
!. fact that | had reached the solid chalk
/ To attempt to work that without
4 mattock would DO utterly useless. How
i ever, the grave seemed to me dec
9 enough. / scrambled out and locked a
my watch. 1t was only quarter :
q five; we could do all the rest, thought
n in not more than seven or cigh
4 minutes.
o Horace flew towards me from tn
4 gate. Quick" L said, "catch hol
y of her fore legs and raise them at th
il same time that raise the hind ones.
G had dug tho grave right agains
l. Audhumla's back. At the third al
e tempt we succeeded in rolling her ovei
o She subsidized into her last resting plac
II with dull thud. The grave prove
'e perfect fit; no professional sexto
1t could have planned it's dimension
1t better. Then, with feverish hast,
10 we shovelled in the iooss earth, HoraC
20 working like Briton. We had file
@ up the grave and trodden it dow
and were already scattering the SUI
n plus when voice burst upon our ears
n Hello, Harding what the dickel
r. arc you doing?"