Middletown transcript., 1900-12-15

i
we'll have the dance If it isn't-well,
it won't be. Pm going over to 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 a time court
! ing Isabel as you had courting mother"
This was warm thought of comfort to
him. At least Isabel had never denied
him her love, and he knew that his
mother had been hardly won.
1t was bright winter morning. Before
him was clear stretch OF read 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 road.
He turned and saw Isabel Hilton com
ing 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 him. If there was one thing
more than another that the Holdermans
prided themselves in, it was their knowl-
edge of good horse and splendid horse
manship.
Isabel Hilton's love of horses and her
during in driving them had been one of
the first things that had won Clint's ed
miration. Her control and courage now
appealed to him tremendously. His own
horses :eemed to have caught the spirit
Of the runaway pair ahead, as 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, sway
ing to the left and the right, but still
keeping the road. The bulge across the
Iowa River was just ahead. Clint thought
of the bridge with terror. II 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 bfaced his nerves to
withstand the shock. But to lis amaze
ment he saw that the horses were slowing
up, and entering the bridae with all the
respect of well-trained horses; and by
the time they were over the frozen cur
rent 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. 'Tll 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"
eyes; didn't you? 1 knew they might
not, but I thought they would if 1 could
keep them in the road, Didn't you think
of their doing it?''
''Well, no. l had something else to
think about" he answered, looking at
her admiringly.
Isabe's face flushed, but she looked at
him smiling.
81 wasn't afraid as long as the road was
clear, but I should have lost all courage if
l had seen team coming"
'"Talk of pluckp' Clint said, driving
little nearer to her cutter. "Isabel, what
did you think of last night? What did
you Gnlnk OF me, anyway!
She drove out into the road ahead of
him, and then looked back over her shoul
der, laughing. 81 thought if you had only
waited half an hour longer would have
been eighteen. 1t is my birthday to-day.
Pm of age" And with that she touched
her ponies with the whip, and kept well
nlAal k.f him oil tho 1.,ov +o +bo 1,ilIooo
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 sal, ,imperturbable as
he had sat the night before; but tonight |
he was only an amusing barrier, and not
serious obstruction. Love had leaped
the bounds, and was free. 1t triumphed
in their eyes as they looked across him,
and over him, smiling knowingly at each
other. i
"We're going to have a dance over at
our house Saturday week, and an oyster
supper. 1t is going to be celebration of
a great event in our family" Clint an
nounced with meani ng gesture to Isa
bel.
"Whats the event you're celebrating?'
the judge asked, looking over his specta
cles. T.
'Well, that's something OF a secret un-
til tomorrow. hope 1 can tell you
then. You must be sure and come.
We're going to have great time.'
The judge looked at Isabel. 'Do you
think we can go, my dear?''
Her cheeks were rosy. "Why, yes, I
should think we could, father"
Thank you, then. Well come" the
judge said, leaning back in his chair, and
looking at the ceiling "And now would
you like toplay that game of chess we
didn't play last night?"
1t was evident he had no intention of