The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-01
Our Daily Short Stories
BY EDGAR wELToN COOLEY.
SS4i
1copyrieht. 1901. by Authors, synalcate,

perately to the rear seat, her face pale,
her hair flying in the wind.
AS the team dashed toward Robert,
the childs frightened eyes fell on his
freckled face. Perhaps the innate
strength and courage of the man I'M
pressed her childish mind-perhaps it
| was but desperate hope of succor.
At all events she partly arose and
reached out her hands towards him.
While into her eyes there flashed an
appealing CLEAN, awful in its inten-
| sity.
Help" she cried "Oh, save met
Robert Lane could never listen with
deaf ears to the weaks appeal. To
him, womanhood and childhood were
the most sacred things on earth. For
ever he would have despised himself as
coward had he hesitated at a time
like this
And so 1t was, that almost before the
bystanders had realized what was
Transporting, he had leaped directly in
the path of the team and had clutch
ed the horses by the bits in a grasp of
| steel.
The maddened animals dragged him
roughly over the hard pavement in
their headlong fight His legs were
bruised and Inangled by their hoofs;
his head was battered by the buggy
tongue: But he did not relax his grip.
He had spent all his life with horses;
| to handle them-to master them, was
a second nature with him.
| He exerted the whole of his giant
| strength upon the bits. The muscles
| on his arms, from which the coat and
| shirt sleeves had been torn, stood out
| like hickory knots. Slowly but sures
| ly he drew the horses heads down,
| down, down. until their necks were all
but broken. He pressed their muz-
zles-. beneath their breasts and held
| them until they knew that they were
| conquered-untl they stopped and
! groaned for mercy
| After that he had faint recollec-
ton of being pulled from beneath
the horses feet. Then he knew moth
ing more until he awoke in a hospital
and saw bright-eyed nurse with
| snowy cap and apron bending over
| him.
| He was covered with cuts and
| bruises. Every inch of his body seem
| ed to ache and pain. But, looking into
| the bright eyes of the nurse, he forgot
| all this. For, somehow, those eyes re-
minded him of the sweet faced girl in
the farmhouse in the Iowa hills.
| The nurse smiled and smoothed the
| pillow under his head.
| You have been delirious,'' she said,
| softly, but you are not seriously in
| jured. In few days you will be quite
recovered
II have been deiirious?" he re-
Piled.
YES. you have talked a great deal.
Mostly about Annie and the Iowa
| river, and, let's see-Marietta. Is that
| the name %
! Yes" he laughed II live on the
Iowa, river near Marietta, and Annie
| Annie has eyes like you
There" she said, brushing his dark
hair back from his temples, you must
| be quiet now
Then she moved away and he watch
ed her with dreamy eyes until she dis
| appeared through the door.
| On the third day he had a visitor.
He was an elderly man with eye
| glasses attached to a gold chain. The
| nurse conducted him to Roberts cot,
and he took the boys brown. rough
| hand in both his soft, white ones.
Young man. he said, in a manner
| intended to be matter of fact, but in
| voce that trembled in spite of him
| self, young man, it is needless for
| me to try to thank you for saving my
| daughters life. Nothing that can say
or do will sufficiently express my graf
| itude. But will say this: My wealth,
my influence and my experience are at
your command ! am ready to further,
| to the best of my ability, your most
| cherished ambition. Tell me, my son,
what is your most ardent desire?"
From the kind face of the grateful
| father, Robert shifted his glance to the
bright eyes of the smiling nurse. A
wistful look came into his face and his
| lips trembfed. Then again he looked
into the eyes of the aged man.
MY greatest desire" he said. "Oh,
Sir, want to hear the wind whisperin'
| in the corn; 1 want to see the starlight
| fallin' in the river and / want to look
at Annie and to hold Annie's hand"