The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-04-27
The Ring S Victory.
BY @. K. UNDERWOOD.
Author "Black John" Etc.

AutnOr BLACK JCuu, EkC.
copyright 1900 Daily Story Pub. Coz
\ It was only speckled shote, but the
cream-colored pony thought it was q
bear or something even more dreadful
He was city-trained pony and was
without fear Of steam engines, electric
cars and other urban nerve wreckers,
= but he had never had any experience
with the bogies of plantation life. So
when the speckled shote darted across
the path with terrifying "hough!
thought" the cream-colored pony
SHE'D, and threw the girl who was rid
ing him, then tore off down the narrow
road through the cotton field at top
speed. i. g..
Being robust young person with a
good deal of pluck and. sense Of
humor, however, she laughed almost
as soon as the first tears started down
the sides Of her nose. and satisfying
herself that no bones were broken she
shook the dust from her riding habit,
and gave her hat a touch with her
gloved fingers to make it sit straight
on her brown locks.
The big white mansion where she
lived was a mile and a half away. The
sun was behind a bank of black clouds
in the west, and the rich purple Of the
cotton blooms, which were a pearly
white in the morning, and a delicate
pink at noon, bore evidence that the
day was dying all too fast for the
quiet of a, maid with weary hour of
- Walking ahead of her.
IT went down the new-cut road,
She went down the lane,
And she promised to meet me,
Goodbye Liza Jane
The sound of this classic, sung in a
=. zcelodious, though unframed voice, and
accompanied by the rhythmic beat of a
horses hoofs on the sunbaked road
caused the girl to draw to one side and
look back. 1t was the voice of a
white man and welcome, for the girl
did not relish the long walk home
Through the lonely plantation.
The man on the gray horse eyed the
: girl curiously and respectfully: He
was sunburned and stalwart, and sat
would have passed without speaking
las is the custom in the home Of King
Cotton, but for the evidence of the
/ girls apparel that she should be on
p horseback
Beg pardon, ma'am," he said, rails
ing his hat. "Can I do anything to
assist your
''You are Mr.. Bradley, are you not?'
said the girl
F Yes m.'' s-.vss =:
II am Jane Apperson."
The young man said he would be
pleased to be of service to Miss Apper-
!. son. -
MY pony threw me and ran away
said the girl.
do you think you could ride nv
horse?" said Bradley, who h ad dis
nhounted. ..,..
81 couldn't think of depriving Won
Maybe the pony has stopped Would
you mind riding ahead and looking
Ter him?" ~,
Certainly not and Bradley gal.
soped away on the gray horse.
Old Mr.. AppersOn was the richest
person in that section Of the state, and
probably the most unpopular. Why a
man of his temperament and prejudices
ii ever essayed to make his home on an
Arkansas plantation was local mys-
terry. His political faith was a griey-
+ Gus offense to his neighbors and his
cold, hard insistence that all men
should live within their incomes AND
abjure light pleasures was regarded
with deep disapproval by the llospita.
Die, sport-loving planters. He lived
aloof and his only child, the brown.
eyed, brown-haired Jane, knew none
o. her neighbors. Occasionally the AID.
persons would be visited by severe.
looking women and men Of clerical as.
pect from the East, but these neye,
3 9raternized with the community.
Ben Bradley wasn't a bad fellow
Some daredevil feats of his youth haf
given him reputation for reckless.
ness that he had not quite lived down
but the worst that could be truthfully
said Of him now was that he kept fight
Ing cocks and evinced more intelli
1 gent interest in a dog or a horse or !
! gun than he did in improved farm ma
hfneryy or experiments in the line 81
$ introducing white labor in the South
Ben Bradley came back to her with
she cream colored pony. TN
aid there's nothing for It but TO