Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-18

fall. carrying down his rider. right in the
track Of the swiftly approaching train.
In a fash all this came 10 the two women.
Mrs. Joudon. cold and sick. slaked rein and
made as u % leap. That lost her all chance
Of saving herself-even then q rider who
did not know fear might have mastered the
brown. But be had all a vicious beasts
contempt for a rider he could friEhten. He
shook himself. gave q louder screaming
snort, and swept straight on. Nov he
led-all OF ten yards. Patricia vhistled
again and again. Ruby laid down TO the
work. straining after the brown. and gain
ing spare gains at each stride.
Almost upon the cuts brink she came up
with him. Mrs. Loudon sat quite still
even In her fright she had been too wise to
really leap. The reins swayed loosely within
her nervous fingers. Patricia called. 10 her
Let go Free your foot, shall try to take
you OF safe"
Il was a perilous endeavor. n the horses
c~ollided. fell and rolled all would 60 down
to death together. II either sverved q
hairs breadth they must collide. Then
there was the chance that Patricia would
be dragged from saddle by the other
woman's superior weight. still II was the
only way. With set teeth. tense as a bow
string in every fibre. Patricia lesnj from
saddle, locked her right arm about Mrs.
Loudon's waist, drew her clear and held her.
o~linging and struggling. while she wheeled
Ruby, checked speed and drew away from
the perilous verge.
Cairgorm proved how p~erilous. With one
mad mighty scrsmbling leap he tried to
clear the cut. He even got hold for his
fore feet upon the brink opposite, but the
crumbling sands gave under his hoofs, He
went rolling and screaming down. TO lie
with his neck broken before the train. Il
slowed UP barely in time TO save a wreck.
after II had pushed the dead beast ten yards
along the rails.
Mrs. Loudon watched his end with fas-
cinated eyes. you saved me from that, %
she said. ~shuddering strongly-then tainted
dead away. Before she came to the rest
OF the hunt had come up. People from the
stalled train also swHrmed about her.
Anstruther was one Of them, Anstruther
beaming like a oherub. Patricia, some lit
tie way OF, was shamelessly fondling a
slight, dsrk-browed stranger. quite ignor-
ing Boutwell, upon her other hand.
I've been playing good fairy" An
struther explained when Mrs. Loudon was
a little recovered. The lsssie yonder."
nodding toward Patricia, was denying a
true man, indeed. all true men. because
ill-tongued folk who knew nothing said her
brother. that dark lad, had spent money
not his own. The lad ye see suffered for
a fault higher up-but since he couldn't
prove it, he went away to work-under an
other name. He couldp't deny his favor.
thought knew him rightly the meenit I
set eyes on the lass. Then / went to work;
him ia known this seven years. Things
were Strengthened unco' easy: that's one
good Of filthy luere. Today ! went TO fetch
him. little dreaming what we should come
upon right here. Now the lass has shown
ye'the meetle she's Of, ye must agree, Roth
well will get a prize"
"A prize. indeed" Mrs. Loudon echoed,
with a break in her voice that told An
struther many things she did not care to
have him know.