The Iola register., 1902-06-06

lie struch Uiolcntly actth a heauy lchip.
a heavy whip. The lash cleared Oar.
relPs head as he lodged forward under
1t and came down with great force up-
on his back. The sharp pain and, above
all, the unexpected and unnatural act
itself inspired Darrell with u purely
instructive wrath. He leaped to one
side, avoiding a second blow, and then
sprang up in such way as to get a
momentary footing on the forward
wheel, whence he passed on upward
as If upon wings, alighting against the
coachman, who, rather from surprise
perhaps than from the force of the
shock, lost his balance and fell to the
street.
1t was lucky for Darrell that the fell
low did not carry the reins with him,
for the horses nearly jumped out of
their harness, frightened by the whirl-
ing whip and perhaps by the volley OF
curses with which the coachman had
REINFORCED the blows that he had aim
ed at Darrell's head. The team bolted
frantically, and it was a matter of life
or death for the man on the box. His
own safety, coupled with a fleeting
thought of the woman whose cry he
had heard, kept Darrell busy with the
horses, and he had no time to look back
to see whether the coachman had bro
ken his neck. There was n clear infer
ence that he had not, however, for It
could hardly have been any one else
who, at the moment when the fright
ened animals sprang forward, dis
charged pistol that had the resonance
of small cannon and shook the win
dows of the narrow street.
Fortunately, the way was absolutely
clear. Moreover, Darrell was a strong
and well trained master of horses, and
he had not a particularly mettlesome
team to deal with. He had secured
something near TO control of the brutes,
though he could not yet stop them,
when he reached the end of the street
and turned into the avenue. 1t was not
a right angle. but the carriage was on
two wheels as 1t went round. Favored
by fortune, be found another unfgc-
qucnted street convenient for his ncCl.
anu btlOit nt AldQ Nhlilt " lllt Gnu bl
it the horses were weary Of the strug-
gle. Yet for the sake Of safety Darrell
turned them up a hill, upon the crest of
which he brought them to a stand
Upon the last part of the course
Darrell had had time for reflection.
and there were many puzzles whirling
through his mind. Granting that he had
stopped team that was not runping
away, it was natural, perhaps, that the
driver should have demonstrated with
him, but hardly so vehemently, with
such blows and maniacal curses. Why
had the woman screamed? How had
1t happened that a Paris jehu had been
so prompt with his revolver? Why
had he not fired n second time? Why
had he raised no hue and cry?
At the moment of turning into the
avenue Darrell had had Il glimpse of
the street, and he had seen two figures
running, one undoubtedly the coach
man, the other perhaps a chance way
farer, but both silent. That they
should do that amounted to an alb
surdity, for either he Was running
away with the horses or they were
running away with him, and in one
case or the other it would be natural
that the pursuer should cry out. More
over, there had been no sound from the
interior of the vehicle since the mo-
ment when the horses had made their
first plunge. Then Darrell had fancied
that he had heard a stified scream and
even the rattling of the catch upon the
door, but from that instant there had
been silence.
The spot where he had stopped the
horses was unfamiliar to him. 1t was
quite dark, though a little farther ON
were several cafes, and there were
cabs upon the street. His own equi-
page excited no attention, for there
had been nothing sensational about the
ascent Of the hill. Indeed. the run
away had created no commotion ex-
cept upon the avenue which had been
crossed, and very little even there.
Darrell got down from the box, hold
ing the reins In his hand. and ap-
preached the door of the cab. Imme.
diately the window was lowered, and
he saw a woman's face.
1t is remarkable, but true, that the
essence OF an adventure changes the
instant that a beautiful woman ap-
pears In It. Though the circumstances
may be most unfavorable for romance
and the man as cold as he cAn be and
yet live, there will be no exception to
the rule.
When Darrell saw that face at the
carriage window, everything was diff
ferent. Even the past was changed,
and in an instant's pause his sensa-
tons of the last ten minutes hurried to
rearrange themselves. 1t became n
fine thing to have stolen a cab and a
pair of horses in most unusual man
ner and to have gone careering through