The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1902-09-26
freckeled face. Perhaps the innate

freckeled face. Perhaps the Innate
strength and courage of the mar inn
pressed her childish mind-perhaps 1t
was but a 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 intensity.
"Heln!" she cried. "Oh, save mel"
Robert Lane could never listen with
deaf ears to the weak's appeal. To him,
womanhood and childhood were the
most sacred things on earth. Forever
he would have despised himself as a
coward had he hesitated at a time like
this.
And SO 1t was that almost before the
~bystanders had realized what was
t%ranspiring, he had leaped directly in
the path of the team and had clutched
the horses by the bits in a grasp Of
steel.
The maddened animals dragged him
roughly over the hard pavement in
their h%eadlong fight. His legs were
bruised and mangled 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 beer torn, stood out
like hickory knots. Slowly but surely
he drew the horses heads down, down,
down, until their necks were all but
broken. He pressed their muZZles be-
meath their breasts and held them until
they new that they were conquered
until they stopped and groaned for
mercy.
After that he had a faint recollection
of being pulled from beneath the
horses feet. Then he knew nothing
more until he awoke in a hospital and
saw a bright-eyed nurse with snowy
cap and apron bending over him.
He was covered with cuts and bruises.
Every inch of his body seemed to ache
and pain. But, looking into the bright
eyes of the nurse, he forgot all this.
For, somehow, those eyes reminded 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 a few days you will be quite
recovered"
Il have been delirious?" he replied.
Eyes, 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. 81 live on the
Iowa river near Marietta. and Annie
Annie has eyes like you"
There she said, brushing his darl;
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 eyeglasses
attached to a gold chain. The nurse
= conducted him to Roberts cot. and hi
S took the boys brown, rough hand il
/ both his soft, white ones.
Young man." he said, in a name!
intended to be matter CT fact, but in
voice that trembled in spite of him,
self, young man, it is needless for me
= to try to thank o for saving m.
4 daughters life. Nothing that l can So.
g or do VIII sufficiently express my graf
t itude. But | will say this: Ny wealth
s my influence and my experience are n
v your command. l am ready to further
to the best of my ability, your mos
n cherished ambition. Tell me. my son
e what is your most ardent desire?"
f From the kind face of the grateful
father, Robert shifted his glance to tn
g bright eyes of the smiling nurse. I
d wistful look came into his face and hi
e lips trembled. Then again he looked
# into the eyes of the aged man.
e MY greatest DESIRE" he said. "Oh
sir, / wanto hear the wind w%hisperin
in the corn; l want to see the starligh
fallin' in the river, and | van to lool
a at Annie and to hold Annie's hand"