The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-03-05

~ to Decherd, few miles dis
tant. The place was of too
great Importance for the guor-
rillas to dare enter. and If we could
reach it before they could catch us we
should be safe.
How much is your horse WORTH"
asked the blacksmith.
"a matter O. saxty dollars
"If you kill him by hard driving. III
give you hundred. and If you get us
to Decherd before the outlaws can
catch us I'll make 1t hundred more"
"Weel, moo, | don't want to be hard
on mon hyin for his life and wmmcn
folk too. I'll do the best can and ask
no money"
With that he belabored the poor
horses TANKS with the stump of his
whip and sent him gallopng onward.
There were no springs to the wagon,
but we valued our lives too well to
draw rein at rut or stone. At one part
of the road | feared that If we did not
check our pace we would break
wheel and be left with no means to
get on save our legs. l cautioned the
driver to slacken his pace; but, hearing
or fancying he heard the Gathering Of
horses hoofs behind, without word
from me he applied the lash, Now we
bounded into the air and now we were
tossed together like dice in Il box.
"Gjt oop, We critter" cried the black
smith, mingling Scotch and Tennessee.
Don't We know ye're graggin bonny
leddies fyln for their lives" And
down came the butt of the whip. 1t
was narrowing to see horse forced to
| give his life to save ours, but our stu
alton was too critical to warrant any
| slackening of speed. Jack, who of all
our force was usually most frightened
| at danger ahead and would fight 1t
| most vigorously when face to face with
| 1t, for once acted in reverse at seeing
| the poor brute making leaps that were
| killing him.
| "Stop beating that horse, you brute
| she cried, cor I'll beat you" And she
| sprang forward to seize the whip. |
| caught her in my arms. She looked up
| into my face and burst into tears,
| Whether 1t was wholly sympathy or
| ovcrstrained nerves | did not know;
| probably both. At any rate, | protect
| ed her from the jolting by keeping her
| in my arms, while she hid her face so
| that she could not see the suffering
horse.
"Jack," said Buck, you're nothin
| but baby"
"Shut up, yo' little nigger!' she cried
| l could not reprcss smile at the re
tort, seeing which, Jack realized the
| absurdity Of 1t all and broke into n
laugh, while the tears continued to run
| down her checks.
won't yo' let me support yo' against
the jolting?" asked Captain Beaumont
ruefully.
"Yo'" Do yo' suppose I'd let yo
touch me? Yo shot my best friend"
"Do yo' dislike me TO shooting-a
fobberY asked her admrer sadly.
81 hate yo'."
! Beaumont settled down In n corner of
the wagon In dependency. After
| awhile Jack slid down beside him,
whereupon he suddenly lighted up and
| took as much interest in our flight as
any one Of the party.
We were wild looking load to the
| few people who passed us. Whenever
| we saw farm wagon coming or going
| we would shout to its driver to get out
| OF the way. They must have supposed
| our horse to be a runaway, for every
one quickly turned aside, There are
| pictures Of that ride which | can see
today, so vividly were they stamped
on my memory. An old man with his
hands on the handle of his plow gaped
| through iron trimmed spcctaclcs. n wo-
| man In check gown and sunbonnet
stopped trimming plants In her gar
| den and stood with the shears IN her
hand to cape at us as If we were a
| party of witches who had lit on the
| earth from the moon and were making
ready to take to the sky again. Ne.
| groes, children, country lads, faced the
road as we PASSED and stood wonder
stricken till we were out OF sight.
| Coming to rise In the ground where
we could look to our rear for perhaps a
mile, we were terror stricken to see n
man shoot around q bend In the road at
n gallop. In n moment another follow
ed. We could not see If there were
any more, for we passed over the sum
nit Not far below milestone told
us that 1t was one mile 10 Dcchcrd.
| tnnn milo N flpir two Can Np not
do II, driverW asked quickly.
The only answer was another "Glt
oop." and renewed hammcrlng on the
horses rump. The eyes OF all were
strained to the rear, watching to see
just what chance there was from time
to time between life and death. while
(To DE CONTINUED!