The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-08-28

sense, would attempt to cross 1t, except
by means Of an lmprovised bridge"
And SO the talk went on. Lad Boyda
meanwhile continuing in the blithest OF
spirits, until Coghurst Wood-the first to
be .~'drawn"-was reached, and the hunt
began.
The Hail. party stood together on a
piece Of rising ground commanding an
extensive view and waited developments.
Suddenly the familiar '''view halloa'' cams
ringing up to them.
There he goes!" shouted Str Frank ex-
citedly. He's heading Hastings way.
Come along!' s
The last two words were scarcely out
! Of his mouth when the pack broke cover
tand went tearing across the open in pur-
Jsuit of a dark something, which waa
plainly visible some distance ahead.
This way!' cried Sir Frank again.
w may be able to head him OFF, and in
a moment the whole party had whipped
up their horses and were following hia
impetuous lead.
The pace set, however. was. In hunting
parlance, a Cracker" and soon the ma
jority of those who had started were left
far behind. Vera Cloytharp, riding hard,
had drawn up to Sir Frank, and the two
went on neck and neck, with Lady Boy
da's white, set face not three yards be-
hind.
From out of the chaos Of the little lady'a
whirling brain a single idea had sorted
Itself. Vera Cloytharp positively should
not win her wretched bet. She, Lady Boy
da, would prevent her. Yes, even If In
the doing the great heart Of Gil Bias
were broken!
The pace was almost phenomenal, and
soon Sir Franks mount began to hold
out signals of distress. He kept his place,
however, and presently the two leaders
rose simultaneously at a grass bank
topped by a wooden fence.
Both cleared well. but Sir Franks
mount, failing to sustain the shock OF
alighting, collapsed and rolled over. A
swift glance In his direction sufficed to
assure Lady Boyda that her husband was
quite pnhurt, and then she brought her
hunting-crop down smartly on Gil Bias.
steaming flank. The duel had begun.
At the sound Of the fall Vera Cloytharr
gave a quick look back, and, seeming to-
divine the others intention, began to
thrash her mount numerically. For
some seconds there was no perceptible
windening or narrowing Of the gap be-
tween them, but at the end of a minute
Lady Boyda saw, with a thrill of citation,
that GIL Bias was slowly but surely draw
ing up to the leader.
Then, suddenly. she experienced a sec
ond thrill; but this time it was one Of APP
~prehension. Ahead Of them, not three fur.
longs distant, a patch of gorse made q
line OF soniore green across their path.
and Lody Boyda knew-none better-thaf
behind those innocent looking bushes
yawned the Devils Leap.
For a few brief seconds. as a kaleido-
scope picture Of the m%addening events OF
the previous evening passed over her men.
tai vision the little lady battled with an
insidious prompting. Then 1t was down
under. and she cried out shrilly:
Bear to the left, in front there! Tha
left, the left!"
ward glance, and Vera C%loytharp's why
Eel like a fall. A few more seconds
while the boots ~thundered, and theta
breath came fast, and then they were
almost level. The patch Of gorse was NOT
twenty yards away.
You foo1!' screamed Lady Boyda.
Cant you understand? It's the DeviIa
Leap. Pull that rein. Pull 1t, I say!"
and the little lady made a frantic snatch
at Maelstrom's bride. Seemingly blind
: with passion, Vera Cloytharp raised her
crop and struck her would-be savior @
violent blow In the face.
1t was then, in that supreme moment
that the true nobility of Lady Boyda'a
nature asserted itself. At any cost, she
resolved, this mad creature should be
stopped. At the sound Of the swish which
had accompanied the blow Gil Bias had
swerved aside; but now, feeling an unusu.
ally fierce tug at the right side Of his
mouth, he swung obediently round, and
charged headlong into the flying form OF
Maelstrom.
There was a thud and a sickening crunch
as the animals came together, and they
both went down, their riders rolling on the
turf amid a whirl Of flying hoofs. 8
With the instinct Of MISREPRESENTATION
Vera Cloytharp rolled clear, and scram-
bled to her feet, dazed but otherwise un-
hurt. A few yards away a small white
face, with a dark and growing stain OF
crimson upon 1t, was turned upward to
the calm Sky.
my darlingl My love! MY wife! Speak
to me-, oh, speak,"
It was the agonized voice Of Sir Frank
Wynstay, who, having caught and re-
mounted his steed, had followed them, and
now pressed passionate kisses on a mouth
that was bloodless, u~nresponsive, and cold
A~fterward-a matter of hours-.t became
again as of old; but the time between sui.
feed to teach Sir Frank Wynstay man.
things. And among them was 18th
in the possession Of the heart of her whom
he called wife, he was lord Of a mine o.
wealth untold"
ll H .H EE