The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-02-12

ascent, and were no longer prancing.
Bob offered to mount the binder and
make the first few circuits of the
field, but Louise waved him back,
saying:
mo, sir; shall do the whole thing,
for if am to have fine gown l mean
to earn it. All | ask is that you
throw the machine into gear
He did as she requested and she
started to the east. the horses tramp
ling in the grain, while a swath eight
feet in width was cut close to the
fence.
Thus she went about from right to
left, and then, turning, circled from
left to right, cutting the grain through
which the horses had walked in their
first round. Formerly Eastern farm
ers always cut first swath by hand, but
in recent years the four-horse self
binder has been made to do the whole
work. AS Louise started on the sec
ond round, Dolly. the mother of the
leaders, leaped high in the air and
plunged wildly to the right. At the
same instant Pomp and Prince start
ed at a headlong pace, the three drag
ging the unwilling Joe for few rods,
when he, too, squealed loudly and
bounded ahead as eagerly as the 9TH
ers. Without warning, and seeming
ly without cause. I.ou:ses fourth
hand was beyond her control, and
racing through the standing grain.
The girl tugged frantically at the
reins, wholly unable to understand the
reason for the break. Something
struck her smartly on the cheek, and
the blow was followed by sensation
as if a red-hot iron had been applied
to the smooth skin. Then she recog-
nized the painful sting of a yellow
jacket, or American field hornet, one
of whose domesfaped nests the reap
er-kniyes had dest. Dyed. A side glance
showed her some of the paper-like
shreds still clinging tc the cutter
bar.
About the horses a score of the
enraged insects were circling, and two
or three of the hornets were making
vicious rushes at Louise, who already
had been stung several times on the
face and arms. Such an attack ordin-
arily would have inspired her with
unreasoning terror, but in the present
circumstances she almost forgot the
yellow jackets, thinking only of the
infinitely greater danger from the
runaway
There are some fortunate persons
| whom supreme danger makes COOL
and Louise discovered to her surprise
that, far from being confused and
frightened, she was keenly ON the
alert. She noted that the swift click
of the knives had changed to a throb-
bling hum, so rapidly were they oscil-
lating, while she kept her seat only
by swaying to the violent bounding
and rocking of the ponderous machine
beneath her.
The horses in their mad effort to es-
cape, had swung to the right In a
few seconds they would collide with
the fence at the edge of the lane I'M
less she could steer them through the
gate, lower down.
l<0uASO A0u CfCiy iCooOA u lCal lAdl
the leader would be upset if she
turned down the slope, but even that
catastrophe involved less danger than
to rush headlong into the strong stone
and rail fence. The effort must be
made at once if at all.
She drew the leaders almost at
right angles to the wheel horse before
the latter swerved. Then, as the four
sprang with great leaps toward the
gate, all that saved the machine from
overturning was the wide table, the
edge of which furrowed the loose soil
like gang-plow. The binder bore
the tremendous strain well; apparent
ly nothing had broken
Charlie and Bob were running and
shouting far behind, but Louise could
not understand what they were say
ing; and had she done so it would
have been of little benefit to her.
She passed through the gateway with
out mishap, and the horses turned
down the lane. She did not dare
hope to reach the farmyard in safety,
but fortunately there were NO OBJ
structions in the direct road.
Louise was gathering her strength
to restrain the horses on the steep
slope within the cut, when, looking
ahead, she nearly lost control of her
wits from sheer terror. not for her.
self, but for the tiny figure which was
just emerging from between the high
banks. Four-year-old Rose. still far
! ahead of her mother and aunt, stood
directly in the centre of the narrow
roadway, helpless from fright. and
with no one near enough to effect her
rescue in time.
What shall do?" Louise cried.
There was no room to pass the lit
tie one ON either side, and no human
arm could have checked the team on
that down grade.
They had just swept past The fences
at the lower level of the two grain
fields. On the right the growing corn
ctood woiSt hioh ovar an oraa re fhir.