Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-12

, nSreb OhelLney! SnouVeus "'PF-o
"And here comes Cleml" cried Rogers, half
q second later
And there they both were, sweeping TO-
ward one another on that eight OF n%lue %
home-stretch in front of the squires IN JUST
such close finish as was worth gong Hi'ies
TO see.
But all of sudden the sound Of hoofs ana
then the most frghtful screams broke the
breathless silence, and into the road out Oh
Railroad avenue, and just ahead OF De,Vln' ei'
dashed gray pony, with swaying Viii"se-
cart at his heels
1t was Judge Bateman's, and the two girls
on the floor, clingng to the dashboard, were
his daughters, Daisy and Edith.
Right past the summer-house tore the run
away, while we all stood looking on helpless,
ly, seemingly stunned by the suddennesS OF
the whole thing Then L remembered Cheit,
ney. There he was, directly in the path OF
this terrible peril Would he have time 70
save himself?
/ started off on run toward him, scarcely
knowing what did, but feeling that must
do something, go somewhere. And then
saw Cheltney make break Tor the sioe VI
the road.
/ breathed great sigh of relief which was
cut short in the middle by sight that TOOK
nearly every bit of strength out OF me; Tor
instead of circling around the runaway, Cheit,
ney made a quick turn with his wheel, ano
darted straight for the pony's head.
/ shut my eyes then-I couldn't help it
and even found myself calculating how he
would be trampled down in way that woulo
bring the left wheel of the cart right across
his throat And the question. flashed into
my mind, too, whether | wouldn't be some,
how responsible for his death, because | had
spurred him on for the race that Monday
morning, when he might have, withdrawn.
thoughts of second, was a thrilling feeling
of admiration for bravery that was positively
grand.
All the while l had kept on running
was only for about an instant that naa my
eyes shut-and now, when | opened them
again, there was Cheltney, hanging across the the
reins, and his bicycle lying, all bent and twlst'
ed, in the middle Of the road.
But what was more to the point than any
thing else, the pony had stopped.
L dare say that sudden swoop down on
him by 'eyclist had SO taken hun by sur.
prise that he forgot he was running away
and, besides, the lines were dragging In the
road. SO there had been no chance for the
frightened children in the cart to do any pull
ing themselves.
j was the first TO get up to them, and was
he slipped from the gray pony's neck In a
dead faint.
Then ali the others came crowding around,
and while the squire took charge OF the Bate
man girls, Professor OarQnef neipeu me cdA ~
my poor, white-faced champion back to the
summer-house.
We laid him gently down on one of the
settees, and the ladies' flew about TO get
shawls and fans and smelling-salts Then
somebody brought doctor, and, after bit,
we took him back to the academy in a car
riage.
Delvin had crossed the line second or two
after the runaway pony, but nobody thought
of awarding prizes Everybody was talking
about Cheltney's heroic deed, and anxiously
wondering whether his effort at saving others
lives was going TO cost him his own.
You see, he was all tired out with his work
in the race when he put this other strain
right on top of it, and the two together al
most took him under.
But he pulled through, and by supper-time
was able to talk to US. And were not we all
proud Of him? and didn't he have hosts of
friends in Archville from that day forth?
AS for the bugle, Delvin declared he could
MT take it after what had happened, and
Cheltney vowed he wouldn't. So the poor
instrument went a-begging, till Judge Bate
man, after presenting Cheltney with a fine
new machine suggested that bicycle club
be formed, and the bugle became its common
property.
Nevertheless, whenever any of us academy
boys speak of the race, we always tell how
Cheltney won it.