Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-24

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regretted her caprice; but not for a
hundred worlds would she have per-
mitted this groom to know. But Pr
rate, with that rare instinct of the
| horse, knew thai his mistress was not
| sure Of him. He showed the whites OF
his eyes and began paving the gravel
| The girl glanced covertly at her groom
and found no color in his cheeks. Two
small muscular Jumps appeared at the
corners OF her jaws She would ride
Pirate, and nothing should stop her;
nothing, nothing. Womanlike, know
| ing herself to be in the wrong, she was
furious.
And Pirate surprised them both.
| During the first mile he behaved him
| self In the most gentlemanly fashion;
| and if he SHE'D once or twice, waltzed
a little, 1t was only because he was
full Of life and spirit. They trotted,
they cantered, ran and walked. War
burton, hitherto holding himself in
readiness for whatever might happen,
relaxed the tension Of his muscles, and
his shoulders sank relievedly. Per-
haps, after all, his alarm had been
needless. The trouble with Pirate
might be the infrequency with which
he had been saddled and ridden. But
he knew that The girl would not soon
forget his interference. There would
| be more humiliations, more bitter pills
for him to swallow. It pleased him,
however, to note the ease with which
Dick kept pace with Pirate.
AS for the most beautiful person in
all the great world, I am afraid that
she was beginning to feel self-import-
ant. Now that her confidence was full
ly restored, she never once spoke to
or looked at her groom. Occasionally
from the corner of her eye she could
see the white patch on Dicks nose.
games" she said maliciously and
suddenly, Ego back five yards. l wish
to ride alone"
Warburton, his face burning, fell
back. And thus she made her first mis-
take. The second and final mistake
came Immediately after. She touched
Pirate with her heel, and he broke
from - trot into lively gallop. Dick,
without touch Of the boot, kept his
distance to a foot. Pirate, no longer
seeing Dick at his side, concluded that
he had left his rival behind; and the
suppressed mischief in his black head
began to find an outlet. Steadily he
arched his neck; steadily but surely
he drew down on the reins. The girl
felt the effort and tried to Illustrate
It, In backing her pull with her right
hand, the end of her crop flashed down
the side Of Pirates head--the finish
| ing touch. There was wild leap, q
blur of dust, and Mr.. Pirate, we'll
named after his freebooting sires, his
head down where he wanted it, his
feet rolling like snare-drum, Mr.. Pr
rate ran away headed for heaven only
knows where.
For brief moment Warburton lost
his nerve; he was struck with horror.
If she could not hold her seat, she
would be killed or dreadfully hurt, and
perhaps disfgured. 1t seemed rather
strange, as he recalled 1t, that Dick,
instead Of himself. should have taken
the initiative. THE noble sorrel, for
merly a cavalry horse, shot forward
magnificently. Doubtless his horse
sense took in the situation, or else
he did not like the thought Of yonder
proud. supercilious show-horse beating
him in running race So, very fast
mile was put to the rear.
The girl, appreciating her peril, did
as all good horsewonen would have
done; locked her knee on the horn and
held on. The rush of wind tore the
pins from her hair which, like golden
plume, stretched out behind her. (Have
you ever read any thing like this be-
fore? I dare say. But to Warburton
and the girl. 1t never occurred that
other persons had gone through like
episodes. It was real and actual, and
single, and tragic to thern.)
The distance between the two horses
began slowly to lessen, and Warburton
understood, in a nebulous way, what
the girl had meant when she said that
Dick could oitrun Pirate. If Pirate
kept to the road, Dick world bring him
down; but If Pirate took it into his
head to vault fence! Warburton
shuddered. Faster. faster, over this
roll Of earth, Gathering across this
bridge, around this curve and that
angle. Once the sight Of team draw.
ing huge grain-wagon sent shive1
to Warburton's heart. But they thun.
dered past with foot to spare. The
old negro on the seat stared after
them, his ebony face drawn with won.
der and the whites of his eyes showing
Foot by foot, yard by yard, the space
lessened, till Dicks nose was within
three feet of Pirates flowing tail
Warburton fairly lifted Dick along
with his knees. I only wish I coult
describe the race as my jehu told \
to me. The description held me by the
throat. I could see the flashing by q
trees and houses and fields; the scam
pering of piccaninnies across the road;