The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-12-07

the captive MdCldI ldue, d ~ loo4iol "
their earl's, prize for the winner
of the race At last the two appear,
the old earl and their young knight,
and each as they canter past BOWS
low to the maid The race is four
times round the course-a short squirt
about a mile in all A herald is to
start them with flag.
Soon they are ready. Young Sir
Fan has won the toss, and chosen the
inside station; no small advantage.
All is still. The excitement is intense
as the two great horses stand side by
side waiting for the signal. The f1ag
falls, and they are off. the black and
the brown.
Sir Fan rides his hardest, and forces
his horse ahead; while the earl seems
to hold back the mare. They are at
the first corner, and Sir Fans mad
rush carries him out little, and gives
the earl the chance for which he
waits. He pulls his mare behind the
horse, and runs into the inside place
The cheering is frantic. The black
leads by nearly a length, but the
brown has now the advantage at the
turns, and as they come to each gains
a little more.
Once round Sir Fan still leads by
half length But, when they fly
round a second time, the earl gradu-
ally comes up and up, until as they
pass the post, they race neck and
neck
Sir Fan is in despair. The earls
| hackers cheer madly, for they see
| the earl must win.
Matilda, almost forgotten now,
! watches with intense excitement every
move. If the earl wins, she is to be
thrown to these rough men who cheer
so wildly Surely that thought will
give her courage-the jewelled dag
| ger will save her honor. But ii the
knight wins, what then. He is a
handsome youth; but to be forced like
slave to marry any man is shame.
All this she thinks while the two
rush past. Sir Fan seems beaten now,
for he loses ground more quickly, and
at the third time past the earl has
\
cheering. But Sir Fan is not done
yet, for at the northeast corner he
sees his chance, for the mare has
swung out little: and, as the earl had
done before, he seizes the inside place
and plies his whip and spurs. Only
three hundred yards. and length to
make up. Can he do it?
! For while the earl holds his own,
but at the next two corners Fan
gains, and when they enter on the last
straight in the dash for home he is
barely a head behind. Neck and neck
they go up the straight, locked to-
gether. and only at the very finish
Black Arrows nose in front. The
knight has won.
Sir Fan did not wait for long the
centre of an applaudlng crowd, but
quickly turned Black Arrow and rode
UP to where Matilda was The maid
had risen, and was standing up, hold
ing high in her right hand her small
jewelled dagger. She stood quite still
as if turned to stone. Events have
come and passed so quickly that she
can hardly realize that yet she lives;
and that here at her feet, stands a
gallant knight, praying her to be his
wife,
Never had she looked so fair or so
majectic as now, while she stands up
right, filled with stubborn courage Of
her fathers, and glowing with the ex-
element of the race Sir Fan looks
the humble suppliant he feels, and not
the winner of the prize. And she, Ma
tilda, looks in every way something
divine-a saint-like queen. Not one
Of all these rough men but knows
that had the earl won the race she
would have died, and each in his heart
! rejoices at Fans victory.
And then she speaks: Fan,
/ believe you to be man of honor
and a gallant knight, yet never shall
daughter of the Macfarlanes be given
as racing prize by a Menteith II
you would wed me. do not ask that
wily man the earl: but if YOU have