The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-08-07

z THE PRIDE OF A PRAIRIE GIRL.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
py MARY ". MAUiE.

lnen, so TO be mother S boy"
The cowboy looked at her dumbly,
while gentle light dawned in his
hard, keen eyes, and slight flush
crept up through the brown of his
lean cheeks.
We'll, mothers got a first-rate
kind of boy, all right" he said,
presently; and then, as if fearing that
he had already said too much on a
tender subject, he burst into a loud
roar of song, and caroled and yodeled
as if trying to turn the girls thoughts
into more cheerful mood.
Suddenly, in the midst of a roll
licking cowboy ditty, the girl gave
"a startled cry and looked back.
Billy" she screamed. BILLY!
Hush! Look! Look! The cattle
the cattle are coming!"
With the song frozen on his lips,
the cowboy gave one swift backward
glance, leaped square in his saddle,
and wheeled his pony into the road
beside the girl.
They've stampeded, by thunder"
he muttered between set teeth. II
was feared it might happen! The
river-the river-ride, girl! RIDE
for all you're worth! We can't never
turn 'em here! Our only chance is
to get out of here! Ride!"
With blanched face and widely dis
tended eyes the girl gripped her
bridle-rein and looked back.
Down the narrow trail behind her
thundered wild, dark, packed mass
of crowding bodies and madly tossing
horns, as along the road between the
bluff and the steep embankment the
stampeded cattle, with lowered
heads, blind and mad with thirst and
fury, came plunging on.
Digging her spurs into her pony,
she waited for no second glance at
the death which thundered so close
behind her, but, followed by the
cowboy, piled quirt and spur, as she
galloped for life along the narrow
trail.
Amt there turn up here in the
road somewhere" shouted the cow
boy, as with strained muscles they
plunged on, urging the terrified
ponies to their utmost "Ain't there
| somewheres we could turn out, SOS
to get a chanst to turn 'em or mill
em? We can't hold out long this-a-
way! Hurry, Jess! Faster, faster,
girl! Give him the gad! Can't you
make that old pony go no faster?
They're a-gainin' on us every min
utei"
The girl, sitting straight and
square in her saddle, with her lips
set firm and white, and her quick,
keen gray eyes glancing now behind
her, now in front along the curving,
narrow trail, shook her head.
She had been over this road many
times before, and knew there was no
turn in the road, no widening of the
trail for more than a mile ahead,
and before they could reach that
The thunder of hoofs came closer,
the snorts and bellowings of the
maddened beasts were in her ears.
With shuddering heart she glanced
back.
AS far as she could see along the
trail behind her came the black
wave of tossing horns and lunging
forms, coming every second nearer
and nearer, bringing a death the hor-
rors of which this prairie girl knew
all too well.
Setting her teeth hard, she gath
cred her reins firmly in her hand
and bent to the neck of her pony.
| We've got to do it, Buck!'' she
almost sobbed in his ear. We've
got to risk it, boy! 1t may be our
last jump, but there's nothing else
for us to do"
Then, as the foremost of the cattle
rose as breaking wave behind her
she screamed, Jump, Billy, jump!
It's our last chance" And giving
the buckskin cut of the whip, she
plunged over the embankment and
sank like a stone beneath the rush.
ing, yellow waters of the river.
At the same moment the leading
steers, unable in their mad wild rush
to see or heed the turn in the road
plunged after her over the embank
ment, in huddled, plunging, strug
Cling mass of hoofs and horns.
The cowboy, caught on the brinl
of the bluff by the wild rush of thu
cattle, had no choice but to leal
into the river with them or b.
ground to atoms beneath their tramp
ling hoofs.
The chances of life were small
anyway, and with something like
: prayer on his lips, he shouted to hi
horse, and went over the embank
ment into the river in the midst O
a struggling heap of horns and hoof
: and tumbling carcases.
The girl struck The water Mo
ment ahead of the avalanche of liy
5 ing creatures from above, and cam
up gasping and painting, but in fai
Z. swimming water. With a cry sh
D urged her pony on with whip an
2 spur. and struck out into the middl
of the channel in time to avoid bein
e crushed to death or drowned by til