The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-10-25

| ne could get through.
| Twice he had to fall at quick turns
to avoid dashing into the trees, and
at several points fallen stones
across the path came near to ending
his downward career.
But each time he let the breath be
knocked out of him and fell in a way
to save the skee fastenings; and each
time, as he rose, he saw more clearly
the vision of that blood-spurt across
the snow and the strange blue-whitc
face of his father, and each time he
sped on faster and took greater
chances.
| He was trying many new tricks,
but new skill seemed to come to him
with every moment of the descent. He
crouched low through the woods, but
! the boughs whipped his face cruelty,
and he was tasting his own blood
when he emerged at last at the ex-
IRENE upper corner of Clanceys
| clearing.
| All the course now lay before him.
| The conditions for skee-riding were
perfect-deep snow, a pebbly crust
slightly yielding, and over this an
inch of light steering snow, fallen the
night before.
Martin Strengthened up and breath
ed: the skees felt the new freedom,
and taking the narrow ridge between
two ravines, he swept down with ter
rife speed toward the upper pastures
of the Clancy farm. 1t was here that
his mother, from the loft, had seen
him pass.
Another half-mile and the valley
would be in full view. The vision OF
his father faded, and another came In
imagination he saw the doctor speed
ing down by Clancey's house, and
himself waving and shouting from
| the hillside-too late, too late. He
must go faster, faster. Raising MS
pole high, he took steep slope freely,
4 not seing and hardly caring what was
at the bottom, and bad fall resulted.
His head struck something hard I'M
der the snow, the breath was beaten
from him, and for moment ne lost
consciousness. AS he revived and
lay there looking up forgetfully at the
pinktinged clouds. the tinkls OF bells
came up family to his ears.
He sprang up and started down.
ward again. A few seconds brought
| him out upon the promontory, and the
valley lay like map below. Tne
sound of bells rang up clearly on the
still evening air, and there was the
| doctor passing swiftly down the val
ley and but little way above Clan
cey's house.
Doctor Briggs drove better horses
and drove them faster than any other
man in the county. Laying far back
in his hooded sleigh, he slept or half
slept as he drove, and every one turn
ed far out when they heard him COM
ing.
Martin had half-mile to pass and
the doctor few rods. All this passed
in one thought through the boy $
mind as he dropped like a. swooping
hawk from the bluff and came out
upon the long, steep fields above the
house. 1t was clear, straight going
now, and crouching low, he swept like
some great low-fying bird down that
last white stretch to the road. His
eyes were on the doctors team, that
appeared to be moving with ever
quickening pace. The cold wind froze
his face and cut through all his cloth
ing. but the skees for the first time
seemed to be holding. He prayed for
more speed, and bending farther for
ward, tried to urge them on.
A uuarter-mile above the house
Martin saw with dismay that be
should just miss the doctor there. No
cry of his could reach him, deep muf-
:. fed in that hood. No horse of Clan
cey's would catch him, short of the
village, miles away The picture of
the bleeding father appeared again
before him, and a weakening fear
came, and almost caused fall. But
he remembered then his fathers
words, "It's the finish we want-the
finish!" and he stiffened again for &C.
tion.
Looking to the left, he saw that the
bluff bordering the creek ran out to
a point beyond Clancey's and then
curved sharply back to the edge OF
the fields. With a touch of the pole
he swerved, and went straight for
that high bank at the nearest point
1t was unknown ground to him, but
he knew that the road was under the
bank, and the doctor was on that road
and coming fast!
Nearing the edge, he saw the tops
of tall trees sticking up from below
and heard the bells chime out loudly
as the doctor swung round the point
sharp slope led down to the brink
and with the full speed of this,
crouching, he shot far out into the
air. and with all his breath gave out
one long cry as he sailed down over
the treetops
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