The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-09
THE EVENING STORY
On the wings of Pegasus.
(By Martha Cobb sanford.)

the pommel, sprang lightly into the
saddle.
wistful expression in her eyes belied
"Wud We be goin' alone?" queried
Mike, skillfully adjusting the folds of
her riding skirt.
"It looks that way" laughed Mar
ella. unless 1 meet Lochinvar on the
highway"
81 was only thinkin', Pegasus is
in SO long in the shtall. He's luoikely
to run wild We, Miss Marcia But av
coorse, is Mister Lock-pardon. miss,
fight the rist av is name-is goin'
Marcia interrupted him with a
merry laugh.
"Oh, Pegasus and I will get along
all right. How his coat shines! No
one ever took such good care of him
as you do, Mike. He'd win the blue
ribbon at any horse show"
Mike grinned appreciatively and tip
ped his cap.
Now don't We be dom any Jump
in Miss Marcia" he cautioned. as
gave Pegasus a smart flick with her
silver-tipped crop and trotted off
along the smoothly raked drive.
"Phwat r-rud wud we be takin' Miss
Marcia 2" called the admiring groom
after her.
''The Tanglewood road. I guess"
Marcia answered back over her
shoulder.
There really was no guesswork
about it. Since a certain memorable
day nearly a month ago, no other
| road had held for Marcia any charm
and yet for three long weeks she
had persistently taken another direc-
ton.
| Now, as she turned toward the
highway that led into the old winding
road, her thoughts galloped ahead of
| her horses hoofs and already, in
magination, she had brought Pegas-
US to a halt at the edge of the wood
and was watching, spellbound, a man
and horse take jump after jump over
| the meadow wall.
| How she longed to try it herself
| Pegasus vaulted beautifully, she knew.
| She had seen him take the bars many
a time when out at pleasure. But she
had promised her father that she
would never attempt it-that was the
condition, in fact, by which Pegasus
| was her very own possession.
Then she remembered with a thrill
| how Pegasus had suddenly started and
| before she could control him had fol-
lowed the lead of the other rider and
| bounded with the grace of greyhound
over the meadow wall. The unexpect-
edness of it had quite taken her breath
| away-but. oh, was there ever any SEN
sation so exquisite!
| Before she could recover from her
surprise, the unknown rider had gal
| Hoped up beside her, and, dispensing
with even an apology for his lack of
conventionality, exclaimed: "A magni-
| ficient performance! Please accept my
compliments"
| And she, conscious of the rising color
in her cheeks, had answered smilingly.
1.-THE praise belongs all to Pegasus. 1
didn't know he was going to do it,
How incredulous the man had look
ed!
you mean?" he asked, doubling his
| senses.
| That never took a jump before.
| My horse followed your lead. I was
| never more astonished in all my life"
In that case, allow me to pay my
| compliments over again." the man had
then said, looking at her with undis-
i guised admiration. Pegasus has
| wonderfully clever rider
Adm then Marcia blushed to recall it
she had spent the rest of that glort-
Gus morning in taking vaulting lessons
| from an unknown riding master. And
| If further truth be told, she had let
the accident of one day dictate the pro-
| discretion had come to the rescue and
romance was forced to beat a reluctant
| but absolute retreat. In other words,
every day for three long, monotonous
| weeks Marcia had absolutely avoided
the vicinity of Tanglewood road.
But today she had closed her ears
| to the prosaic arguments OF prudence
and literally given rein to her fancy
| The air was as Crisp anu ING shy d5
blue as on that other day. Her heart
thumped with excitement.
! Faster, Pegasus, faster" she urg-
ed, touching the horses shining TANKS
with her crop, we're almost there
When the edge of the wood was
reached she drew rein, and with eager
shining eyes looked out expectantly
over the brown meadows, There was
no one in sight. Well. she would have
one jump, anyway!
| DAo q
as Marcia herself. He took the wall
| handsomely-not once only, but again
and again. Then a gate of bars farth-
| er down the wall catching Marcia's
attention. she decided to put her horse
| at that 1t was higher than the wall
and would be glorious to fly over.
| Just as Pegasus sprang for the leap
the sound of hoofs galloping hard be-
hind her caused Marcia to look back.
| She recognized Mike on her fathers
how, she never knew, found herself
hurled high over Pegasus's head.
AS luck would have 1t she landed
on a heap of dead leaves blown by the
winds against the flank of the wall,
and so was only badly stunned. When
at length she recovered consciousness,
some one was kneeling beside her and
bathing her forehead with cold water.
Don't tell father, Mike" she plead
ed. family, her eyes still closed.
mo, miss
Then again, after a few minutes
Am I badly hurt, Mixer"
mot the ghost of a scratch, Miss
Marcia. L couldn't have picked out
a better place FIR We to land myself
a pile av soft leaves and shtrame of
water-r close by. Faith, an it's luck
was ridin' wild We the day. Miss Mar
cia.'
but how did you happen to follow
me, Mike?"