Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-23
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
IT o the next morning there wcs
IN crowd in front of the house.
I'M what have you been doing
now, WIFI" asked Miss Mat

o now, WHIP" asked Miss Mat
tie, with prescience.
''Only buying horse, Matte" re-
turned Red soberly. Seems to be
quite an event here"
as that alp
'That's all, so help me BOb!' Red
had suspicion that there would be
objections if she knew what kind of a
horse it was.
Lettis, who had roomed with Red
overnight, was in the secret.
The horse arrived, leading very
quietly, as Mr.. Upton had said. 1t
was a buckskin, fat and hearty from
long resting. Nothing could be more
docile than the pensive lower lip and
the meek curve of the neck. Nothing
could be more contradictory than the
light of it's eye, brooding, baleful
fire, quietly biding its time.
Scatter, friends cried Red as he
put his foot in the stirrup. Don't be
too proud to take to timber"'
He swung over as lightly as ira
peZe performer, deity catching his
other stirrup. The horse groaned and
shivered.
Don't let him get his head down!
Col ding it! Don't your screamed Mr..
Upton in wild excitement.
Red threw the bride over the horn
of the saddle. GO it. you devil!'
cried he. And they went. Six feet
straight in the air, first pass. The
crowd scattered, as requested. They
hurried at that. Red gave the brute
the benefit of his $50 as they touched
earth. and his opponent grunted when
he felt the jar of it. They rocketcd
and ricochetted; they were here, they
were there, they were everywhere. the
buckskin squealing like pig and fight
ing with every ounce of the strength
that lay in his steel strung legs. The
dust rose in clouds; Reds hat few in
no time; he was yelling like maniac
and the crowd was yelling like more
maHacs. Now and then glimpse OF
the riders face could be caught, trans
ported with joy of the struggle; then
the dust would roll up and hide every
thing. No one was more pleased nj
the spectacle than the blacksmith. He
was capering in the middle of the
road, waving a hand hammer and
shouting: Hold him down, Hold him
down! Why do you let him jump up
like that? If l was on that horse I'd
show you! Aw, there it is again.
Stop him. Stop him.
At this point the buckskin made
three enormous leaps for the black
smith, as though he had understood
The smith cast dignity to the winds
and went over the nearest fence in the
style that little boys when coastine
call stomach whopper," or words to
that effect. and took his next breath
two minutes later. He might have
saved the labor, as the horse wheeled
on one foot and pulled fairly for the
picket fence opposite. Red regretted
the absence of herders as the SHARP
pickets doomed near. 1t was no time
for regrets. The horse was over will
but little damage-a slight scratch
enough to rouse his temper, however
for he whaled away with both hint
feet, and parts of the fence landed {
hundred feet off. Then a dash through
an ancient grape arbor, and they wer,
lost to view of the road. Some reck
less small boys scampered after, bu
the majority preferred to trace til,
progress of the conflict by the aborig
inal 'Yerhoops" that came from some
where in behind the old houses
There they gor' piped up shril
voice of the small boy brigade. ''Righ
through Mis- Davisses hen coops! Yo,
ought to see them hens fyw The tri
umphant glee is beyond the reach o
words. Simultaneous squawking veri
fed the remark as well as a feminin
voice urging a violent protest, Gu
short by a scream of terror, and til
slam of door. The inhabitants o
mis- Davisses" house instantly ar
peared through the front door, seekin
the street.
To show the erraticalness Of fate, n
sooner had they reached the road tina
Reds mount cleared the parapet of til
bridge in a single leap, a beautiful
leap, and came down upon them i
the road.
All got out of the way but three
year-old, forgotten in the excitement
Upon this small lad, fallen fat in tn
road, bore the powerful man an
horse. Then there were frantic erie
of warning. Fifty feet between til
youngster and those mangling hoofs-
twenty-five! The crowd gasped. The
We're blotted together! Not so. !
mighty hand had snatched the DO
away in that instant of time. He wa
safe and very indignant in a howlin:
huddled heap in the ditch by the roat
side, but alas for horse and rider
The buckskin was not used to sue
feats, and when Reds weight wa
thrown to the side for the reach b
missed his stride, struck his feet Il
gether, and down they went, while tn
foot deep dust sprang, into the air lik
an explosion.
Miss Matte rushed to the scene G
the accident, followed by everybod.
Young Lettis. equally frightened, wa
close beside her
''Oh. VIII, are you killed." she erie,
And then voice devoid of any sigr
of weakness. but loaded to the breal
ing point with wrath, told in such lal