New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-01

wholly unaware of her presence He halted when
the horse well out toward the center oil the OPEN
and the outlaw braced awkwardly, If to receive an
attack.
With the bride rens held in his hand at the pom
mel of the saddle, Van stood TOR a moment by the
CheStnutS side; then. with incredible CeIerlty OF
movement suddenly placed his foot IN the stlrrup
and was up and we'll seated before the blinded pony
could have moved.
None apparently, save Beth, had expected any
thing to happen. She felt rush OF rehet-Whlch
came prematurely.
Van now leaned forward, as the horse remained
stitflv braced and slipping the blindfOd from the
pony's eyes, sat back in the saddle alertly.
Even then the chestnut did not move lie had
gone through this ordeal many times before. lie mad
often been mounted; but not for long at time He
had even been exhausted by stubborn bronco bus
ter some hardy human bur that could ride crazy
comet but always he had won IN the end In a
word ne had earned his sObriquet, which IN bronco
land is never lightly bestowed.
IVAN was not in the least deceived However
he was eager for the conflict to begin. He had
no time to waste. He snatched off his hat, lel out
wild, shr yell, dug with his spurs and struck the
animal a resOunding slap the flank which like
illuminate suddenly detonated the pent-up explo-
siveS in the beast
He lit into bucking of astounding violence with the
QuiCkneSS of dynamite.
1t was terrific For moment Beth saw nothing
but mad grOteSquery of horse and man. almost
ludicrOusly unnatural and crazed with eccentric
motion.
The horse shot up in the air like a loose distorted
piece of statuary blown from its pedestal by some
gigantic disturbance He appeared to buckle IN his
midair leap like Bonded thing of metal, then drop
ped to the earth, stiff legged as an IRON image. TO
bound up again with mad and furious gyratiOns that
seemed the girl to twist both horse and rider into
one live of inCOngruity.
He struck like ruin falling from the sky went up
again with demonhke activity, once more descended;
more hurted wildly aoft, -and repeated this
maneuver with swiftnesS utterly bewildering
Had some dlaboliCa wind, together with a huge
volcanic force taken insane possession of the animal
fire him skyward, whirl him about threSh him
down vicIously and fling him up again, time after
time he could not have churned with greater vio-
lence.
He never came down in the same place twice but
he always came down stiff legged The Jolt
slckenlng All about, IN narrow, earth-cut circle
he bucked, beginning TO grunt and warm to his work
and hence to increase the devtry and malice of his
actions
Van had yelled but that once He saw nothing
knew nothing, save dizzy world, abruptly gor.e
crazy about him
To Beth it seemed as If the horror would never
have an end One glimpse she had of Vans white
face; but nothing could it tell of his strength or the
lack thereof She felt she must look and look till he
was killed There could be no other issue she was
And for herself there could be no escape from
the awful fascination of the vicious brute inticting
this torture on the man.
TT did end, however, rather unexpectedly. that
particular phase Of the conflict. The horse grew
weary OF the effort, made vain diSOdge
the stubborn torment on his back He changed
the program with the deadlest of all a bronco's
tricks.
PauSlng for the briefest part of a second while
Van must certainly have been reeling with hideotls
motion and Jolt the chestnut quickly reared on high
to drop himself clean over backward 1t was thus
that once he had crushed the life from rider
Oh! screamed Beth, and sank weakly beside
the tree
The men all yelled raucously. They were furious
With hoofs wildly faying the air. while he doomed
tall and unreal in such an attitude the bronco hung