The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-04-01

And you're not going to stop? She
could hardly believe her ears.
NO! I've started out to take you
home and I'm going to-" His jaws set
like a trap.
She stole a ook up into the rigid
face and settled back without another
word. After all a woman likes q mas
terful man, one equal to emergencies,
one who will fight for her to the last
ditch. 1t is doubtful If there are many
women even today who would really
object to being eloped with, If 1t were
done strenuously enough, and If the af-
fair could end when they said the word.
AT that instant, however, Jim became
aware. OF an obstacle all but insuper-
able. He had caught up with the other
sleighs, and by all that was unlucky,
1t was at the point where the road first
enters the mountains. Scrub oaks and
yellow pine dwarfs, thick as the brist-
les on a brush. came down to the very
wheel ruts. 1t was foolishness to hin
OF driving by. n the sleighs were
crawling at a snail pace to allow tho
sled to overtake them. He held the
Impatient colt to a mlncing trot. fret
ting all the time and Tuning like .
trapped bear.
Soon from the distance behind came
the echo of bells. Rose caught it In
stantly and turned to look back.
My. but that horse OF Karl's is COM
ing, thought" h cried. Then she
aausiAeu VI Ills ear, a InOsL DeWltchlnE
little ripple. 1t was evident that she
was enjoying his dilemma.
He did not answer. The furious
driving behind was becoming more evil
dent. The driver in a minute would be
right upon h hind sleigh. and Jim
would be forced to stop and explain.
He looked right and left at the brush
tangle, the wild desperation of the cor
nered animal in his eyes.
He'll be here in just half a minute"
n laughed again In his ear. He turned
to catch the twinkle of mischief In her
Then came q LOUD hail from the rear:
Hold on there. Farthing. I've got
my horse now Hold on there"
Not by a long chalk" The words
fairly Kissed.
Say, you're not going to try to drive
alarm.
That's Just what I'm going to do.
Heigh there" he yelled to the sleighs
in front. Turn out there. quicker n
lightning. Turn out there! Turn gut,
/ say! I'm going by on the right. Sharp
Miss Harswick. Here she goes"
The road had grown slightly wider.
but 1T was inviting certain disaster to
try to run by in such a place. Auto
imat1caliy the sleighs ahead damned
the opposite wall Of scrub, and the
colt struck with the whip. darted for
ward like a wild thing. Instantly the
sleight was crashing and grinding into
the horny tansle. 1t reared on one
runner and rocked and plunged at q
maddening angle amid a chorus of ex-
from the sleighs. The
shaggy branches raked and gouged.
bit into the driver pitiless as
wires, but he sat stiff as a
Inch pin to trim the sleigh and shelter
the girl. His hat was smashed OFF by
a sprawling branch. but what's a hat?
A Jagged limb. cruel as a fish rake.
clutched into his face and hair; an
other snatched at the colt. and caught
a sinister finger into the harness, but
the straps held. In a minute it was all
n they were spinning along
with a clear road.
There" he cried e%xultantly; "think
he'll follow. Miss Hartswick?"
Mercy. MOI" she burst out. Say. that
is the most reckless driving [ ever saw.
I don't believe you could get through
there again in a thousand times"
Perhaps not" he retorted grimly,
but l started out to take you home,
and it'll AXE more'n bushes to stop
me-" There was bitterness In his heart.
The girl beside him was his only by
capture. Her heart was in the sleigh
behind. That was evident.
type Of man, truly. She glanced up
again furtively to catch a glimpse OF
his square Jaw and warlike figure. The
glance startled her.
"Why-why," she exclaimed, your
face is all blood"
ly. Bush struck me back there"
But let me see" She spoke impera-
lively, and he bent over toward her.
Why. there's a regular cash. and
It's bleeding terribly. Here. let me
wipe off the blood
ono M. NOT yyifh that H. oASoo<sl
quickly, but she paid no heed.
His heart began to beat almost au-
dibly. He woutd have his face carved
\ a German students IL she would
but bend over him like this and stroke
the blood with her handkerchief.
His exultation was short-lived. BY a
curious chance no o was he clear
of the bush than the road became sud-
denly wide enough for two teams
abreast. The man behind delayed not
sieighs. and now it was a straight
race, with Jim handicapped by
a hundred pounds. Soon the breath Of
the great bay was spouting down the
back of his neck, and a lusty voice
shouting almost in his ear:
"Heigh. there! amt you going to hold
up? Stop. l say"
Not by a long chalk" jim Wheeled
and flung back the challenge in hot
wrath.
.Heigh? What's that2"
Eve started out to take her home.
and by gun I'm going tot"
What do yeh mean2" snorted the
man, the true inwardness of things be-
ginning at last to filter through his
constituencies.
II mean exactly what I say" There
was no mistaking the mans tone. III
you ant her, come and get her"
by mighty. sc that's the game, is
it? You just walt a minute!" came
roaring back the answer, a sweep of
wrath shifting him in ,the face like a
whip. But it is not an easy matter on
a narrow O to rescue a purloined
maiden from a sleigh ahead, especially
when the etiquette of the ace forbids
shooting. For a mile it was a stern
chase, n 1t threatened to be a
long me-.
What are you going to do when he
catches you? Fight?' There was a
suspicion OF fun in her voice.
H hain't caught me yet" he snap
ped. rafting the whip again in the
socket.
But he will on Moon Run flats. He'll
run right round you
You wait and see."
but you're handicapped, and you
can't expect to beat that great bay.
~ ~ 49,