Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-03-20
The House of the Black
BEL PATE: Ring e..z=!s... 1905
CHAPTER III-continued.
By F. l. Pattee

CHAPTER III--Continued.
I'm, she did. II was as IL she
we're strapped on. She anticipated
every movement and checked and
refined and braced and swung, until
after a moment the scared morse
| lighted out full speed on straight
away trot. az II she were In sulky
| and on the homestretch. IL was an
| experience TO shake the life out or one,
| but the girl kept her seat. 1t was as
| II she had always ridden that way. In
| three minutes she had the horse In
| rocking canter Then Jim loped up
on the mustang. He was perched pre- :
car!ously on the side-saddle, and his
face was full Of apprehension she
| looked over at him and laughed.
This is fine!" she cried, turning to
him n face fairly radiant with enjoy
ment.
"Whv. I'd no idea she'd do that" he
began to apologize. You see she
never"
But isn't she little wonder, though?
My. can't she go! ] had no ldea you
had such a horse" Her hair was shak-
en- in curly little wisps about her face,
and her cheeks were glowing. She
seemed to be perched carelessly on the
saddle, SO that the slightest movement
might shake her off.
"By George, / thought she'd XIII you
sure. Aren't you hurt? Aren't you
shaken all to pieces? Wait, let me
help you down"
"Pshaw! that's nothing. I'm going
to ride some more. It's fun She
laughed up at him again in way that
made her finger-tips prickle.
Say" he burst out, II don't believe
there's another girl in the state who
there's half a dozen in the whole
world" There was no mistaking the
tone in the young fellows voice.
"The idea! cant ride much. But.
say. this is no saddle horse. She's a
trotter."
IT know tt"
Really? Then what are you riding
der for? You're spelling her"
Young Jim could have told the exact
truth, but he didn't. He preferred to
keep silent.
You're too heavy in the first place.
You must weigh'-looking him over
with Judging eye-"all Of one hundred
and eighty"
"One hundred and eighty-four ex-
actly."
That's IT, and the mare here goes
barely 900. And she's fine-boned, SEN
sitive little thing. It's risky for you
10 be jumping her around on these
miserable roads, and besides that you
are teaching her 80 she'll break every
she ever trOtted to a sulky?"
she's got a record Of 2:25."
"No-o-o! Why. Mr.. Farthing, never
dreamed you had such horse up there.
When did you get herr"
"rvc had her ever since she was
colt"
"If | had known It I should have had
her out before this time, I'll tell you
hat" She looked up at him archly.
and then laughed in mere girlish full
ness of life. Say I want to try her
in the harness some time? May II"
why, yes. Certainly"
Right Off? This week?"
IT'S muddy for trotting, amt Il?
The roads are all like this or worse"
There's the Gum stump pike" she
suggested. That's fairly hard now"
"All right. VIII you go with me
some afternoon this week and try her?
Say Thursday. viii your" he asked
eagerly, refining his horse a little closer.
Yes. can go Thursday. Say, l be-
iIeve II this mares handled right she's
better than 2:25. Just see what a chest
she's got and what neck and should
ers, and see that clean. dainty little
head. Why. her records written all
over her"
We've been pretty busy up to our
place. and I really haven't had time to
exercise her"
why uOn't you let tne WltCneS 90
II ?" she flashed up at him mischievous-
iy. up in the old house there? They're
out, you know"
Are they? Perhaps can" he
Guess you'd be safer, though;
when shall CALI"
1.-TWO II you can. I've got TO be back
by five. Here we are" She drew up
the horse suddenly and turned him
partly around. Wen have to swap
horses here; I've got an errand a mile
down this road. Here now, hootchie,
don't you shy when l jump off. Here!
here! See that? Haven't l got her
Why, in week she'd be just
like a kitten, wouldn't she? What's
her name?" She had alighted and stood
the horses nose.
"Dolly-Dolly Gray"
Fine! Well, 'goOdby, Dolly Gray"
into his face with mere joy of life. An
instant later she was on her own horse
and off down the branch road. A dozen |
bounds and she turned lightly i'm her |
saddle.
"Goodby. till Thursday" she called |
Then she swung around the bend out of |
sight
1t was n full minute before he had |
himself enough fully to realize
what he was about. No wonder the |
boys lost their heads. Young Jim had |
lost his for the first time in his life |
For him now there was but one thing |
In all the world, and that was Thurs
lay-but much was to happen before |
Thursday.