Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-11-10
Copyright 1899
By cbas S6dRWrs soE@

his cigar angrily away. HE won't
kill u.s.
And you expect me to sit by and
fold my hands while that wretch sheds
more blood, do you?"
cit can't be helped"
II say it can be helped! can help
it will help it-as you could have
done if you had wanted to. l will
ride to Medicine Bend tonight and
help it."
Lance jumped to his feet, with a
string of oaths. 'Well, this is the linn
it," He pointed his finger at her.
"Dicksie Dunning, you won't stir out
of this house tonight"
Her face hardened. "How dare you
speak in that way to me? Who are
you, that you order me what to do,
where to stay? Am your cowboy, to
be defiled with your curses?"
He looked at her in amazement. She
was only IS; he would still face her
down., 'Tll tell you who I am.
am master here, and you will do as l
tell you. You will ride to Medicine
Bend tonight, will your" He struck
the table with his clinched fist. do
you hear me? I say, by God, not
horse shall leave this ranch in this
storm tonight to go anywhere for
anybody or with anybody"
Then 1 say to you this ranch is my
ranch, and these horses are my
horses! From this hour forth l will or
der them to go and come when and
where / pleased" She stepped toward
him. "Henceforward l am mistress
here Do you hear me? Henceforward
give orders in Crawling Stone house,
and every one under this roof takes
orders from mel"
"Dicksie, what do you mean? For
Gods sake, you're not going to try
to ride"
She swept from the room. What
happened afterward she could never
recall. Who got Jim for her or wheth-
er she got the horse up herself, what
was said to her in low, kindly words
of warning by the man at Jim's neck
when she sprang into the saddle, who
the man was, she could not have told
All she felt at last was that she was
free and out under the black sky, with
the rain beating her burning face and
her horse leaping fearfully into the
wind.
No man could have kept the trail to
the pass that night. The horse took
it as il the path flashed in sunshine,
and swung into the familiar stride
that had carried her so many times
over the 20 miles ahead of them. The
storm driving into Dicksie's face
cooled her. Every moment she recol-
lected herself better, and before her
mind all the aspects of her venture
ranged themselves. She had set
herself to race, and against her rode
the hardest rider in the mountains.
She had set herself to what few men
on the range would have dared and
what no other woman on the range
could do gust drove into her face.
They were already at the head of the
pass, and the horse, with level ground
underfoot, was falling into the long
reach; but the wind was colder.
Dicksie lowered her head and gave
Jim the rein. She realized how wet
she was; her feet and her knees were
wet She had no protection but her
skirt, though the meanest rider on
all her countless acres would not have
braved a mile on such a night without
leather and fur The great lapels of
her riding-jacket, reversed, were but
toned tight across her shoulders, and
the double fold of fur lay warm and
dry against her heart and lungs; but
her hands were cold, and her skirt
dragged leaden and cold from her
waist, and water soaked in upon her
chilled feet.
She became conscious of how fast
she was going. Instinct, made keen
by thousands of saddle miles, told
Dicksie of her terrific pace. She was
riding faster than she would have
dared go at MONDAY and without
thought or fear of accident. In spite
of the sliding and the plunging down
the long hill, the storm and the dark
ness brought no thought of fear for
herself; her only fear was for those
ahead. In supreme moments horse,
like a man when human efforts be-
come superhuman, puts the lesser dan
gers out of reckoning, and the facul-
ties, set on a single purpose, though
strained to the breaking-point, never
break. Low in her saddle, Dicksie
tried to reckon how far they had come
and how much lay ahead. She could
feel her skirt stiffening about her
knees, and the rain beating at her
face was sharper; she knew the sleet
as it stung her cheeks, and knew what
next was coming-the snow.
There was no need to urge Jim. He
had the rein and Dicksie bent down to
speak to him, as she often spoke
when they were alone on the road,
when Jim, boiling, almost threw her.
Recovering instantly, she knew they