The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-12
LADY ATHLYNE
 Copyright, 1908, BRAM STOKER
 Enterc at rights


it; ana the horse knew it too from the first moment when his hand touched the bridle. After the first ride up the Riverside Drive the two became under standing friends.
 The effect of the exercise on Lord Athlyne was to do away with his in tention of trying to discover the iden- tity of the offending lady. He would start soon for the Rockies and get aft CT the grizzlies. Or better still he would go home. shake off his alias, and return-a free man.
 on the Sunday afternoon he went for a ride in the direction he liked best
 up the Riverside Drive. He went quiet ly till he got near the University where there was long stretch of proper rid ing ground. There he let the black horse go, and the noble beast went along at a splendid pace. It was still a little early. and though there were a good many pedestrians there were but few persons in carriages or 'horse- backing and so the ride was fairly free. Horse and man were a noble pair. The one jet black. full of fire and mettle, every movement, charged With power and grace; the other tall and slim, hard as nails with his long spell of South African soldering. sit ting like a centaur- Man and horse to- sether moved as one. All eyes were turned on them they swept by, with admiring glances from both women and men. each in their respective ways. Two park policemen, a sergeant and a roundsnan. both finely mounted. were jogging quietly along. As the black horse came flashing up the roundsman said:
 Shall I stop him. sergeant?' The other looked on admiringly and an- swered quietly:
 Guess noti 'TwouId be a burnin' shame to stop them two. Alp there won't be any neyther, they know what they're doin', Halloran. They ain't go- in' to ride down nobody. Did ye iver see finer seat. I'd bet that's an Eng lisn cavalry man. Look at the spring of him. Be the Lord I'd like to be in his shoes this minute!"
 Amongst the few riders Athlyne pass ed on his course were an old man and young woman. The man tall with big white moustache, a naughty bearing. and steely eyes under shaggy white brows. The girl tall and slim ana graceful with black hair and big gray eyes. Both were fairly well mounted. but the girls mare was restive and shying at anything. As the black horse came laundering along she had to use considerable skill and force to keep her from bolting. Ath- Tyne had just time for a passing glance as he swept by; but in that instant the face and figure became photographed on his memory. The girl turned and looked after him; she was in the re- captive period of her young woman hood when every man has charm and when such a noble figure as was now presented is a power. With a sigh she turned and said to her companion: That is the horse that we saw sold at the Horse Exchange. was jealous of whoever bought it then. I'm not new; a man who can ride like that de- serves him. Daddy. don't you think he is something like what man ought to be? I dor'
 You're right. little girl. But you'd better not say things like that to any one else but me; they mightn't under standr' Joy made no answer but she smiled to herself. During the hour or two that followed she chatted happily with her father. They had occasional canters and gallops until the road got too crowded when they went along more sedate1y. Whenever her father suggested turning homeward she al- ways pleaded for one more turn:
 Just one more. Daddy. It is so de- HghtfGl here; and the river is so love- ly-" Of course she had her way. The old man found more true happiness in pleasing her than in any other way In her heart. though she did not tell her father for she felt that even he mightn't understand. she had a wish that the man on the black horse would return the same way. She had feel ing that he would.
 After his gallop Athlyne went quietly along the road past Grants Tomb and followed the course of the Drive. Here broken barrier; then after him a pO- iceman whose horse the Tomb is erected. Below it is the valley of some old watercourse into the Hudson. This valley has been bridged by viaduct over which the Drive continues it's course up the side of the river for many miles. To-day however, it was necessary to make a detour, descend the steep on the hither side of the val ley and rise up the other side. Some settlement had affected the base of the up-river end of the bridge and it had given away. The rock on which New York is based is of a very soft nature, and rots slowly away, so that now and again a whole front of a house will slide down slope, and the underlying rock having perished- Not long be- fore this had actually happened to a group of houses in Park Row. Now the bridge had fallen away; the road ended abruptly, and below jay a great shapeless mass of twisted metal and stone. The near end of the viaduct was barred off with wooden rails. and in the centre was a great board with a warning that the thoroughfare was closed.
 Athlyne rode up as far as the Up- Town Club. sat for awhile amongst the | trees on the river bank and thought | of many things. Amongst these of the | girl with the gray eyes who looked so | admiringly at his horse-or himself. | Perhaps he accepted the latter alter | native. for as his thoughts ran he | smiled and stroked his big moustache. l
 When he rode towards town again he 1 kept 9 sharp look out, unconsciously | slackening speed when any old man and young woman riding together | came in sight. He had ascended the | eastern side of the valley, over which l lay the broken viaduct, and com | mcnced to traverse the curved slope | leading up to Grants Tomb when he heard a sudden shouting on the road i in front and saw a rush of people to beth sides and up the steps to the Tomb. An instant after a mounted | constable appeared urging his horse to l a gallcp as he cried out:
 Clear the roadi Clear the rOadi It | a run-a-wayi" Instinctively Athlyne l drew to the roadside. double purpose l in his mind: to keep the way clear as 1 directed. and to be able to render as | sistance if possible. The noise and | cries drew closer and there was on the hard road a thunder of many hoof | strokes. Then round the curve swept | a brown mare dashing madly in a | frenzied gallop-the neck stretched out