The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-04-01
The House Of the Black
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Let him come"
And you're not going to stop? She
could hardly believe her ears.
mol Nv started out to take you
homo and I'm going to-" His jaws set
like q trap. .... .....H. ......
face and settled back without another
word. After all a woman likes a mas
terful man, one equal to emergencies,
n who will fight for her to the last
ditch. 1t is doubtful IL there are many
women even today who would really
object to being eloped with, IL 1t were
done strenuously enough, and IL the af-
fair could end when they said h 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,
II was at the point where the road first
enters the mountains. Scrub oaks and
yellow pine dwarfs, thick as the brist-
les on q brush, came down to the very
wheel ruts. 1t was f~oolishness to think
OF driving by, and the sleighs were
crawling at a snail pace to allow the
sled to overtake them. He held the
impatient colt to a mincing trot, fret
ting all the time and Tuning like a
trapped bear. T. 49,.
Soon from the distance behind came
the echo of bells. Rose caught II in
stantly and turned to look back.
My, but that horse Of Karl's is COM
ing, thought" she cried. Then she
laughed In his ear, a most bewitching
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 the 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"
she laughed again in his ear. He turned
eyes, and II smote him like q spur. .
Then came a loud hail from the rear:
Hold on there, Farthing. I'VE got
my horse now. Hold on there"
mot by a long chalk!". The words
fairly Missed. '..
Say. you're not going to try to drive
by?" She Strengthened up In real
alarm.
That's just what. I'm going 10 do.
Heigh there!" he yelled to the sleighs
in front. Turn out there. quicker n
lightning. Turn out there! Turn out,
l say! I'm going by on the right. Sharp
there, or I'll smash into yeh! Hold tight,
Miss Harswick. Here she goes!"
The road had grown slightly wider,
pul Il was llLIlB CGIIdlu ulSdSI6T TO
try to run by in such a place. Auto
matically the sleighs ahead damned
into 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
h horny tangle. 1t reared on one
runner and rocked Had plunged at q
maddening angle amid a chorus Of ex-
CARNATIONS from the sleighs. The
shaggy branches raked and gouged.
They bit into the driver pitiless as
barbed 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 1t was all
over. and they were spinning along
with a clear road.
There" he cried exultantly; think
he'll follow Miss Hartswick?" .
Mercy, MOI" she burst out Say, that
Is n most reckless driving I ever saw.
/ 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 take 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.
She did not reply. This was a new
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"
"only a Scratch" he answered light
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 of the blood"
mo, no.; not with that" he objected
quickly, but she paid no heed.
His heart began to beat almost au-
dibly. He would have his face carved
1 k a German students IL she would
but bend over him like this and stroke
away the blood with her handkerchief,
His exultation was short-lived. BY a
curious nance no sooner va he clear
of the bush than the road became sud
denly wide enough for two teams
abreast. The man behind DELAYED not
an instant, but dashed by the line OF
sleighs, and now II was a straight
away race, with Jim handicapped by.
q hundred pounds. Soon the breath OF
h great bay was spouting down the
back of his neck, and q lusty voice
shouting almost In his ear
"Heigh, there! amt o 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 that?"
"Ive started out to take her home,
and by gum I'm going to!"
What do yeh mean?" snorted the
man. the true inwardness Of things be-
ginning at last to filter through his
consciousness.
II mean exactly what 1 say" There
was no installing the mans tone. eff
you want Eer, come n get her."
by mighty; 80 that's the game, is
it? You Just wait a minute!" came
roaring back the answer, a sweep of
wrath shifting him In the face like a
whip. But 1t Is not an asy matter on
a narrow road to rescue a ~purloined
maiden from a sleigh ahead, especially
when the etiquette Of the race forbids
shooting. For a mile IT was G. stern
chase, and 1t threatened 10 be a
long one.