Mexico weekly ledger., 1909-04-01
The Man Who Wasn't Good Enough
BY ]. RUSSELL WARREN
V-

dust. but had not yet flooded every
thing. His pony covered msts after
mile with the swinging. STEADY stride
OF a bush-bred nag. She was a game
little beast, and in the pink OF condi
ti0n. He reached the foot OF the ran
ges In no time.
He had TO rein her in a little here
The slope was steep. and the ponys
boots slipped and slithered on the
shay ground. Al the top OF the first
rise she was painting, and he had tc
ease her for a feE minutes TO give heI
& breather. Then they went down the
slope at a canter. and up the text
rise.
Then he urged her into 8 hand-gal.
Top. The trail was Invisible to any
n but a bushmsn- But Fred Stevens
knew every inch OF It, and the pony
threaded her way through the gum
trees as only a horse bred in the bush
can.
She did the 20 miles to the Sturrs
river in a couple Of hours. Once she
seemed to falter. and Stevens heart
wen into his mouth. But is was only
a stumble. She recovered in a mo-
ment. and the stroke Of her hoofs was
as regular as ever. her breathing came
clear and steady.
And then they came TO the river,
The ford vas gone. The rain Of the
past few days had swollen the Sturra
from a narrow sluggish stream to q
wide swift food.
Stevens refined in aghast For a
moment he stared blankly at the river.
But Mullins must have crossed it; and
though he had certainly saved his nag,
he couldn't show Fred Stevens any
thing in riding. And. anyway, there
was no help for it. Not for miles up
and down stream was there any sort OF
a ford. Cross here he must.
He nudged the pony with his knees.
and chucked the reins sharply. She
started OF al a canter, and then broke
into a gzllop. At the waters edge
sss sAacksned. faltered and paused.
Esa1 lass, In with you. then,"
araE1hs1 Stevens. hozrssly.
she gathered herself together, and
lsalssE zus ITO the water: her forelegs
E--sanhsz uE Oas hnE shspeIy pas
1s7I I1ssFs the ushsr she struck the
KrE-ss E1-h Z r-esozn5sEg splash, and
vrsIr nsE-y uu5sr.
Th4 noe carried fhs- 5sw- a yard
AZ a ulms ant Ehs1 a. 1z SIZE strzs
Eist nst1rs On tht sgsas= bEzk they
had 10 uHEs hhrf usHrSy h1d q nile
IL ths urEA TbE1 sEEF thsy went
EEEin
The Sun Was baE1ing soxn On he
uRnE hErs bead His n; had been
Fwep1 81 in the ravsr. TsszEs went
h-H KuH zssrF every aow a16 tAen
He began 70 EvHy In his szS5la CAGE
O. ugbcs ou1T Ehsu NE p02Es stride
began 70 EEEks1 ia be yam himself
together and urge heE OF EEzin
They tapped . use, and he long.
l0E buildings Of the Wzrzvz stztioa
came into sight beyond a stretch Of
malice scrub Al last Stevens
brushed the hair back from his fore
bead. and snzcked the pony gsily
on the neck She shook her head and
whinnied plzintively.
what's up. old girl he cried
She stumbled on for a few yards and
then collapsed. He only just slipped
out Of the saddle in time.
He stood looking down az her. Her
bloodshot eyes were rolling. her breath
came in deep gasps, her f~oam-fecked
chest was heaving.
He knelt down and stroked her neck
soothingly, murmuring soft words Of
encouragement. In a little while she
responded. and struggled to her feet
He led her for a few yards. patting her
and letting her feel her way gingerIy.
Then he cIambered into the saddle
and set her of.
They plunged madly through the
malice. The sharp thorns tore the
pony's chest and tanks, and made
great ugly tears in the mans breeches.
Even his brown arm we're scratched
and bleeding. But they struggled
gamely on, and at last broke out of
the fringe of the malice into the grassy
paddock beyond. And then the nag
ven down with a crash, finging Ste
vens over her head. He sprang to his
feet, and stood there staring at her
nazedly. But she had scundered hope
lessly this time.
Then he turned and ran towards the
house, staggering blindly across the
grass.
Dorothy lay back in a wicker chair
on the veranda, looking out al the
rapidly deepening afterglow. Suddenly
a faint, hoarse co-e-ee came across the
paddock. She looked up wonderinely.
A dark swaying form was coming to-
wards her. Instinctlvely she shaded
her tired eyes with a thin white hand.
Then she sat up, her golden hair
streaming round her, her eyes strain.
ing to make out the newcomers face.
1t wasn't-it couldn't be-
And then with a sobbing cry of
"Dorry!" he fell on his knees beside
her, and dropped his head upon her
lap.
Finds Dollar Lost In Wreck.