Evening journal., 1910-03-14
Avid Race
By WILLIAM EASTMAN
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.

what they wished and what was best
for them to eat. After dinner. while
smoking with my host, / asked him if
his wife. being such gentle, feminine
little woman. did not find life in a
new country distasteful.
lie smiled. ~ could tell you a story
about that gentle, feminine little wo-
man." he said. that would make
your hair curl"
"Do So" replied.
Lisa" he began-"that's my wife
was born out here. Her father came
out to mine When she was sixteen
years old she was out one day with
her father and brother, who were pros
pectlng. They had with them a horse
Of Tennessee racing stock and feet as
the wind.
while Lisa was flower gathering
and her father and brother feeling
about in the ground with their picks
suddenly she heard a noise She look
ed up and saw her father and brother
/ looking at each other, both very pale
Then her father ran TO Jack, calling
/ to her at the same time to come {,
him, loosed the bride rein, put her %
/ him and said;
"'Ride for your life. A cloudburst
is coming. Stick to Jack. He can out
run anything
"And. turning the horses head down
the gorge. he gave him a slap on his
haunch. and away he went, with little
Lisa astraddle Of his back.
1T was not far to q canyon commu-
nicating with the gorge they were in.
and IL Lisa could have turned her
horse into it she would have been
safe. Her father and brother, who
rode the other two horses, did this
and had the satisfaction to see the
torrent boiling past them. they being
on higher ground and out Of its path
But in giving her the high bred racer
they had endangered her instead Of
giving her the best chance. Jack.
hearing the torrent coming after him.
became unmanageable through terror
and shot right past the mouth Of the
canyon.
Fortunately Lisa had been used to
horses. She knew her danger too.
Jack was liable every moment to fall
and was killing himself in the strug
gle. How he ever passed over the
path he did | can't imagine. I've been
over it often since, and every time J
wonder more. If he fell the torrent
, would be on him and his rider before
, he could get up and she mount him
! again. even if that were possible. If
he became exhausted that meant
S death too.
:. "Once. she says. she looked back t.
4 see what had become of her father
n and brother. She saw great trees
II hurled by a mad torrent against the
j. rocky sides Of the canyon. One sigh
g OF such a scene was enough for her
i She tried TO soothe her horse by
speaking to him and patting him Oh
e the neck. Several times he had stun
e bled, but recovered himself, and She
o knew this was her greatest danger.
"Well, here l come in. l was ten
derfoot ordered by my doctor 10 com'
out here to breathe the mo1ntain air
At the time Lisa was coming dowi
the canyon I was being driven in q
. lAkAL .WUhOM III AnG WHHoSAAC hAAt~NAPA
: by a man l had hired for the purpose
4 We heard a roaring; but, ] being q
! greenhorn in the country and the driv
i, er being stupid, neither Of us knew
= what it meant The road was narrow
n Beside il was the waterway and oI
o either hand the canyons walls.
a. suddenly saw up the gorge a hors
is coming llckety split and knew by flut
J. tering skirts that a woman was ol
IS him. Tie couldn't pass us at that gal
d owing TO the fact that we took up al
but about three feet of the road. Lis
says he seemed to recognize the fact
for he slowed up of his own accord.
Just before Lisa reached us my driN
er seemed to catch the meaning Of
q all and jumping from the wagon, b'
u gan to scramble up the side OF th
canyon. ]. not understanding whs
was the matter. sat still till the gil
came up. had never seen her b
~ fore, but / was not likely to forget th
"a picture. Her horse was white wit
IS foam: her hair had broken loose an
k was flying in the wind.
a. IA cloudburstv she cried.
sc II didn't know what a cloudbur
NJ was, but at that moment caught sigi
e. Of its forward edge and didn't nee
~ any one 10 tell me. l had come we
os in a sleeping berth all the way fro
n Ohio and was weak as n kitten. N
n cowardly driver was taking care
en- himself, but paying no attention
he me. The girl took in the situatio
is She was trying to squeeze her hor
II between the stone wall OF the gul'
!, and the wagon, but had presence
~ mind TO call to me to get. on behiI
her. One glance at that coming dea
H. gave me all the strength ! needed. al
T. was on Jack in jiffy. Then 81
81 let him go egain.
n I'VE were a mile from her home. &
II horse was getting exhausted. and nc
>e' he had a double load. She knew W,
~ enough that she was halving b
' chances at taking me on. but we ma
ks eyed to keep ahead OF the food. al
,e- in a few minutes Jack mounted I
,w rising ground that led to his stable.
ed "And that" my host concluded.
ng the gentle. feminine woman you
n talking about"
"She's that and a heroine besides
in l supplemented.
Sht