The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-03-22

country he had watched from the
train; well, it made him feel a little
weak in the knees.
Then all of a sudden the unexpected
happened. One young hound that had
wandered off into a field unbeknownst
to the Master had found something
there, for his voice was raised joyfully
to the skies. In an instant the Master
was busily alert blowing his horn and
shouting, but to no avail, the pack
went over and under the fence, kalei-
doscopic flashes of white and brown.
Down the road the Master galloped
with everyone following after. Only
Striving and the groom with the sec
ond horse were left. The groom
fidgeted and glared at Striving; he
wanted to be off, but he had had his
orders. Striving looked at his watch
and then at the railroad station, and
thought of the Surrogate Court of APP
peals. The next instant he had pulled
the groom out Of the saddle and was
galloping down the road. How it all
came back to him after so many years.
The big thoroughbred mare with her
long Tangy gallop set him in a thrill
Of expectancy to see what she could do
at fence. In the distance he saw the
hounds had struck a line across coun-
try in the direction from which his
train had come. Soon he caught the
others up and they all damned at a
gate, the Master swearing wildly, but
nobody minded or heard. Then with
a rush they were through, and Striv-
ing, his trousers tapping at his ankles,
rode straight past the girl with the
gray.
You came" he heard her whisper,
Pm so glad. l thought for a moment
you
You thought" he grinned, Il could
only ride,-on a train
The girl nodded and flushed, and
Striving felt like a brute. But there
was no time now to talk; hounds were
two fields away and running abreast
high scent. Striving thought it the
pTettiest music he had heard in years.
They were all riding hard at stiff
board fence and each was choosing his
panel. The brown mare took it almost
in her stride, but the gray flashed past
her in the air, and Striving was sure
he heard a ripping laugh. She was
ahead of him now and he felt a won
derful pleasure in watching the wind
as it whipped at her hair and the way
she sat her horse.
He recalled landmarks here and
there that he had seen from the train
and he knew they were coming soon
to the lane. He jabbed the brown
mare with his heels and galloped close
to the gray. The girls face was pink,
their eyes met and this time she did
not laugh.
oh she begged, Il was only jok.
ing,-be careful. Please follow me,
this is all new country to you" But
Striving threw back his head and
laughed, big boyish laugh, and sent
the brown mare along.
They we're leading the rest of the
field with only the Master ahead
Striving could see him look back every
now and then and shout. Behind him
he heard the pounding of the gray S
hoofs. Once he glanced back and
waved his hand, but the girl did not
reply. A few fields away he saw a
house with below it a row of trees and
recognized the lane He marked the
place where the new panel should be
and soon saw it shining on the other
side. They were going a rafting pace
for the ground was damp and hounds
had never lost scent The lane lay al
the foot of a hill, and Striving rode al
il. barely checking at all. The mare
jumped in clean and he called 10 hel
when she jumped out over the stiff
new rail. AS he landed safely, gray