The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-01-16
CONTRAST.
written for The Catholic Bulletin by
=" Bessie Ann McHugh.)

Bessie Ann McHugh.)
Doctor Herrick's country place had
look of prosperity and thrift about
it. The blue-gray drive was well
raked, not a pebble was out of place.
The peculiarly green lockwood hedge,
waist high, was so neatly trimmed
and grown so closely that a baby
could walk on the top. Here and
there scattered on the lawn were
trees in a variety of green.
The big mansion, castle-like with
it's granite twin towers stood out
prominently, lording it over its less
conspicuous neighbors, and surveying
them with silent Indifference.
In the rear of the castle and quite
adjacent to the likewise granite
stables, was the half mile race track
where old John Cooney had spent
himself and his Italian Jumpers for
weeks, getting it in condition. 1t was
well rolled and sprinkled, the sur
rounding fences were freshly painted
white, each post at intervals of ten
feet giving support to crimson rose
bush, and did not seem to mind the
climber as it entwined itself up and
around and out along the top railing
until it joined its neighbor and gave
a veritable riot of color greeting to the
many people who had accepted the
Doctors invitation.
The grand stand, somewhat re-
moved from the track was moving
picture, as each row of seats filled up
with laughing, joyful crowd of
lovely women and handsome men,
who had come out of town to attend
the Doctors annual outing for the
crippled, children of the big hospital in
Chicago, of which he was the super
intendent. ~
(, The annual affair was always sue
cess, for the Doctor was everybodys
favorite, Notwithstanding his rough,
almost unoouth manner, and then, too,
helpless little ones ever appeal to
real, red-blooded women and men. r
The Doctor was leisurely strolling
up and down the track in front of the
admiring crowd trying to listen to the
man with the megaphone announcing
that the first race would be mile
running race with young ladies as
mounts, when he was interrupted by
a shrill voice screaming:
Look out! Look OUT"
All eyes turned to the track, one
hundred yards from the starting point,
and the single cry became a frenzied
yell when hundreds took it up. Every
body was yelling now. The cry be-
came a roar.
Look out! Look out!''
Cant some one stop him?"
God, she'll be killed."
No one attempted to stop a run
away horse, striking terror into all
hearts as he plunged down the track,
magnificent picture, his coal black
coat g1inting in the afternoon sun
light, his name and tail flying
straight, the bit in his teeth, boiling
furiously, refusing to answer the
Juggling and the pulling of the girl
astride.. ! Down the track he came
swaying across it, now close to the
onlookers and now near the pole, yet
keeping within the rails.
AS he. swept past the spectators, ex-
cited as. they had never been before,
some one asked:
who is she?''
'Why that is Nellie Glynn, beauti-
full Nellie Glynn," answered a second
voice.
She has him under control" said
a third.
No, she hasn't, look at him now"
shouted man as he darted down the
stand towards the track.
The big black, on the first turn had
jumped the fence, dragging the Grim
son ramb1ers with him and boltedI
across the green enclosure directly
towards the stand. No power on
earth could halt the crazed beast.
The poor creature on his back, pale
and Mortified, dropped the reins,
leaned forward and threw both arms
around his neck, a movement which
accelerated the wild dash. He at
tempted to hurdle the fence again
and reach the track and almost
cleared the top, but his hind foot
caught and he tumbled in an awful +
sprawl just under the wire, while the
girl thrown twenty feet over his
head, fell on to the track, her face
buried in the mud. |