Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-04-16
"DoC'!''
BY
By HAROLD TITUS.
Author Of ITO the Victor"
Copyright
The Frank A. Munsey Company
The Frank A. Munsey Company

Nor any other with such hair
Hardy breathed. 1T isn't red-its--
it's"
He was struck wOrdless by sight OF
her browning adornment shaken out
to its full beauty great urge to run
his fingers through it, to bury his face
in II. shook him. And he was con-
sciously confused by the unconven.
tionality of the happening.
Ruth looked at him steadily, her
eyes dancing.
"A little embarrassed, aren't YOU"
she tainted. Il don't suppose the
girls In your country do their hair be.
fore men who are almost strangers,
Neither do the girls | went to school
with in St. Louis-largely because
there Is little need.
They don't ride bucking horses,
either, you see?' and broke again into
her infectious laughter.
Hardy laughed, too, at the ease with
which she read him and at the pointed
ness Of. her reasoning. He wondered
when he had ever seen another girl
who had thrilled him as did this
daughter Of the prairie. sitting loosely,
heedlessly on horse that had just
tried to pitch her off doing her hair!
Then, without whimper, noseless
az shadows, backs humping and
straight ,ning with a liquid smooth.
ness as the nlmble. spindly legs drew
in and ctretc. ed OUT, the three grey.
hounds were of in the wa..o OF jack
rabbit which had evidently stood their
presence as long as his frayed nerves
would allow, and then broke for the
safety of distance.
Jabbing the hat-pin home with
throaty cry, Ruth Mitchell called to
her pinto.
Hardy looked ahead and saw the
jack, less than a dozen yards from the
tan dog which led the others, ears
back, catapult for speed,
The stretching hounds closed swift
ly. silently, something grim about
the 1.-THE unduIating bodies with trail.
ing tails and bellies close TO the
ground
II looked like no race at all
The tan dog bore within striking
distance with her first rush of effort,
seeming to stretch her nose INFO the
fore and pull herself along with still
more speed. gaining foot by foot, re.
lentlessly, confidently; then inch by
inch as she settled 10 the more deadly
less brilliant running; legs working
with the rythm and precision of metal
mechanism, ears down, making her
appear meek and harmless.
The nose dropped lower, the long
neck bowed. the splendid regularity of
the animals motions broke short, be-,
came rudcly disorganized as, with a
twist OF the head, she opened her jaws
for the jack, lunged, missed, and
sprawled.
For the rabbit was gone; had
lodged with the abruptness of
glancing bullet, and let the overbal.
anced hound tumble along on her old
course.
Babe. Babe after him, Nig!"
cried the girl at Hardy's side. Then
TO her horse Spot. Stretch out
now--y0u're sulking."
And with the overland. cross.bodi.
cd motion of the range.ridcr, she fail
ed the hndQuarters of her streaking
pony.
The black dog, which had tralled at
first, went into the lead as the others
lost the race for a moment.
He could cut off and they could not,
80 he charged behind the scudding
jack.rabbt with strides that seemed
so deliberate. yet which carried him
over the prairie with tenacious swift.
ness; and the. other dogs came on,
gray leading the Babe hound for the
once. closing all the time on the
black.
But the little tan.cOurser would not
be outpaced. She bowed to the going
with renewed determination, drew
alongside the gray, edged ahead. seem.
ing to gain in jerks instead of with
constant acceleration.
"Oh. but she's a racer!' Hardy
heard the girl cry, and looked up from
the business Of riding long enough TO
see her. lips parted. wind ripping the
stray strands of her wondrous hair,
scarlet kerchief swapping at the nape
Of her neck. strainins forward in
her saddle. fein.hand high and moving
back and forth to the swing Of The
running hounds. alert. intent. forget.
ful Of the pony that raced under her
and Of the man who road at her side