The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-09-04
CHAPTER vi.


-
The appearance Of Miss Lucy Nor
gan the next day, as she sat in
Georges fast cutter, proved so charm
Ing that her escort was stricken to.
soft words instantly and failed to con
troll a poetic impulse. "You look
like" he said. "Your face looks
1ike-it looks like a snowflake on a
lump Of coal. I mean "a snowflake
that would be a rose-leaf tool"
perhaps you'd better look at the
reins," she returned. 1--WE almost up
set just then"
George declined to heed this advice.
Because there's too much pink in
your cheeks for q snowflake" he con-
tinued. "What's that fairy story about
snow-white and rose-red-"
"We're going pretty fast, Mr.. Nina
ferw
"Well, you see. Tn only here for
two weeks"
II mean the sleigh" she explained.
AWe're not the only people on the
street, you know"
"Oh, they'll keep out Of the way"
THAT'S very patrician charioteeer-
ing, but it seems to me a horse like
this needs guidance. I'm sure he's
going almost twenty miles an hour"
THAT'S nothing" said George; but
he consented to look forward again.
He can trot under three minutes, all
right" He laughed. II suppose your
father thinks he can build a horseless
carriage to go that fast!"
They go that fast already, some
times"
"Yes." said George; "they do-for
about a hundred feet! Then they give
a yell and burn up"
Evidently she decided not to defend
her fathers faith in horseless car
riages, for she laughed and said moth.
ing. The cold air was polka-dotted
with snowflakes, and trembled to the
loud, continuous jingling Of sleigh
bells. Boys and girls. all aglow and
painting jets of vapor, darted at the
passing sleighs to ride on the runners,
or sought to rope their sleds to any
vehicle whatever. but the fleetest no
more than just touched the flying cut
ter, though a hundred soggy mittens
grasped for 1t, then reeled and whirled
till sometimes the wearers of those
daring mittens plunged fiat in the
snow and lay a-sprawl, rejecting.
But there came painting and chug-
:ging up that flat t~horoughfare a thing
which some day was to spoil AIN their
sleightime merriment-save for the
rashest and most disobedient. 1t was
vaguely like a topless surrey, but cum
brous with u~nwholesome excrescences
fore and aft, while underneath were
spinning leather belts and something
that whirred and howled and seemed
to stagger. The ride-stealers made no
attempt to fasten their sleds to q con-
%trivance so nonsensical and yet so
fearsome. Instead they gave over their
sport and concentrated all their ener-
gies in their lungs, so that up and
down the street the n cry shrilled
increasingly: "Git a boss! Git a boss!
Git a boss! Mister, why don't you git
a hoss?" But the mahout in charge,
sitting solitary on the front seat, was
unconcerned-he laughed, and now
and then ducked a SNOWFALL without
losing any Of his ~good-nature. It was
Mr.. Eugene Morgan who exhibited so
cheerful q c~ountenance between the
forward visor of a deer-stalker cap
and the collar of a fuzzy gray ulster.
"'Git a hoss!" the children shrieked,
and gruffer voices Joined them. "Git
a boss! Git a boss! Git a hoss"
George Minafer vas correct thus
far; the twelve miles an hour of such
a machine would never overtake
Georges trotter. The cutter was al
ready scurrying between the stone pill
lars at the entrance to Anderson ad-
dition.
That's my gra%ndfather's." said
George, nodding toward the Anderson
mansion.
II ought to know that" Lucy ex-
claimed. I'VE stayed there late enough
last night: papa and I were almost
the last to go. He and your mother
and Miss Fanny Minafer got the mu-
sicians to play another waltz when
everybody else had gone downstairs
and the fddles were being put away
in their cases. Papa danced part of
1t with Miss Minafer and the rest with
your mother. Miss Minafer's your
aunt. isn't she7"
"Yes; she lives with us. That's our
house just beyond g~randfather's." He
waved a sealskin gauntlet to indicate