The Raymer enterprise., 1923-07-05

from something; what that was shs
did not know. But she remembered
Florence, and she wanted to look back.
yet hated to do 30 for fear Of the
nameless danger Florence had men
toned.
Madeline listened for the pounding
Of pursuing hoofs In her rear. Invol.
unfairly she glanced back. On the
mile or more Of gray level between
her and the ridge there was not q
horse, man, or anything living. She
wheeled to look back on the othQ
side, down the valley slope.
The sight Of Florence riding Majesty
In zigzag flight before a whole troop Of
vaqueros blanched Madeline's cheek
and made her grip the pommel Of her
saddle In terror. That strange gait
Of her roam was not his wonderful
stride. Could Majesty be running
wild? It flashed over Madeline that
Florence was putting the horse to
some such awkward flight as might
have been expected Of an eastern girl
frightened out of her wits. Madeline
made sure Of this when, after looking
again, she saw that Florence. In spite
Of the horses breaking gait and the
irregular course, was drawing slowly
and surely down the valley.
Madeline had not lost her head
to the extent Of forgetting hes swn
mount and the nature Of the ground u
front When. presently, she turned
again to watch Florencs. uncertainty
ceased In her mind. The strange fea-
lures Of that race between gin and
vaqueros were no longer In evidence.
Majesty was In his beautiful, wonder.
full stride, low down along the ground.
stretching. with his nose level and
straight for the valley. Between him
and the lean horses In pursuit lay an
ever-increasing space. He was running
away from the vaqueros Florence was
Indeed "riding the wind" a. Stewart
had aptly expressed his idea Of flight
upon the fleet roam.
A dimness came over Madeline's
eyes, and It was not all owing to the
sting Of the wind. She rubbed It away,
seeing Florence a. q flying dot In q
strange blur. What daring, intrepid
girl! This kind Of strength-and aye.
splendid thought for q weaker sister
was what the West inculcated In
woman.
The next time Madeline looked bnck
Florence was far ahead Of her pur-
suers and going out of sight behind .
low knoll. Assured Of Florsnce's safe
ty, Madeline put her mind to her own
ride and the possibilities awaiting at
the ranch. She remembered the fail.
ure to get any Of her servants or COW.
boys on the telephone. To be sure, Q
windstorm had once broken the wire.
But she had little real hope Of such
being the case In this instance. She
rode on. pulling the black a. she
neared the ranch.
It was perhaps fortunate for her,
she thought. that the climb up the
slope cut the blacks speed 20 she could
manage him. He was not very hard
to stop. The moment she dismounted,
however, he Jumped and trotted OF.
At the edge Of the slope, facing the
corrals, he halted to lift his head and
shoot up his ears Then he let out q
piercing whistle and dashed down the
lane.
Madeline. prepared by that warning
whistle, tried to fortify herself for .
new and unexpected situation; but a.
she espied an unfamiliar company Of
horsemen rapidly riding down hollow
leading from the foothills she felt the
return Of fears gripping at her like
cold hands, and she fed precipitously
Into the house.