YOURS WITH ALL MY HEART 



ma could never quite determine; but it was 

 a terrible moment for them, as well as me! 



The whizzing of the whip, a sound so un- 

 familiar to old Nellie's ears, startled her to 

 her utmost capacity; but I flew on, still in 

 advance, the great shaggy brute behind me 

 tearing after in a cloud of dust, raised by his 

 fierce, clawing pace. I was leaping three 

 times my slender length with every bound, but 

 my breath was coming with sobbing gasps, 

 and my little heart was 'bursting with fear ! 



I turned my beautiful eyes back, with one 

 appealing look, to papa's face; I saw the 

 open jaws and blood-red tongue of my pur- 

 suer close upon me. 'With the blind but 

 unerring instinct which God has given all 

 his gentle creatures for self-preservation, I 

 leaped straight across the roadway - across 

 old Nellie's mad advance. I heard a cry 

 from mamma. My pursuer tried to turn as 

 sharply, but slipped and fell, rolling over and 

 over in the dust. Papa was trying to bring 

 old Nellie upon her haunches to spring out 

 himself and intervene, but before he could 

 bring her up I had bounded from the ground 

 with a flying leap, high over the dasher, into 

 mamma's arms! 



37 



