414 



RECREATION. 



lessly and gave Robert his head, merely 

 keeping a strain on the bit. I felt as 

 wild and heedless as the horse. He 

 made one or two vicious snaps at my 

 leg, but I cured him of that by bringing 

 the loaded butt end of the whip between 

 his eyes with a force that nearly felled 

 him. Faster and faster we flew, in a 

 cloud of dust, for Robert had not been 

 out in the paddock for some time and 

 was thorougly enjoying his spin. 



As we entered the town I endeavored 

 to pull him in, but his neck was like a 

 bar of iron ; there was no help for it, 

 and I had to let him swing at full speed 

 and get out of the city as soon as pos- 

 sible. I turned down the next street to 

 get back on the country road, when it 

 instantly flashed across me we were on 

 the street where the Sheldons lived. 



I looked ahead and saw Miss Shel- 

 don, her father and Steve standing on 

 the porch. The buggy was at the curb, 

 and, oh horror ! in the same glance I 

 saw two little carts, each containing 

 two children and each drawn by two 

 others, blocking the narrow road. The 

 children were paralyzed and motionless 

 with terror. There was no room to 



pass them, as they were drawn across 

 the road. I might easily have leaped 

 over their heads, but that a mother of 

 the children, seeing their peril, came 

 running toward them. 



I could not stop the devil of a horse, 

 and, as I .swept toward them, I cast 

 about me for a means to avoid crushing 

 them. Almost in front of the Sheldons' 

 house a private carriage road branched 

 from the main road. I glanced hastily 

 up this road for a means of escape and 

 saw it was closed by a five-barred gate. 



" One life or seven !" I cried in 

 agony. I threw another glance at the 

 party on the porch and saw they were 

 sickening with fear and horror. Jessie's 

 hands were raised in supplication, her 

 father's face was covered with his, 

 while Steve gazed in stony silence. 



" Oh, thou devil !" I cried, address- 

 ing the horse by his name. " Kill me, 

 but do not disgrace me before Jessie." 



Like a whirlwind I was swept toward 

 the children, who were but three feet 

 beyond the road I meant to take. I 

 now lashed the horse furiously, and at 

 the proper moment threw all my 

 weight on the left rein. Robert either 



KILL ME, BUT DO NOT DISGRACE ME.. 



