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Mr. Drew getting mopier and mopier.
He'd ride out alone and meet them
by accident, and Miss Millicent would
bow coldly fb him, and Faulkner
would nod in his patronizing manner.
It seemed all over with Mr. Drew's
chances. I went into town to see the
circus one night and who Bhould I
meet at the tent door but my old
friend Jim Haynes with his trick
mare. It seemed like Providence.
"I can't sell you Nancy," he said,
looking at me in astonishment when
I made the suggestion. "Why, that
horse is worth five thousand dollars
to me. But I'd lend her to you see
ing it's you maybe, if you wouldn't
ride her too hard. What's the game?"
When I told him he swore be
wouldn't take any money. It was as
good as a play, he said, and he hoped
Td tell him all about it the next day.
You see, when you touched Nancy's
flank, ever so lightly, she'd run round
and round like a spinning wheel until
you got dizzy and tumbled off. And of
course, none of those country jays
who tried to ride her for the ten-dollar
prize had sense enough to keep"
his heels off of her.
"Can't let you have Beauty today,
sir," I told Mr. Faulkner the next
morning. "She's a little off her feed,
sir. But I've a nice little mare here
quiet as a Babe and fit for a lady," I
says, knowing he was a coward with
horses, for only a coward would have
misused Beauty so. "But don't spur
her," I added, "because if she is a
little slow she does her best, and she
ain't so young as she was."
You see, mister, I had to give the
fellow hiB chance. I warned hi
v that's fair. I knew he'd tear her
flanks, but I wasn't going to let Miss
Millicent suffer if I could help it
"Mr Drew," says I that same
morning, "if you was to take a little
ride out to Holmes' Height about 11
o'clock, maybe it wouldn't come
amiss."
"What d' you mean, Hicks?" he
nsks, sharp as a needle.
"Nothing more than that, sir," I
answered. "'Take Beauty, "sir. She's
been mishandled and she'll like to feof
she's carrying a gentleman again.'
He grinned. "I don't quite follow
you, but I'm on, Hicks," he says. And
so I saddled my little mare and- rode
out with Miss Millicent and Faulkner,
and fell behind, as a groom ought tc
when .his young lady has a beau.
I fell a good ways behind that day
and when we reached Holmes' Height
they had disappeared over the rise I
knew Faulkner would just about have,
got up courage to try his spurs by the
time the trick mare was winded. And,
sure enough, hardly had I got to the.
top when I heard Miss Millicent
screaming not with fear, but with
laughter.
There sat Faulkner, clingipg to the
mare's neck with both hands, his feel;
working like windmills, and the little
mare going round and round and.
round in a lot as big as a circus ring.
His coat tails were flying, and he was
swearing and hollering, and presently
he flew over the mare's neck and she
stopped stock still and watched him
land in a pool of the stickiest mud
anywhere in the neighborhood. And
just at that minute Mr. Drew comes
riding along and stops and picks
Faulkner out of the mire. But he
wouldn't get on the mare's back any
more. So Mr. Drew sees Miss Milli
cent home, and Faulkner and I fol
lows, me leading the mare and him
walking. But I noticed Miss Millicent
and Mr. Drew leaning inward on their
saddles again like they used to.
That's all, sir, except this gold
watch Mrs. Drew gave me the day
they were married. "I understand,
Hicks," she said to me. And what do
you think she did? If she didn't put
her hands in mine and cry with hap
piness. Yes, me, sir- I'm her head
coachman now, but when Miss May
gets a little older I'm going t,o take
her riding and teach her to handle
horses. You see, it comes out in the
blood, mister.
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