Peggy Stewart, Navy Girl at Home | Page 5

domination
and tyranny."
"As though you ever dominated or tyrannized over me!" protested the
girl. "I'd do anything, ANYTHING for you--you know that, don't you?"
There was deep reproach in her voice. Then, it changed suddenly as she
asked:
"But where is Doctor Claudius?"
"In his stall, eating his fill. I wished to use my own legs today," smiled
her companion. "His are exceptionally good ones, but my own will
grow stiff if I do not use them more."
Just then Shashai suddenly raised his head and stood with ears alert and
nostrils extended. Tzaritza rose from the ground where she had dropped
down after greeting Dr. Llewellyn, and stood with ears raised, though
neither man nor girl yet heard the faintest sound.
"Some one's coming and coming in a hurry," said Peggy quietly, "or
THEY wouldn't look like THAT."
As she spoke the dull thud of hoofs pounding rapidly upon soft turf was
borne to their ears, and a moment later a big gray horse ridden by a
little negro boy, as tattered a specimen of his race as one might expect
to see, came pounding into sight. With some difficulty he brought the
big horse to a standstill in front of them and grabbing off his ragged cap
stammered out his message:
"Howdy, Massa Dominie. Sarvint, Missy Peggy, but Josh done sont me
fer ter fin' yo' an' bring you back yon' mighty quick, kase--kase, de--de

sor'el mar' done got mos' kilt an' lak' 'nough daid right dis minit. He say,
please ma'am, come quick as Shazee kin fotch yo' fo' de Empress, she
mighty bad an'--"
"What has happened to her, Bud?" interrupted Peggy, turning to spring
upon Shashai's back, but pausing to learn some particulars. The
Empress was one of the most valuable brood mares upon the estate and
her foal, still dependent upon her for its nourishment, was Peggy's pride
and joy.
"She done got outen de paddock and nigh 'bout bus' herself wide open
on de flank on dat dummed MAS-CHINE what dey trims de hedges
wid. She bleeged ter bleed ter death, Joshi say."
Peggy turned white. "Excuse me, please--I must go as fast as I can.
Home, Shashai, four bells and a jingle!" she cried and the colt swept
away like a tornado, Tzaritza in the lead.
"Golly, but she's one breeze, ain' she, sah?"
"She is a wonderful girl and will make a magnificent woman if not
spoiled in the next ten years," replied Dr. Llewellyn, though the words
were more an oral expression of his own thoughts than a reply to the
negro boy.
CHAPTER II
THE EMPRESS
As the half-wild colt swept up to the paddock from which the valuable
brood mare Empress had made her escape, Peggy was met by one of
the stable hands.
"Where is she?" she asked, her dark eyes full of concern and anxiety.
"Up yonder in de paster," answered the negro, pointing to a green
upland. A touch with her heel started Shashai. A moment later she
slipped from her mount to hurry to a little group gathered around a dark

object lying upon the ground. With the pitiful little cry:
"Oh, Empress! My beauty," Peggy was upon her knees beside the
splendid animal.
"Shelby, Shelby, how did it happen? Oh, how did it?" she cried as she
lifted the horse's head to her lap. The panting creature looked at her
with great appealing, terror-stricken eyes, as though imploring her to
save the life-spark now flickering so fitfully.
"God knows, miss," answered the foreman of the paddock. "We did not
find her until a half hour ago. If I'd a-found her sooner it would never a-
come to this. We ain't never had no such accident on the estate since I
been on it, and I'd give all I'm worth if we could a-just have missed
THIS one. Some fool, I can't find out who, left them hedge shears
a-hanging wide open across the gate and the gate unlatched, and she
must a run foul of 'em, 'cause we found 'em and all the signs o' what
had happened, but we couldn't find HER for more 'n hour, and then
THIS is what we found. I sent Bud for you and Jim for the Vet, but
we've all come too late." The man spoke low and hurriedly, and never
for a moment ceased his care for the mare. The veterinary who had
arrived but a few moments before Peggy stood by helpless to do more
than had already been done by Shelby, the veteran horse-trainer who
had been on the estate for years, and who loved the animals as though
they were his children. It was evident that the Empress' moments were
numbered. She had severed one of the great veins in her flank and