Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 127: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CLOVELLY. ‘But she had already taken to her heels and raced across the field as if she had been - winged. CHAPTER XXVIII. UNSEELNG. HEN they reached the horses, Dun- bar was there, ready for his work, and he tossed Cecily into the sad- dle. Clovelly saw her dexterously gather the reins as the horse reared and plunged away. She clung like a cat, and was in- stantly in command of the excited brute. Dunbar, however, had no such easy task. His mount had caught the contagion of excitement and began to dance with a head thrown high and foolish panic in its eyes. Dunbar dangled at the end of the reins, making ineffectual efforts to master the head of the horse. So much Clovelly saw as he whipped onto the back of White Harry. And doubled was his strength when his knees pressed against the smoothly muscled sides of the charger, and when all that thunder- bolt of courage and power and weight and speed was gathered in the hollow of his left hand where the reins joined. The men had far outstripped the rest of the pursuers, sprinting desperately in the hope of attaining that rich reward which the squire had promised to the lucky man who first laid hands on Clovelly. They were closing fast, one with a sort of cut- lass flourished in his fist and the other pois- ing an old broadsword which had seen serv- ice in the armor-hewing contests of an earlier war. The challenge of Clovelly checked them. Then, in a leap, White Harry was upon them. Imposing at all times, when he plunged forward with the wind lifting his silvery mane, and his ears flattened along a snaky head, the great animal appeared half demoniacal. The two stalwarts aimed feeble blews at the thin air, and then fled fer their lives. But it was not the purpose of Clovelly to pursue. Three strides of White Harry would take him among the main body of the squire’s hired bullies, 117 Clovelly veered the charger about and found Dunbar even then settling himself in the saddle and, with one foot in the stirrup and the other iron flying wildly in the air, galloping full speed to the assistance of his master. Such dogged loyalty touched even so grim a nature as Clovelly’s to the heart. Yonder was the girl, too, flying among the trees. Once he lost sight of her, he might as well strive to find a ghost on this dark night, for though the moon was high in the heavens, the wind was hurling black cloud-masses into its face and it looked down on them only with short, wild glances; it gave only enough light to show the picture of the wild storm which was making riot through the upper air, while mere vagrant breezes skirmished across the ground. So he cried: “ Follow me, Dunbar! Let the others go and be damned to ’em. Ride for your life, man!” With that, and a mere loosening of the reins of White Harry, he was off—truly -like a white arrow from the bow. Before the disappointed men of the squire could level their pieces, he was out of sight, and they fired their random shots at Dunbar, who pursued hotly the form of his leader. Even all that speed could not bring Clovelly up with the girl. She had twisted away among the trees, and he lost her; he had to shorten rein and raise his head to listen before he heard the crashing of her horse through the underbrush. Again he glimpsed her, as White Harry stormed forward iike a creature possessed, literally beating his way among the sap- lings as if they were stalks of brittle grass; but again the girl disappeared among the thousand alleys of the woodland. He drew rein again, breathing hard and cursing his fortune, but a rattling which he heard was the first of a brisk shower which, with a fresh gust of wind, soon filled the forest with noise. The last guide which he could follow to her was lost to him. Here was faithful Dunbar shouting behind him, hopelessly lest. He called, and the stout fellow spurred instantly te his side. “Ts all well?” he cried. COmicloookKks (C@)