orses, Louis," said Mrs.
Hildreth, as she stood beside her son in the front doorway, looking
disapprovingly as she spoke at the horse who was champing his bit
viciously on the sidewalk below. "It keeps me in a perfect fever of
anxiety all the time."

"Whoa, Polyphemus! Stand still, sir! Pompey, have you tightened that
girth up to its last hole? Better do it then. Don't mind his kicking. It
doesn't hurt him. It's just his way.

"My dear lady mother, if you knew what a pleasure it is to find
something untamable where everything is so confoundedly slow you would
not wonder at my fondness for the brute. As to your anxiety, that is
ridiculous. A Hildreth has too much sense to be conquered by a horse and
make a spectacle of himself into the bargain. _Au revoir_. Better take a
dose of lavender to calm your nerves," and Louis waved his hand to her
with careless grace, as he gathered up the reins.

His mother looked after him with a sigh. "He is so fearless! What a
splendid cavalry officer he would make! He makes me think of the
regiment that went to the war from Marlborough." Her eye fell casually
upon Pompey who was shutting the carriage gates. "What a waste of
precious lives it was to be sure, just to free a lot of cowardly
negroes!"

It was late in the afternoon when Pompey went up town on an errand for
Judge Hildreth. The street was full of men and horses hurrying to and
fro but Pompey paid them but little attention. He was busy with his
Lord.

Hark! What was that? The sound of a horse's hoofs ringing with a sharp,
metallic clatter upon the paved street while children screamed and men
turned white faces towards the sound and hurriedly sought the sidewalk.

On they came, the horse and his rider. Louis pale as death, Polyphemus
mad with sudden fear and his own ungovernable temper. The bit was
between his teeth, his iron-shod feet were thrown out in vengeful fury.

Pompey sprang forward.

"You can't stop him!" shouted the men. "It would be certain death!" But
just beyond the street took a sharp turn to the right and a deep chasm,
where extensive excavations for a sewer were being made, yawned
hungrily.

The horse plunged and reared. Pompey had caught hold of the reins and
was clinging to them with all his might.

* * * * *

Mrs. Hildreth leaned over her son in an agony of fear. Louis was her
idol. He opened his eyes wearily. His cheeks were as white as the
pillow.

"Oh, Louis!" s