Bad Hugh

The colonel looked at her in a kind of dazed, bewildered way, as if not

fully comprehending her, till she repeated her request; then

mechanically he went back to his post on the balcony, and just as

Harney's last bid was about to receive the final "gone," he raised it

twenty dollars, and ere Harney had time to recover his astonishment,

Beauty was disposed of, and the colonel's servant Ham led her in triumph

back to the stable.

With a fierce scowl of defiance Harney called for Rocket. Suspecting

something wrong the animal refused to come out, and planting his fore

feet firmly upon the floor of the stable, kept them all at bay. With a

fierce oath, the brutal Harney gave him a stinging blow, which made the

tender flesh quiver with pain, but the fiery gleam in the noble animal's

eye warned him not to repeat it. Suddenly among the excited group of

dusky faces he spied that of Claib, and bade him lead out the horse.

"I can't. Oh, mas'r, for the dear--" Claib began, but Harney's riding

whip silenced him at once, and he went submissively in to Rocket, who

became as gentle beneath his touch as a lamb.

Did the sagacious creature think then of Hugh, and fancy Claib had come

to lead him home? We cannot tell. We only know how proudly he arched his

graceful neck, as with dancing, mincing steps, he gamboled around Claib,

rubbing his nose against the honest black face, where the tears were

standing, and trying to lick the hands which had fed him so often at

Spring Bank.

Loud were the cries of admiration which hailed his appearance.

The bids were very rapid, for Rocket was popular, but Harney bided his

time, standing-silently by, with a look on his face of cool contempt for

those who presumed to think they could be the fortunate ones. He was

prepared to give more than any one else. Nobody would go above his

figure, he had set it so high--higher even than Rocket was really worth.

Five hundred and fifty, if necessary. No one would rise above that,

Harney was sure, and quietly waited until the bids were far between, and

the auctioneer still dwelling upon the last, seemed waiting expectantly

for something.

"I believe my soul the fellow knows I mean to have that horse," thought

Harney, and with an air which said, "that settles it," he called out in

loud, clear tones, "Four hundred," thus adding fifty at one bid.

There was a slight movement then in the upper balcony, an opening of the

glass door, and a suppressed whisper ran through the crowd, as Alice

came out and stood by the colonel's aide.

The bidding went on briskly now, each bidder raising a few dollars, till

four hundred and fifty was reached, and then there came a pause, broken

only by the voice of the excited Claib, who, as he confessed to Hugh,

had ventured to speak for himself, and was rewarded for his temerity by

a blow from Harney. With that blow still tingling about his ears and

confusing his senses, Claib could not well tell whence or from whom came

that silvery, half-tremulous voice, which passed so like an electric

shock through the eager crowd, and rousing Harney to a perfect fury.