"Hello!" said a breathless, hearty voice, "what the deuce y' been doing with my pardner? Bert, old fellow, are you there?" Hartley asked, clinging to the edge of the moving cutter, and peering into his friend's face. Albert smiled. "I'm here--what there is left of me," he replied faintly. "Glory! how'd it happen?" he asked of the girl. "I don't know--I couldn't see--we ran into a culvert," replied Maud. "Weren't you hurt?" "Not a bit. I stayed in the cutter." Albert felt a steady return of waves of pain, but did not know that they were waves of returning life. He groaned, and tried to rise. The girl gently but firmly restrained him. Hartley was walking beside the doctor, talking loudly. "It was a devilish thing to do; the scoundrel ought 'o be jugged!" Albert groaned, and tried to rise again. "I'm bleeding yet; I'm soaking you!" The girl shuddered, but remained firm. "No; we're 'most home." She felt no shame, but a certain exaltation, as she looked into the curious faces she saw in groups on the sidewalk. The boys who ran alongside wore in their faces a look of awe, for they imagined themselves in the presence of death. Maud gazed unrecognizingly upon her nearest girl friends. They seemed something alien in that moment; and they, gazing upon her white face and unrecognizing eyes, spoke in awed whispers. At the gate the crowd gathered and waited with deepest interest, with a sort of shuddering pleasure. It was all a strange, unusual, inthralling romance to them. The dazzling sunshine added to the wonder of it all. "Ed Brann done it." "How?" asked several. "With the butt end of his whip." "That's a lie! His team ran into Lohr's rig." "Not much; Ed crowded him into the ditch." "What fer?" "'Cause Bert cut him out with Maud." "Come, get out of the way! Don't stand there gabbing," yelled Hartley, as he took Albert in his arms and, together with the doctor, lifted him out of the sleigh. "Goodness sakes alive! Ain't it terrible! How is he?" asked an old lady, peering at him as he passed. On the porch stood Mrs. Welsh, supported by Ed Brann. "She's all right, I tell you. He ain't hurt much, either; just stunned a little, that's all." "Maud! child!" cried the mother, as Maud appeared out of the crowd, followed by a bevy of girls. "Mother, _I'm_ all right!" she said as gayly as she could, running into the trembling arms outstretched toward her; "but, oh, poor Albert!" After they disappeared into the house the crowd dispersed. Brann went off by way of the alley; he was not prepared to meet their questions; but he met his brother and several others in his store. "Now, what in----you been up to?" was the fraternal greeting. "Nothing." "Welting a man on the head with a whip-stock ain't anything, hey?" "I didn't touch him. We was racing, and he run into the culvert." "Hank says he saw you strike----" "He lies! I was strikin' the horse to make him break."