g's up, or the sorrels
wouldn't be driven like that.' In a minute or two I made out Bill
Craven, one of Haig's men, leaning forward in the seat of a road
wagon, and laying on the whip. 'If Haig saw that!' I thought. And so
I--"

"Go on, please!" said Marion shrilly.

But Smythe was purposely deliberate; for he saw Hillyer looking at her
curiously.

"I wasn't going to let anybody abuse his horses if I could prevent it.
Besides, how did I know but Craven was stealing the sorrels? I threw
my pony straight across the road. Craven reined the sorrels up on
their hind legs, almost on top of me.

"'What in hell?' he yelled.

"'That's what I want to know,' I answered.

"'Can't you see I'm in a hurry, damn you?' he shouted angrily.

"'That's exactly what I do see,' I replied. 'But Haig never whips
those horses.'

"'That's none of your business, and Haig ain't carin' much now,' he
fired back at me. 'Get out o' my way, or I'll--'

"'Now just keep cool!' I told him. 'What's the trouble?'

"Craven snorted, but he told me, as the quickest way out of it. Haig
had been hurt--trying to ride Sunnysides. He's--"

"Hurt? How?" asked Marion; and Smythe was relieved to detect a new
steadiness in her voice. She had passed the danger point.

"The horse went over backwards, pinning him to the ground, with the
saddle horn in his stomach. Craven's gone for the doctor."

She gave him one long, searching look, as if to pluck out anything he
might have been hiding from her. Then she turned swiftly toward the
automobile.

"Come, Robert! Quick!" she commanded.

She climbed quickly into the machine, followed by Hillyer, who was
puzzled and alarmed by what he had seen in Marion's face.

"You too, Mr. Smythe. Hurry!" cried Marion.

"But my horse?" objected Smythe.

"He'll run home," answered Marion impatiently. "Come! We may need
you."

Smythe obeyed, and jumped into the tonneau, while Robert cranked up
and threw in the clutch.

"Fast!" cried Marion.

Hillyer glanced at her. She was very white; her lips were pressed
together, her eyes were fixed on the road ahead. The machine lurched
under them.

"Faster!" urged Marion, in another minute.

The machine, with a kind of shudder, responded to Hillyer's hand, and
shot out with fresh speed.

Another brief silence.

"The cut-out!" she ordered.

Hillyer bent to the mechanism, and the engine, with the muffler off,
roared and shrieked as it took the smooth white road, with every