NEW “STAR” SERIAL. LOVE IN THE SADDLE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18149, 7 May 1927, Page 22

NEW “STAR” SERIAL. LOVE IN THE SADDLE

By

WM. J. LOCKE.

[All Rights Reserved]

' SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS - } CHAPTERS. l Drusilla Cope (Toozle), heiress of I Ilurstbury, and Harry Ilawkshaw are parting at Farewell Thorn on the downs above Chippendcn, prior to her departure for the Riviera with her aunt, Lady Nunlash (Amity Matty). Mr Ringland. Toezlc‘s Uncle and Trustee, is suspected of dishonest association with Gerald Fancourt, the son of a rich financier living at Norden, Harry's old family estate lost to him on the death of his father. “'ithout Mr Ringland's consent, which he refuses. Toozle will lose Ilurstbury if she marries before she is twentyfive. Tommy Dawson. Harry's barrister friend, advises that with five thousand pounds available Harry can successfully demand this consent. This sum he will try to make by racing his own steepleChasers. and. Mr Barter, his trainer, agrees to help him. Harry lives at Chase Cottage, the sole remaining fragment of the Norden estate. with his old nurse. Mrs Mary Dobson (Dobby). There he receives a call from a lawyer's clerk, Mr Kewley, who tells him that Mr Ringland has been stealing Toozle's trust funds. Ilarry gets Tommy Dawson down for the week-end to discuss matters with Mr Kewley. and while they are talking Mr Ringland is announced. CHAPTER IV. { Kata San was a hussy at her SCllOOi‘ ing. The bright sun and tingling air were too much her for sedateness. and she was just flirting with her fences. She frolicked over them: she jazzed. tangoed or she whirled over them; but with all her coquettish airs she jumped smooth and clean. A wicked hussy. certainly: but she knew the game. l Harry sat her with supple ease. He had a wax-tight seat and hands of steel } silk. and although he let Kata San play I all the tricks she had a mind to, hesaw to it that she turned out a good! job. Mr Barter thought they made a tak-1 ing pair. The schooling-ground was laid out in a curve. and he was going at an hand-gallop along the inside of it on the back of a. sedate old pensioned hunter of perfect manners and pacers. He chewed a dry hent stem and smiled approvingly as he watched the work. “You and her get on all right. Mr Hawkshaw, not a doubt of it,” he said. as they pulled up at last. “And a tricksy baggage she is, too, if ever there was one. Shapes well, though.” “Very well." Harry agreed, patting: the shapely neck. “Not very fit yet. do you think? Seems to be blowing rather much for such a mild bout." “Just excitement and Contrariness,” Mr Barter answered imperturbably. “The run on Thursday will put her into fine fettle. Let's see; meet‘s at Poleworth Grange; lend you a hack. if you ' like, and send a lad over with the mare." “Thanks very must, but I won't trouble unless you think it necessary. It's an easy five miles and we'll go slow.“ “That‘s right. sir; and being as it's a training spin it'll be all to the good. Now, Mr Hawkshaw! You're still set on that five thousand I take it?” “More than ever!” “Good! Chen I'll ask you to hand me over tWo hundred and fifty pounds. a bit a“ betting ’ll be needed, an" I must be free to manage it for you in my own times an’ ways and without questions asked." Their eyes met squarely in a frank and friendly look. “You do advise it, Barter?" “I do so. Mr Hawkshaw. And more ———l'd warrant you against loss, I'm that sure." Harry nodded. “I’ll bring you the cheque this afternoon—and I wish. by God, that I could thank you properly for being such a P 3 ... Mr Barter turned plum colour and lent over in his saddle, holding out a rugged hairy hand. “Put it there, Mr Hawkshawl” he muttered. “I’ve said it afore, maybe; but a good thing bears saying twice—ycu'rc a sportsman. sir!" Thursday morning came radiant as a queen in her splendour. The sky was a vast blue jewel, and the earth stirred herself and laughed under the caress of the sun. llarry sang a small song to himself, in a very indifferent voice, but with great cheerfulness, as he polished his hat and looked at Kata San champing her hit impatiently on the turf outside the garden gate. Dobhy suddenly came into the picture, bustv ling up the path. “ I've put up your sandwich case and your flask's full 0’ sherry, Master Harry. You‘ve no call to be so pleased with yourself, as I can see. Goin' huntin' an’ all, with Miss 'l‘ouzle away; nice thing if you broke your neck an' her not here to look after you. But there! Miss Gloria Harvey's bound to be at the Poleworth Meet an' I des-say she‘ll do as well. Not much she wouldn't do for the asking, I'll be boundelorin. indeed!"

Dobby vanished with a disdainiul toss of the head, and Harry looked after her. marvelling. “ Now what in the world's bitten her, Chuggo? She and Toozle in the same cry about that blooming Uloria~and why, I ask you? Never you try to understand shemales, my doggie: it‘s labour wasted. No you don't! Get in, bust you! Nothing doing to-day." Harry rode off still marvelling about the ways of women. and pursued by the frantic walls of Chuggo, who did deputy acting kennel terrier sometimes, and resented it bitterly whenever a hunt was run without him. The marvelling kept Harry's brains busy throughout all the leisurely five miles, and was jolted into fresh activity when he rode slap into Gloria Har~ vey on the wide lawns of Poleworth Grange and read the unmistakable wel« come in her slow smile. “ Hullo, Harry! First time I've seen you out this season. “'hy are we so bright and beautiful to—day?" “Didn’t know we were, Gloria. About time this poor old moth—eaten pink was pensioned off. I should think." Harry looked down at his weatherbeaten scarlet coat disparagingly. llis membership of the Greydown Hunt was his sole extravagance. “Oh, but we are, my dear! A few moth-holes don't matter: the lining's everything, ynu know. You're the linmg, Harry." She nodded with a mockery that dirln't go with the warm, flin'koring light in her long. slanting, gremlshot eyes. Harry blushed, and Gloria laughed. Her voice was as warm and manlv—coloulrled as her eyes. and WT laugl ran lie a rip it; of wa e 1 class}: will of a wrap tror ”c e was very lovely and alli -‘ g . together, Gloria Harvey. Slileméoc‘llc astnde. and was all flowing and seductlve'curves as she sat her horse. You would have ealled them voluptuous, those eurves, t 1” VOU perceived their insmuatmg subtlety. Her mouth. indeed was voluptuous; full-upped, beautifully shaped and deep. glowing red. Golden lights meted. through the glossy

redhrown of hcr hair, answering the golden points of tire that sparkled sometimes in her mysterious eyes. Ilcr satiny skin was warm with delicate colour, but the full, white throat was dazzling in its soft fairness. She was provocative in every pulsating line of her—and she knew it, but she didn't let you know she knew. Still blushing, and feeling a tool as he did it, Harry looked away. The ' stretches of velvety green turf were like a giant bed of geraniums with the scarlet of the Hunt, and the sun glittcred in a thousand darts of light on bit and stirrup. “ It’ll be a big field," he mumbled uil~ Comfortably. “Yes, won't it? And here comes a friend of yours to make it. bigger.” A large shiny car purred along the avenue and pulled up near them. A large shiny young man got out of it. “ That animal! Not much, Gloria! I'm a devil. of a long way down in the world, but I'm not at Gerald 13am court‘s level yet, I think.” “ Really not your friend, Harry? That's such a pity, for he's quite by way of being mine, or trying to be.” “ Let him keep on trying.” Young Mr Fancourt saluted Gloria with a gloating kind of smile and an elaborate flourish of his glistening hat. To Harry he gave a curt nod; Harry returned it with one even curter. Mr I-‘ancourt then straddled off. U “Don’t like the way the brute looks at you, Gloria." “Don't you, Harry?” she answered sweetly, with a demure upward glance through her lashes. “ “’6: do disapprove (.f him, don’t we? But he walks very like a horseman, doesn’t he?” Harry growled. They could see Mr Faneourt climbing on to his large, showy, heavy-weight hunter; they lcould also hear him swearing at hisl groom. ‘ l “What a low swipe it is!" Ilarry‘ lmuttered in a disgusted tone. - “It is rather low, perhaps. Let's got lright, right away from it, since it [annoys you so; they’re moving off, any how." As they rode off together Harry had an uneasy twinge of recollection. He was remembering Toozle and Debby. “'ell, he couldn't help it. any way, and he'd lose her in the hunt. “‘l'm glad you found me, Harry,” said the alluring voice. “I was wondering whom to take for pilot." “Oh—er—ycs, of course. Fact is, though, I’m only getting the mare fit; I shan‘t push her very much.” “ Never mind. I can take on our Gerald when you drop out. But I don’t believe he'll make a very good pilot. He looks much. more like a rider when he's walking than when he‘s riding, don't you think?" llarry gruuted and looked sourly at the figure jogging uneasily ahead with I a very slippery knee and a very high and perky hand, much play of turnedout toes and elbows, and a back that persisted in looking monstrously beefy in spite of the expensively perfect pink coat which covered it. Gloria had so managed their pace that they were now well in the rear, and when the gay company in front checked for a moment and then filed off right-handed through a gateway, following the pack, they were left alone. except for the foot-folk and. general rag—tag-and-bobtail. “Stop a minute; I suppose that means they‘re drawing Hoodman Holt, yes: and they'll be putting them in at the North Ride, as usual. Look here, Harry, let’s go on to Gringe Oak! ” Harry looked at her with great an proval. “ 'Jove, Gloria, you know the country as well as old Jessum! You need a deuce of a lot of piloting, you do. Come on, then.” A couple oflfurlongs farther on they turned right by a double belt of fir which ran right up to Hoodman Holt and ended in a sort of little cove in brushwood screening the drove that ran the edge of the covert. A tangle of wood under the gnarled liinlis 0f (jringe Oak, but it was there for those who knew. “I s‘pose you know you've posted us in the. liest spot round the wood," Harry said, as they drew rein in the sunny nook, ”Clear get-away ”whereever they break cover. and if it's on the far side there's the old masked drive slap throughv-Aand you aren't swarmed out with other people. No: it’s mightv little piloting you need,' Gloria." If there wasn't lively admira- l tron in his lcok, it was own brother to It. A wave of warmer colour crept slowly over Gloria's enchanting face A glow came into her eyes, and they swam with a bewildering play of changing lights: she turned them on Harry wrth an intent gaze. “Thanks for this praise, kind gentle. : man," she said; “but there is always danger, not only in hunting~llarry—" her voir‘e dropped to a deeper note with 3 tllml) in it. “\Vould you care to pilot ine~ralwavs?” (To be vontiztued.) I