"Damn the fellow!" Dad said; "what's he beating her for ?" "Stop it, you fool!" he shouted.

But Dave sat down on her for the final effort and applied the hide faster and faster.

Dad crunched his teeth.

Once--twice--three times Bess changed her stride, then struck a branch-root of a tree that projected a few inches above ground, and over she went--CRASH! Dave fell on his head and lay spread out, motionless.

We picked him up and carried him inside, and when Mother saw blood on him she fainted straight off without waiting to know if it were his own or not.