And of these
last she well knew the danger, for Sandy had warned her of them. So
she decided she would keep her seat as long as she could.
Sandy was racing up behind her. Above the thud of the horses' hoofs,
and the shrill sound of the clicking knives, Alice could hear him
coming on, trying to save her. And how she prayed that he would be in
time.
The mowing machine was opposite Ruth now, who had stepped back out of
the way of harm. And as Alice passed her sister in the machine the
latter cried:
"Oh, Alice! If you should be hurt!" There was the sound of tears in
her voice.
Alice did not answer. She had all she could do to look after the
plunging horses.
Sandy was not at such a disadvantage in his race as at first it would
seem. He was light on his feet, and a good runner, though much
tramping over plowed fields and rough hills had given him a rather
clumsy gait in walking.
But the horses were not built for racing, either, and they were
dragging a heavy machine on soft ground. The iron wheels of the
reaper were made with projections, to enable them to bite deeper into
the earth, and thus turn the gears that operated the knives. And
these iron wheels were a heavy drag.
So it is not surprising that, after a comparatively short run, the
horses slackened their pace.
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