Straightway the colors that were meant for Marston fluttered from the Knight of the Cumberland's spear.I saw Marston bite his lips and I saw Mollie's face aflame with fury and her eyes darting lightning--no longer at Marston now,but at the Blight.
The mountain girl held nothing against the city girl because of the Wild Dog's infatuation,but that her own lover,no matter what the Hon.Sam said,should give his homage also to the Blight,in her own presence,was too much.Mollie looked around no more.Again the Hon.Sam rose.
"Love of ladies,''he shouted,"splintering of lances!Stand forth,gallant knights.Fair eyes look upon your deeds!
Toot again,son!''
Now just opposite the grandstand was a post some ten feet high,with a small beam projecting from the top toward the spectators.
From the end of this hung a wire,the end of which was slightly upturned in line with the course,and on the tip of this wire a steel ring about an inch in diameter hung lightly.Nearly forty yards below this was a similar ring similarly arranged;and at a similar distance below that was still another,and at the blast from the Hon.Sam's herald,the gallant knights rode slowly,two by two,down the lists to the western extremity--the Discarded Knight and the Knight of the Cumberland,stirrup to stirrup,riding last--where they all drew up in line,some fifty yards beyond the westernmost post.This distance they took that full speed might be attained before jousting at the first ring,since the course--much over one hundred yards long --must be covered in seven seconds or less,which was no slow rate of speed.The Hon.Sam arose again:
"The Knight of the Holston!''
Farther down the lists a herald took up the same cry and the good knight of Athelstanic build backed his steed from the line and took his place at the head of the course.
With his hickory truncheon the Hon.
Sam signed to his trumpeter to sound the onset.
"Now,son!''he said.
With the blare of the trumpet Athelstane sprang from his place and came up the course,his lance at rest;a tinkling sound and the first ring slipped down the knight's spear and when he swept past the last post there was a clapping of hands,for he held three rings triumphantly aloft.
And thus they came,one by one,until each had run the course three times,the Discarded jousting next to the last and the Knight of the Cumberland,riding with a reckless Cave,Adsum air,the very last.At the second joust it was quite evident that the victory lay between these two,as they only had not lost a single ring,and when the black horse thundered by,the Hon.Sam shouted "Brave lance!''and jollied his betting enemies,while Buck hugged himself triumphantly and Mollie seemed temporarily to lose her chagrin and anger in pride of her lover,Dave.On the third running the Knight of the Cumberland excited a sensation by sitting upright,waving his lance up and down between the posts and lowering it only when the ring was within a few feet of its point.His recklessness cost him one ring,but as the Discarded had lost one,they were still tied,with eight rings to the credit of each,for the first prize.Only four others were left--the Knight of the Holston and the Knight of the Green Valley tying with seven rings for second prize,and the fat Maxwelton Braes and the Knight at Large tying with six rings for the third.The crowd was eager now and the Hon.Sam confident.On came the Knight at Large,his face a rainbow,his plume wilted and one red base-ball stocking slipped from its moorings--two rings!On followed the fat Maxwelton,his plaid streaming and his kilts flapping about his fat legs--also two rings!
"Egad!''quoth the Hon.Sam."Did yon lusty trencherman of Annie Laurie's but put a few more layers of goodly flesh about his ribs,thereby projecting more his frontal Falstaffian proportions,by my halidom,he would have to joust tandem!''
On came Athelstane and the Knight of the Green Valley,both with but two rings to their credit,and on followed the Discarded,riding easily,and the Knight of the Cumberland again waving his lance between the posts,each with three rings on his spear.At the end the Knight at Large stood third,Athelstane second,and the Discarded and the Knight of the Cumberland stood side by side at the head of the course,still even,and now ready to end the joust,for neither on the second trial had missed a ring.
The excitement was intense now.Many people seemed to know who the Knight of the Cumberland was,for there were shouts of "Go it,Dave!''from everywhere;the rivalry of class had entered the contest and now it was a conflict between native and "furriner.''The Hon.Sam was almost beside himself with excitement;now and then some man with whom he had made a bet would shout jeeringly at him and the Hon.Sam would shout back defiance.But when the trumpet sounded he sat leaning forward with his brow wrinkled and his big hands clinched tight.Marston sped up the course first--three rings--and there was a chorus of applauding yells.
"His horse is gittin'tired,''said the Hon.Sam jubilantly,and the Blight's face,I noticed,showed for the first time faint traces of indignation.The Knight of the Cumberland was taking no theatrical chances now and he came through the course with level spear and,with three rings on it,he shot by like a thunderbolt.
"Hooray!''shouted the Hon.Sam.
"Lord,what a horse!''For the first time the Blight,I observed,failed to applaud,while Mollie was clapping her hands and Buck was giving out shrill yells of encouragement.At the next tilt the Hon.
Sam had his watch in his hand and when he saw the Discarded digging in his spurs he began to smile and he was looking at his watch when the little tinkle in front told him that the course was run.
"Did he get 'em all?''
"Yes,he got 'em all,''mimicked the Blight.
