I never have seen so
beautiful a horse. He had the round, deep-chested, big-hearted,
well-coupled body of the ideal mountain pony, and his head and neck
were true thoroughbred, slender, yet full, with lovely alert ears
not too small to be vicious nor too large to be stubborn mulish.
And his legs and feet were lovely too, unblemished, sure and firm,
with long springy pasterns that made him a wonder of ease under the
saddle."
"I remember hearing Prince Lilolilo tell Uncle John that you were
the best woman rider in all Hawaii," Martha interrupted to say.
"That was two years afterward when I was back from school and while
you were still living at Nahala."
"Lilolilo said that!" Bella cried. Almost as with a blush, her
long, brown eyes were illumined, as she bridged the years to her
lover near half a century dead and dust. With the gentleness of
modesty so innate in the women of Hawaii, she covered her
spontaneous exposure of her heart with added panegyric of Hilo.
"Oh, when he ran with me up the long-grass slopes, and down the
long-grass slopes, it was like hurdling in a dream, for he cleared
the grass at every bound, leaping like a deer, a rabbit, or a fox-
terrier--you know how they do.
Pages:
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52