Dr. Porter’s carriage was jacked up at the rear allowing the boys easy access to the twisted axle. Phil was on his back wrestling with a bracket that needed ratcheting while Dan hammered hard to straighten the axle’s connecting bearing. He glanced up once to catch Rose standing in the semi-dark waiting in a halo of the soft glow of the late afternoon. She smiled and he immediately dropped the hammer and crawled out to meet her.
“They’ll be missing me any minute so we must be very brief,” she warned. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”
“We’ll be finished in a few minutes then we’ll make a dash back. I hope they won’t have notice yet but we fear the worst.”
“What will happen if they catch you?”
“I dunno, maybe the doc will forgive and forget, but I have my doubts.”
“I am so sorry we ever got you into this mess. We should have just come back late and taken our lumps.”
“No, don’t say that. I would have meant I wouldn’t see ya for weeks.”
“Oh Danny, I am so sorry.”
Dan grabbed her arm and pulled her quietly into the small tack room tucked behind the first stall. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close then kissed her hard.
“Hey, you’re too rough,” she complained, “Can’t you just say good-bye to me sweetly?”
“Sorry, I just want you to know how much I love you,” he whispered, glancing behind him to be sure Phil hadn’t snuck in behind them.
Rose set both fists on his chest and pushed him back. “Love me, you barely know me!”
“I know all I want to know, Rose and I am going to marry you just as quick as we can.”
“Marry me, not bloody likely you will.”
“Oh, give me a chance, Rosie-luv. I’ll make you the happiest girl in England.”
“Just as soon as you get out of jail you mean.”
“Hey Dan, gimme a hand and we’ll be set to go,” Phil called from beyond the stall.
“You’d better go,” Rose whispered.
He turned back from the door, “Wait for me Rose. I’ll come for you as soon as I can.”
She stepped forward and kissed him slowly and softly, his arm swept back around her waist.
“No promises,” she whispered, “we’ll talk about it when you come back.”
Phil pushed his head around the corner to greet her with a huge grin.
“So long Rosie. Give Maggie a big kiss for me.”
“Sure I will Phil. Good-bye and good luck.”
Danny waited til Phil ducked back out and then turned and pulled her close again. “I’ll be back Luv, you’ll see me sooner than you think!” He kissed her quickly and dashed back through the door.
Dusk was trailing into a soft sunset as the carriage limped toward the edge of town. Phil eased the horses up to take a moment before the inevitable scene that would follow. Keeping his eyes fixed on the road, they spoke for the first time since they slipped out the back gate of the great house. “What do you thinks gonna happen to us, Danny boy?” He queried in a soft low rumble. “Depends if we can get to Doc Porter before the cops get to us. I think we’ve got a chance if we can convince him that we meant no harm. Then maybe he won’t have us charged.”
“Maybe we should try headin’ straight to his place then, better chance of catchin’ him there, don’t ya think?”
“Yes, I guess that’s right. Let’s weave around the back way across the fields over to his place.”
Phil pulled hard on the reins and started to reverse the carriage and began a slow turn to right. It was just then, in the middle of the u-turn that a call came out from behind them that struck them cold.
“Hey, you two, pull that rig up and stop in the name of the law!”
The boys stretched behind them to discover a lone bobby on a bicycle racing hard to catch up to them. He continued his demand as he swung his leg over the crossbar and dropped the bike hard on the grass at the edge of the road.
“Step down from that carriage and raise your hands,” the officer barked as he quickly closed the remaining few steps between them. Without moving Danny eased forward to greet him. “Evenin’ officer, what seems to be the trouble?”
“You boys are under arrest. We’ve been lookin’ for ya all over the bloody county. Now get your hands up and step down immediately!”
“Arrest? What for officer?” Phil challenged.
“For stealing that livery and them horses, that’s what. Now get down before I have to throw you down.” He then reached over to seize hold of Dora’s halter. “There, there, easy my beauty. We’ll have you back home safe and sound to Doc Porter before dark.” Both mares snorted nervously as he nudged closer and Dora tugged back against his grip. “You’re right there, officer,” Phil shouted, “We are all headin’ back to meet the Doc just as quick as we can get there, c’mon girls let’s get home.”
Without skipping a beat Phil stood up and cracked the reins hard on their backs. The mares bleated in fear and leapt into a charging start. Jumping back in terror the policeman then tumbled back into the ditch just as an edge of one of the reins slashed a small cut below his right eye. Ignoring the blood he recovered quickly and rose up to one knee, pulled a silver whistle from his left breast pocket and blew three long blasts - the standing signal for an escaped convict on the run.
Whipping the horses hard, Phil braced his feet against the dashboard. It was all Danny could do to hang on to the rail. Crashing around a long curve he forced a hard right turn and headed up across a muddy old trail that led past the back gate of the Porter house.
“Ease up, Phil, you’re gonna kill us all!” Danny yelled as loud as he could.
“It’s our only chance. We gotta get to the Doc before the cops get us or we’re goin’ to jail,” Phil shouted.
With the infirmary now in sight and salvation close at hand, fate intervened and defiantly altered their course. Old Doris suddenly stumbled and tripped, screamed out in agony, dropped her head and began to lurch. In a split second the carriage began a slow twist to the right, as the horses were pulled apart, leaving the wounded mare scrambling to keep her balance. She staggered forward in a heavy limp. Phil yanked back hard on the reins and screamed in fear. “Whoa Del, Whoa,” begging the younger mare to halt. After several agonizing seconds of screaming and rolling, the carriage finally spun sideways and jerked to a screeching halt blocking the trail completely. Phil leaped down to take Doris by the neck. She twisted her head into his chest in agony, whimpered in pain then dropped first to her knees. She tumbled in a perverse heap at his feet stretching the reins taught.
“Oh dear God, what have I done?” Phil called out as he slid to the ground in blind panic. “Dear God, Doris get up, please get up!” Danny stepped up beside him and muttered quietly, “She ain’t getting’ up, you maniac and we’re done for now.”
Half a mile away they could hear the screech of two police whistles echoing across the valley. There was a long pause and then Phil spoke quietly and firmly without looking up. “Well, I ain’t staying’ here. I’m gonna make a run for it.”
“You’ll never make it. They’ll have the dogs on ya before ya know it.”
“Look pallie, it’ll be dark soon and if we push hard we can get away tonight. If not we’re lookin’ at a long, stiff stretch in jail.”
“I dunno, Phil, maybe we should