Page:Fairview Boys and their Rivals.djvu/78

74 gate, and hurrying along as fast as they could, were Minnie Grey and little crippled Benny Lane.

Minnie had hold of Benny's arm and was urging him along. The little fellow was using his mended crutch the best he knew how. Minnie wore a red winter cape, for the mornings were beginning to get quite chill. She was hurrying so fast that this fell from her shoulders. She did not stop to pick it up. Instead, she acted as if too frightened to do anything but run and make Benny keep up with her.

"Why," cried Bob, suddenly, "that bull is chasing them!"

Just then Bob caught sight of the animal. It came rushing down the road Minnie and Benny had just left. The bull was roaring, its head down, its tail lashing the air.

"Hurry! hurry!" shouted Bob.

He ran towards the gate as fast as he could. As he got between it and the two children, the bull lowered its horns.

There was a post midway in the gate space. The animal could not get through without getting this out of the way. Bob saw the bull make a great rush. Its big horns struck the post, and snapped it off near the ground as if it were a mere pipe-stem.

Bob cast a quick glance at the two children. They were still fully fifty feet from the schoolhouse. Minnie was about dragging Benny along, who had begun to cry in terror.

"It's Farmer Doane's big bull, the one he always keeps shut up," said Bob. "They say he's very ugly. He gored and killed two pigs last week. He must have broken out. It's that red cape that roused him up."

Bob made a run for the spot where the cape lay on the ground. He snatched it up just in time. The bull with a great bellow was making a rush after the two children.

"I'll have to do some dodging," thought Bob, "but I've