The Washington weekly post., 1900-08-28
THE FEAT OF LITTLE ELLEN.
BY ENFIELD JOINER.

ed on the outside by dozen OF their num-
ber, and the next day ne was TO hsns
over a slow FIRE kin9led on Moriarty's
grave.
They agreed and finally withdrew and
that night the Rockies echoed TO such
shouts Of carousal as the "For-set-ms-
not" had never heard before. Philip sat
alone with the dead. watching through
the single window the light on the hill
side He looked at il with an untalterinE
eye. though he knew that six cruel guns
were pointed St that window and six al
the opposite door. WHO committed the
cowardly deed for which he was % pay
the penalty. he never kuew. What wrong
was avenged, what crime was Stoned for
oy Aoriarty's death he never discovered.
Indeed. so well did the assassin lay his
plans that he was never detected.
Meantime the news had been broken to
Ellen in the most brutal way. Two hours
after the killing Hamilton. the new lead
er. was told that the wife OF the prison
or wished 10 see him. and Ellen was Ted
in to hear coarse iestS. receive gross in
suits and suffer what vas almost death
TO tendeTly nurtured woman. She ask
ed for only five minutes ard as she knelt
in the agony Of her soul. her helpless
ness and beauty kindigd n momentary
warmth in Hamiltcns heart
Let her see him for i've minutes, boys"
Then gruffiv: Five minutes. remember.
and watch the interview"
How could one little woman thwart the
purpose of four hundred men?
The most poignant moment of Philips
trial came when he saw Ellen led away.
1t was maddening TO thirk of what might
be in store for her. But he preserved his
calm and digniied mien sat down by the
/ lamp, took scme letters from his pocket.
. and began 10 read. His captors looked IN
at him curiOuslv. A Philip read not q,
muscle of his face quivered, though hts
heart stood still within him for these
were the words: when you hear the
whip-poor-wilI. come TO the window. Th4
second call blow out the light. The coast
will then be clear-you must escape. dear.
Run TO the little gulch-st- ~ sdket'
IL had come TO hirn r. Ellen's hand
/ and the reading of Il threw him into the
most horrible doubts and fears. She was
! going to attempt some escape. 1t would
! be worse than foly-it would be maddeE
1 than madness. He must erv out and save
( her from such sacrifice. But some unrea-
( sonable hope sealed his lips and the weary
! hours dragged toward in the morning.
A hush had come over TIE valley, but
/ the sentinels without every now and then
gave grim tokens of sleepless vigilance.
Suddenly there came the whip-Door
/ wills Gala whistle ne himself had
/ tauobt 70 Ellen. He was at the window IN
/ a. Guarter of a second There was no
( moon. but a continuous play Of lightning
/ relieved the darkness. In the weird light
/ he saw a figure in white, In midair. COM
\ ing slowly toward the cabin. An exclama-
/ tion fell on his uncomprehending brain
and he knew that one of the men saw II
{ also Then came a brighter fash and he
/ saw one of the guard fall prone TO the
/ earth and three rush headlOng toward the
valley. The other two of the six gave
/ short. fnarticulate cries. Then God was
| good For. as the remainder OF the guard
ran around the house. a vivid fash reveal
J ed the white figure swaying fifteen feet In
+ the air with its light beard, its haggard
/ face. its shaggy hair. Moriarty's ghost!
/ The men made a simultaneous rush for
the shelter of the cabin.
At that moment the light was extin-
guished and the storm burst over the
/ 'FOrget-me-nOt.
| Every newspaper In the country told the
story of how these lovers fled away into
the storm and all the West rang with ad-
/ miTatiOn or Ellen'S ddrtns exploit. heT
plan was at once the simplest and the
most natural. She attacked the great
weakness of the y-superstition-and
as Moriarty's ghost she conquered. The
rope on which she walked was one OF wire
| stretched from the trestle Of an ore track
to a tree near Moriarty's house. In the
West trestles are often partly strength
ened in this way. How she ever planned
{ the escaDe how she managed to pass the
guard unobserved, how she kept her foot
ing on the rope, and how she dropped un-
hurt TO the ground she could never tell.
and the only explanation Is that all things
are possible to a woman who loves. Faith
may remove mountains. Hope may build
castles but lOve-ioYe. All, that accom-
pIishes all things
! The Little Ellen Gold Mines" are the
richest in Idaho. but all the wealth that
lies waiting there is not half so precious
TO Phillip. who will one day own so much
of it, as is the love of his wife.
/ CCopyriRht 1900 Daily Story Publishing Company }