The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1903-09-25

cred him. Havens had sprung to hi
feet, and kirkham had jumped sim
u~ltaneously. The Indian, his back tt
the frowning rock, and the light OF thu
dying fire full on his dark features
drew himself to his superb height
and slowly folded his arms.
One rifle point wavered. 1t was tina
of Kirkham. The splendid indomit
ableness of that unyielding figure, thu
undying menace in his eye, the lonely
fortressed crag, the silence, heavy witt
threatening issue, caused a tremor Of
the cleaning barrel, but only for ar
instant. Kirkham remembered thai
he was a soldier, and that, when his
superior officer commanded it, his duty
was to kill. He gripped the stock more
firmly, and his eye glanced along the
rifle barrel in the sight that had neve
been known to fail.
Havens, about to demand surrender
heard the slight crashing sound in the
bushes just behind, but Kirkham, his
finger still on the trigger, first saw
the slender, moccasined figure gliding
toward the hollow.
"Altoonah!!" The word seemed to
die in echoes on the air. Ravens saw
her face, and wondered. 1t raj gray
marble, hewed into irrevocable de-
sign.
She looked from the two men to
the Indian standing beneath the tow
ering crag, undaunted, fearless, ma
jestic in his calm, and through the
long centuries a fire leaped swiftly to
shoulder in her eyes.
Kirkham's voice reached her in
sharp command.
STAND back, Altoonah! Can't you
see?"
The rifle barrels were level, steady.
AS if galvanized into understanding
by the words, Altoonah turned-but
she turned toward the rock.
In another instant she was pressing
something into Eagle Wings hand.
The Indians long sineWy fingers closed
upon it, and his eyes narrowed. With
a tigerish spring, and carrying AL
toonah as easily in front Of him as
it she had been a child, he covered half
the distance to the underground, and
dashed behind a %scrub-oak that stood
midway. The two men broke cover,
and made a run for the oak. The
Indian, disdaining to fly, waited. AS
Ravens came up, a long arm shot
around the oak. There was a flash OF
steel, and Havens grappled with the
quickness of thought.
Kirkham, on the other side of the
tree, lay PROSTATE on the ground.
Leaping over the rocks to come to
Ravens aid. he had found himself
pulled strongly down, and a soft, warm
body was holding him with all its
strength.
He thrust it iercely aside, and rose.
Havens was engaged in a desperate
h~and-to-hand struggle with Eagle
Wind, who cut, thrust and slashed so
~nurderously with the sheath knife
he had so Unexpectedly obtained that
Ravens, unable to get a foothold
vas thrusting him back against the
.ock by sheer force of determination
muscle combined. Ravens was
bleeding in a dozen places, and Kirk
lam, thirsting for vengence, sprang
:uriously to his rescue.
Suddenly the Indian, with a last
twist of his 1.-THE body, glided
ike a snake from Ravens grasp, to
ind Kirkham's angry eyes confronting
him. With the swiftness of the wind,
Wind braced himself against
The great boulder. and Kirkham saw
the knife hung quivering in a
helpless hand.
The rifle rose steadily. Kirkham'
finger was on the trigger, when the
light form Of Altoonah sped across the
hollow and flung itself across the In
dams heaving breast.
Kirkham's eyes met those of the girl
-sombre, i%nscrutable. Havens, in
the background, watched tensely, feel
ing that matters had gone beyond his
grasp. simultaneously with the re-
port of the rifle. Altoonah's right hand
sped to her breast, and when the
smoke cleared away, Kirkham saw
two forms, silent still, slowly writhing
down the rocky face. Altoonah's eyes
met his once more, defiant, inscruta-
hle still, and then the sunset CLEANS
shone redly on the lonely, fortressed
crag, buried deep in the silence of
the mountains, and the two forms ly-
ing calm at its base.-Overland Month
ly.