The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1912-11-01

The only danger was that Sir julian
might think she really admired their
! untutored attempts.
'Onc must do it, she therefore took
occasion to explain as she clipped.
They are so nervous. The hard thing
is to put oneself in their place. It's
nothing. r. me to sing Il song, Sir Jul
ian"
so can'see; madam" said he. $
1t was the interval between parts one
and we. The. platform WAS uin'ccu-
pied. \ t"os" daft =: blew ,tirrnhgf1
the iron building from open. door to
open door. There was no occasion to
Z" outside. They had done so, how
ever. mt the fcwer end. There vas 4
sudden stampeding OF returning feet.
y something In. the scuttiing steps. q
I certain: cutlery that accompanied them,
c;lhse;tt Miss Bouverie. and her CON-
nanions To- turn their heads. They
turned again at as sudden a Jingle on
the platform. and the girl caught her
breath. There stood her missing hero.
smiling on the people. daprcr, swar-
thy booted. spurred. and for n mo-
ment: the: man she had reason to re-
member ext city as she remembered
him. The next his folded arms sprans
out from the shoulders and a brace Of
long barreled revolvers covered the as
selnh.S.
tip with your hands. every mar Of
YOU he cried. mo, not the ladies'.
hut every man and boy who doesn't
want a bullet in his brain."
The command was echoed in uncouth
; accents at the lower door, where, in
fact. a bearded savage had driven in
| all and sundry ut his pistols point.
And in a few seconds the meeting was
as one which had carried by ever
whelming show of hands a proposition
from which the ladies' alone saw oc-
cas!on to dissent.
"You may have heard OF me BEFORE"
said the nan on the platform. sweep
ing the forest Of hands with his eye
glass. MY names S%tingaree."
1t was the word which Hilda Bou-
| verie had heard on the veranda and
| taken for some strange expletive.
"Nho is hep she asked, in a whis-
per that bespoke excitement, agitation,
but not alarm.
The fancy bushranger-the dandy
outlaw drawled Radford, in cool re-
ply. I've been expecting him. He
was seen on our run the day Mrs.
Clarkson went down t Melbourne"
That memorable day for Hilda Bou-
verie. And 1t was this manner Of man
who had been her hero ever since: a
b~ushranger, an outlaw, a COMMON rob-
Der under arms!
And you never told me-" she cried,
IN an Indignant whisper.
1--WE never told Mrs. Clarkson either.
You must blame the boss"
"Silence over there.!' cried Stingaree
sternly. I'm here on a perfectly
harmless errand. II you know any
thing about me at all. you know that
| have a weakness for music Of any
kind. so long as it's good Of its kind
The eyeglass dropped for a moment
upon Mrs. Clarkson in the front row
and the irrepressible Radford was ell
abled to continue his say.
He has. too, from Il mouth Ryan tc
a full orchestra, from all accounts
Miss Bouverie. My revolvcr's in the
coat pocket next you
1T is the music" continued Stinga
rec. looking harder than before in theil
direction, (which has brought me here
tonight. I've come to listen and for NJ
I other reason in the world. Unfortu
natelv when II has a price upon ones
head one has to take certain precau
tons before v%enturing among one
fellow men. And, though I'm not here
for gain or bloodshed, if any man O.
YOU gives NE trouble l shall shoot hin
like u dog"
That's one for me- whispered tn
intrepid overseer in a lower key
Never mind. He's not looking at u
TO faint. You take what | told 80,
and slip it under your shawl. and you'll
save a second by passing it up to M
the instant you sec her sway
Hilla hesitated. 4. dead silence fa,
fallen on the crowded and heated store
and in the silence Stingaree was al
ready taking an 1nguarded interest i
Mrs. Clarkson's appearance. which Il
certainly betok"ned imminent collapse
''\ow.' whispered Radford, and Hid
h..sitated no more. She was wcarin
a black lace shawl between her az
pearances ut the piano. She had tn
revolver under it in q twinkling an
dressed it to her bosom with bot
hands, II outside the shawl and on
underneath, as who should hug Il beal