The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-06-12
Anderson
Cree
By
MARGARETP. MONTAGUE

keer, an hits taught me alters how
ter look after myself, an reckon l kin
do hit still. An I'll jest tell Yer now,
onct fer all, that l amt goin' ter erlow
YOU ner nobody else ter speak ter me
that erway-I amt goin' ter erlow hit
der you ondcrstand:' she demanded.
She seemed to tower above him, her
eyes flashing and her breast rising and
falling in deep. angry gaSpS. She was
no longer the humble, shrinking girl
that the Draft knew; she was her w
true self, Ellen Daw. a splendid. de-
faint young thing, thrown entirely
upon herself and capable Of defending
herself against all the world.
For a moment or two she stood AFRO
gantly before Adrian, her eyes blazing
a challenge into his %astonished ones:
then she turned proudly away, and
gathering up the bag of corn she laid
her hands to the plow handles, and
with a short word Of command started
the old mare toward the stable.
Adrian got quickly to his feet and
took the handles from her, guiding the
plOW Cdlc1ully dioHS uLN llitiAS
over grassy places so that it should
not cut the turf, but he was too dazed
by. the vehemence of her outburst to
find anything to say.
At the stable Ellen began undoing
the harness, and Adrian helped her,
/ but still neither of them spoke. Once,
in putting up a strap, their hands
touched, and Adrian's face flushed, but
Ellen appeared not to notice it.
Finally she took the last piece of
harness from the mare and turned to-
ward the stable, but Adrian i%nterposed
quickly.
I'm awfully sorry, Ellen he STAN
ter make yer mad, honest l didn't, hon
est" he pleaded.
"All right she said calmly and cold
ly. Hit don't matter. Folks don't
often stop ter think whether I'm goin'
ter, be mad er not, an sometimes |
hev ter show 'em. Good evenin' ter
yer" she added. and turned away
again, but paused once more. I'm
much erbliged ter yer fer plantin' my
corn," she said, and then, passing him,
went into the little dilapidated feed
room of the stable and shut the door
determinedly.
Adrian waited without for a few
minutes hopefully, but she evidently
meant not to return while he was
there, and he was forced at length to
retire creStfallen. He went slowly
down the mountain to the Draft, and
as he went he gave vent now and again
to a low whistle Of amaZement.
Inside the feed room, in the dark
with the door safely closed, Ellen lis
tened to .Adrian's departin. footsteps
and when he was cone quite beyonC
hearing she put her head down against
one of the feed bins and difficult, an
CRY tears rolled down her cheeks, an(
her throat achcd and ached with the
modification Of it.
TO the taciturn girl it was an un
bearable stab of shame that Adrian
had touched so easily and so roughl,
the secret of her love for David.
; X
Brother BraXton of the Methods
Episcopal church, south, had come t.
the last week of his pastorate of TIN
:, souls of the Jumping Creek neighbor
hood, and upon this first Sunday il
May-the Sunday after the planting 0
the Reddins' corntield and of Ellel
Daw's-in the little log schoolhouse o
the Draft he was to take leave of hi
flock and to preach them his farewell
sermon. and more than n Determines
matron swore by her nine gods tina
she would hear that farewell sermo,
. ''ef she died fer hit, er eff (Which wa
much more likely to be the case sh
S he'd ter git up way fore day ter 81
Their work done up an ther young un
r all dressed in time
Preaching was to take place at Il
and since 10 o'clock little knots an
r groups Of people had been going u
the road, and likewise little knots an
y groups had been coming down it, bot
e to meet at the foot log which spar
&c the Jumping Creek near the schoo
house, and after the exchange &
"Howdys" and weather remarks, IA
l. to drift across the log and up the stce
le bank to the hilltop where the schoo
house is situated. Here the Wome
s presently retired indoors, while tn
r men stayed without, lounSinS in con
le Portable gossipy attitudes under til
l trees in no unreasonable hurry for til
1T preachers arrival.
From up and down the Draft, frol
IL the top of the near mountains an
Il even from over in Clear Creek. peopl
A. came to hear Brother BraXton's fnr'
ID we'll sermon and to sing God be wit
II you till we meet again" for him. Som
= walked, some rode and some drove i
II spring wagons and buggies, and I'll
array of horses hitclled to the CONVEX
II lent fence rows was imposing indeed
and before the meeting was over til
e unfortunate top rails We're more chew
v ed and bitten than ever.