The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-04-10

her mothers hand, and the last con-
scious thing she said, with a little
white smile, was:
You an mes alters been best
friends. amt we, mammy?'
But afterward she drifted into de-
lirium, and for a long time she called
Anderson Cree's name over and over.
The night after they buried Amabel.
Martha Lamire stole out of her house
while the neighbor, who was staying
with her to break the first loneliness.
was asleep. and. wandering away in
the mountains, was lost for two nights
and a day in the cold woods of late
October. And when at length a search
party found her she seemed dazed and
curious and always afterward the
Draft people said. "She he'd er kinder
crazy streak in her."
She lived on, Il lonesome and forlorn
old woman, dislKed by most and fear
ed by all, for her crazy streak and
for her terrible tongue, which dashed
recklessly at any and all her neighbors.
Sitting now in the autumn sunshine
after her tumultuous flight down the
mountain. the shaken old woman call
ed up the whole past in review. and
again she muttered in stupefaction:
Anderson Cree! Oh. Lord! Anderson
Cree" And then as her thoughts tray
eled on she muttered triumphantly:
"Aha. Judy Lester! Reckon your
boy1l hev err tough row ter hoe too!'
1t was sunnily still and verging on
droWsiness about Anderson Cree's cab
in as the morning drew on toward II
O'Clock. Three of the Cree children
were playing hiding around the stacks
of corn fodder in the stable yard. To
Judith Cree, Alderson's wife, the world
seemed a pleasant place on that Octo-
Der morning. The warmth and tran
quillity OF the day went to the very
fibers Of her being and stirred them
into quick response to all the joys she
knew.
AS she stood happily thinking dream
lily Of the past Judith became all at
once aware of heavy footsteps ap-
preaching the house from the rear.
Could David and Anderson be return
ing already from the hunt? But there
was a sound of several feet and un-
certain, as though men carried some
thing heavy. Possibly they were bring
ing home the deer, shot perhaps by
Anderson, and they were bringing it
here to skin and divide. But if the
hunt were over, where were the dogs?
Perhaps they had started another deer
and trailed it over into the Drupe
mountains. SO Judith Cree stood for a
moment and played with her curiosity.
as people sometimes will. for in truth
h was very content with tho baby
in her arms and was in no haste TO
turn to other things. But suddenly a
piercing scream from the old woman
startled her. Terrified. she sprung
round, the baby clutched tight, and
there in the dusky light Of the cabin
she beheld George Hedrick and the
two McClintic men lay Anderson Cree's
body upon the bed.
q X +
Lite mat afternoon men found Kir
Ryerson. .Arrcsting him. they carried
him into Wayside and placed him in
the county jail. there to await the sit
ting of the November court.
The next morninS-in fairness of
weather the twin sister of the day be-
fore-they laid Anderson Cree away.
At the grave many of the women
wcpt, among them. %curiously enough,
in sudden gusts, old Martha Lamfre,
But unsupported Judith Cree stood up
straight and frozen by the rave, her
face stiffened into the look of horror
| the morning before had stamped upon
it. Dry eyed and m%otionlcss, she
watched all the details of the buria]
from the placing of tho covering boards
and the putting in of the two wands
measures for coffin and grave-to the
filling in, turn about by the men and