The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-07-10

jSnIy.
Her dark face before him was quite
beautiful as the mingled emotions of
pride, anger and bitterness went across
it, and Adrian looked at her with un-
concealed admiration.
I'm awful sorry, Ellen" he said
humbly. What l said slipped out
without my thinkin'. an l promise not
ter do hit ergin. Though'-he added
gayly, his anger all melted away and
his serenity returning, "hit was worth
sayin' jest ter see Yer git so mad" At
his laughing tone, which was half
teasing and half admiring, Ellen shrank
back into her shy aw~kwardness, and
in a moment the animation died from
her face, and she was the same stiff,
frightened girl with averted eyes as
always, and though Adrian tried sew
eral topics of conversation hopefully
he succeeded in getting nothing more
from her thar scant monosyllables and
sometimes not even that, and at
length even he was daunted and fell
into an uncomfortable silence which
lasted until they came to Mrs. Thomp-
kins', where he took his departure, as
stiff for once as Ellen herself.
Meantime David and Mary walked
home together in a silence which was
half bewilderment on David's part and
on Mary's was dumb terror. They
took their way along the same little
green path and along the same pleas
ant road that had brought them to the
schoolhouse such a few short hours
before, and it seemed to Mary as
though the face of all the world she
knew had suddenly been darkened-as
though in the twinkling Of an eye the
gayety had gone out of life.
She had not recognized Kip Ryerson.
but the moment she heard his name
flung about in the startled crowd she
had known in a flash what Dayid's
sudden spring meant, and in the same
fash she realized all that it would
mean to her, for since childhood she
had been familiar with the story of
Anderson Cree's murder and of David's
promise.
Under her gay Sunday hat her face
looked tragically small and white.
Thus in silence the two came at
length almost to the Reddins' gate. A
little way from it David paused a mo-
ment and with an effort threw of
something Of the overmastering sick
cQnfJ1Sinn Dn1oy u,bi,I h;, h.c;,
giddy and like a man waking from a
trance he looked about him in sur
prised question. Here was he at the
Reddins' gate, and what power had
brought him down the road when the
maj he %hated-the man who had u
dered his father-had fled up it?
For an instant he stood still, real
izlng his surroundings and collecting
himself, then he turned slowly toward
Mary and took both her hands in a
tight grasp, looking down into her
eyes and in silence Mary gave back
the look.
"Goodby Mary-swcetheart," he said
at length and started to draw his
hands away, but Mary caught them
suddenly in Il firm grasp of her own.
Where airc you goin', Dave:' she
questioned in a low, steady voice.
though fear sat in her eyes.
You know where I'm goin'," he
said. You know, Mary. That was
Kip Rycrson at the schoolhouse, an
you know-everybody in Their Draft
knows what he DONE" and again he
strove to tear himself away. But Mary
held him with such passionate strength
that it was impossible for him to free
himself without hurting her. Her face
was very close and her eyes looked
into the depths of his.
David" she said, and her voice was
hardly more than Il whisper, vet if
was vehement with feeling, david
Cree. eff Yer love me ther least little
bit in ther world you'll wait here a
spell and think things over; Yer too
mad now ter look ut anything straight.
Jest stay-oh, Dave, jest stay with me
err little, little spell.' she begged pite-
ously. Cant yer? Oh, can't Yer,
Dave:' she cried. her breath warm on
his cheek and her eyes beseechiny
him.
Il can't, I can't, honey" he said dcs-
perately. Il got ter go, l made or
promise-you know l made err prom.
ise." And again he sought to release
himself. but still she chung to him.
David. do vor love mn9 r., ~.