The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-05-08

Drlc1 episode or ner own
homo life closed, Ellen grew
up as Ellen Daw. and most
people forgot that she was an
adopted child. But while others foy-
got it, as soon as Ellcn grew old
enough to know what it meant it never
slipped from her mind. The DAVIS had
no children Of their own, and Ellen
might have found a small store Of af-
lection in Mrs. DAVIS heart in the
place of her three little dead children
that disease and accident had ravished
from her one after the other; but, IN
fortunately, when Ellen was still very
small, Mrs. Daw received q severe fall
from which she was long in recover
ing and which left her. when she was
once more able to be about, physically
strong, but mentally almost idiOtic.
And by Silas DAVIS sister, who came
to take charge of things about the
house on Mrs. DAVIS being incapacitat-
ed, Ellen was constantly reminded Of
the fact that she was nothin' but er
little throwed erway thing
When the girl was fifteen this tyrant
died, and upon Ellcn's shoulders fell
the household cares Of the farm.
For her adopted father Ellen found
it impossible ever to pretend any at
lection, and certainly he had one for
her, for Silas Daw had never cared in
all his life for any soul but himself and
never for anything save his w pleas
ures, which consisted of all the hunting
he felt equal to and all the whisky he
could get hold Of.
Growing up in this reserved and un'
loved atmosphere, Ellen reached out
eagerly in secret and bestowed q
wealth Of unsupported affection upon
different people Of the ncighborhood
who CHANGED in some way to appeal tt
her fancy. And once having made
them, as it were, her own, by her af
fectlon, she adored them with tn
motherhood Of her love, and for the
happiness of these, her chosen people
no sacrifice on her W part would
have seemed to her too great.
Ellen Daw had one other thing, too
to give her happincss-a thing she re
,ioiced in aud Rugged very tight. Sh'
could sing. She could sing better thai
any one else in the Draft or anywher
round; better than my II she ha'
ever heard, and she knew it. AM
when she sang, and then only, sh
loved herself with a passionate uplift
ing, because then she herself becam
the vehicle of something beautiful.
1t was this eager desire for bcaut
in every form which made her wistfl
affections center with peculiar inter
sity around Mary Reddin and Davi
Cree, because they were the two mo-
beautiful people she knew.
Mary Reddin was n constant o
of wonder and delight to her. HI
loneliness and gayety and frank lac
of reserve fascinated and terrified III
almost equally. When they were t
gether Mary's bright friendliness al
playfulness-more than any Of the OF
er girls Of the neighborhood ever sho'
ed her-alike embarrassed and fast
mated her and brought out all her aw
ward shyness, so that Mary never fe
though she truly desired to be frien'
with Ellen. that she ever got a ST
nearer to the silent girl. But VIII
Ellen was alone every look of the OF
cr's lovely little face and touch of b
radiant manner came back TO her wi
overwhelming sweetness and she +
almost a maternal fierceness of prot'
tion for this personality, though S
was only Mary's senior by a FEW yea
NTH nax,id Cree. Ellen thought s