The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-08-07


excitement.
Almost Immediately the darkness
snatched them from Ellen's sight. bu
for some time she could still heal their
running feet until the sound was lost
in another thunder crash and Scud of
wind and rain.
Overhead the wind Kissed through
the tossed branches, and only by put
ting her hand against the trunk of a
tree could Ellen herself stand against
the fury of 1t. Through the darkness
the lightning winked necessarily, like
the opening and shutting of a great
eye, and in sharp cracks the thunder
followed close in it's wake. In the
distance the main body Of oncoming
rain reared with the full sound Of a
cataract, coming nearer and nearer in
blown sheets.
Ellen covered against a tree for
shelter and support and waited, her
throat tight with nervous excitement
and waves of trembling surged over
her every now and again. But her
fear was not the fear Of the storm, it
was the agonizing terror of herself and
of the thing she meant to do.
Blown through and through by the
wind and drenched to the skin, she
sank down to a sitting posture and,
bending forward, claSped her arms
about her knees, sheltering with her
body the pistol, which lay a dead
weight in her lap. Sitting thus in the
riotous grip Of the storm and of her
own emotions. she listened with drawn
breath for the sound Of approaching
footsteps. And at last in a moments
lull of the wind and storm she heard
them-heavy footsteps. stumbling and
cropping over the rough way, and once
a curse went with them.
Very slowly and very quietly, like a
stealthy wind driven shadow, Ellen
Daw rose to her feet. Very cautious
ly, with a tiny unheard click, she
cooked the pistol.
Except when an occasional blue flame
of lightning drank up the darkness all
her senses We're merged in that Of
listening, and she stood with ears keen
for every sound. Suddenly a flash lit
the whole road in dazzling brilliance,
and in the moment of its intensity
Ellen saw a mans figure still a little
distance away coming up the uneven
track toward her. Then the soft lid
of darkness shut down once more and
the girl drew a faint quivering breath
and again set herself to wait and to
listen for the footsteps through the
uproar of the storm the violence Of
which increased every moment. Stun
bling among the loose stones the man
came on. He was opposite her on the
road now, but all was still dark. 81
lently she extended her arm, finger on
trigger, ready for the next instant Of
light. She heard him utter a protest
ing complaint over the %obscurity Of
the way, and his footsteps went on a
little farther. Then it ne in
tense wildly Illuminating flash. In the
outspread wings of light Ellen saw
the man held sharply up to view, flash
ed upon and enveloped in the bril-
, lance as though he We're the only
thing to see in all the world. His
, back was toward her and at that she
[ fired, and on the instant the lightning
} disappeared into darkness.
} She heard the man utter a startled
cry, but 1t was n of surprise, not
pain, and she knew that she had miss
ed: then the sharp cracking of the
thunder leaped out engulfing all in its
l heavy voice, and as it died away the
y lightning flash, the report of the pistol,
t the mans cry and the gray roll of the
! thunder seemed all fleeing away into
+ the darkness and out into space. 10
culver forever down the ages upon
each others Mortified footsteps.
5 AS the thunder died Ellen heard y
crashing and scattering of stones and
knew that the man was plunging TO-
ward her furiously in the dark.
! She had fired her shot and missed
T. and with the action all power had gone
out of her.
$ She was not dead to the fear Of I,
4 all, yet she could not move, even tC
r steal around the tree and place is
trunk between herself and the yropipc
J. eager vengeance that the dark held
r He was very close now. and she couIl
r hear his quick breathS. She leane,
t against the tree all hut conscious will
( terror and dread of the lightning.
The lightning held Off. yet feeling