The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-04-03
The Life Of a Willful Boy
Who Set Upon Himself the
Responsibility Of Avenging
His Fathers Murder : :

The words were lost in q sudden
overpowering burst of sound, as the
hounds IN full cry topped Il nearby
ridge.
At the same instant Il great fright
ened buck swept across the little run
let and sprang past up the mountain.
almost trampling upon the man and
boy. 4 moment later the hounds burst
upon them.
Promise, promise." his fathers
voice took up its burden out of the
chaos Of sound as the hunt swept
away.
"Oh, l do, . do David cried pas
sionately. II promise yer, papry, l
PROMISE"
At the words his fathers fingers
loosed their hold and dropped salts
fed to the ground.
Tell Their fellers,' lie gasped and
shut his eyes.
David tore his heavy boots from his
feet, and with one last look at his ia
Their. fled down the uneven and rocky
path to the storekeeper's stand, run
ming as he had never run before in all
his life, his eyes starting wildly from
his blanched face, and hi; heart leap
ing as though it would leap out of his
body.
Along a side path, which eventually
dips close to the maple spring, a SON.
Der little figure moved in and out
through the golden light of that Oc-
tober morning; a little withered old
woman, her head bound in a black
handkerchief and again covered by Il
sunbonnet Of the same indistinct col
oring AS the rest Of her dress, which
had all faded long since into one in
determinate hue.
When old Martha Lamire presently
neared the maple spring she murmured
an intention Of getting n drink there.
A little later, however, when she would
have pushed the underground aside to
emerge upon the spring, a deep caught
groan arrested her. At the unexpected
sound the old oma jumped back as
instinctlvely as she would have done
at the whir of a rattlesnake, and it
was characteristic. that before look
ing forward again she first looked back.
Assured that no II observed her, she
carefully pushed the branches aside
and peered into the hollow, her faded
sunbonnet poking through with the
alert inquiry of an old turkey hen.
Leaning thus eagerly forward, she
caught sight of Anderson Cree's hud-
died figure. Fo a space she looked at
him in bewilderment, then with Il low
murmur Of compassion she would have
moved toward him. but at the moment
the mar writhed slightly to one side
and she saw his face, which until then
had been turned from her. Instantly
she checked her forward movement
and the pity in her own face went out.
For Il space again she stood still, look
ing at him lying there in the tragic lit
tie hollow; then cautiously step by step
she began to draw back, but all at
once she stopped to listen-the man
was praying, his voice sounding
strange and broken in the sunny still
ness Of the woods.
The words came with a sudden
burst.
so Lord" he cried, ''let me just
live ter tell Dave hit don't matter,
Lord, I didn't think, l didn't know
then. I didn't undcrstan'. Let me jest
live ter mako him take back his prom
ise.' And aGain-"O Lord. jest let mt
tell Dave not tor kill Kip Iiyerson."
AS he prayed the old Woman stand
ing waist deep in the painted under
growth, moved. \. dry twiS snapped
and she caught her breath too quick
ly. The man heard and cried out:
"W'ho's that
The old woman neither moved nor
answered.
who's there" lie cried again sharp
ly. and would have turned in her di-
rection, only he could not. Yet he felt
that some n was there, some one
who stood silently in the bushes and
I watched him.
'Comc here SOS | kin see yer. Come
here he begged pantingly. Still tn,
old woman did not move. The mau
waited hopefully an instant and then
cried %pitcorsly, Fer Gods sake, com.
here"
She did not come, yet he heard hcl
breathing distinctly now.
"Ef Yer won't come ter cr dying
man. he cried desperately, take my
word ter David. Tell him I say moi
ter kill Kip Rycrson Of thcr law don
git him. I'll not last ter tell him my.
self. Tell him hit don't matter,
didn't think. oh, tell him, tell him..
The voice broke and trailed away into
silence. Still no answer, and still the
person was there.