The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-08-07
MONTAGUE
The Life of a Willful Boy
Who Set Upon Himself the
Responsibility Of Avenging
His Fathers Murder : {:

the man cropping hands brushed
against her shoulder.
The sudden touch, the nearness Of
him and the black intensity Of it all
tore away Ellen's numbed silence, and
on the instant that he touched her she
screamed piercingly and sprang away.
With a plunge he was upon her. fling
ing furious gripping arms about her
waist. Again and again she screamed
in an ecstasy of mad terror, and as
though in answer to her cries the
lightning opened wide sudden eyes Of
horror upon the e and for an in
slant held the man and girl in the
white hollow of its light.
With struggling, panic stricken
strength Ellen tried to tear herself
free, and as her assailant held her in
his raging grasp he lifted his face and
all at once she saw that it was the
face of Adrian Blair. and or the in
slant he recognized her.
Ellen Daw!" he screamed. mad with
excitement, and reeled aside to let the
i fury of his strength pass her. Ellen
fell away out of his relaxed arms an
unconscious heap, and the black dark
ness shut down upon them.
When Ellen Daw opened her Eyes
once more to renewed consciousness it
was to find herself lying upon the hay
heaped in one corner of the little slop-
ing shed backed against Silas DAVIS
dilapidated stable. The lantern that
she usually kept there, in case her
chores at the barn detained her after
dark. was lighted now and swung from
its peg in the wall, its rays sending a
faint illumination eel nearby objects
and creeping away into the shadowy
rners glimmered almost to obscurity
in their %blackness.
Outside the wind still went by in
shrill gusts; the rain trampled upon the
roof and every now and again pallid
blue lightning stopped suddenly out Of
the black wilderness Of the sky and
looked in at the sheds open sides.
Evidently Adrian Blair had brought
her there after she lost consciousness,
for he was standing V e her knee deep
in the hay, his face excited and very
angry. -
What do yer mean by shootin' at
ME outer Their dark like that:" he de-
manded f%uriously as their eyes met.
Ellen put her hands to her temples
and looked about her in wild excite
ment: then all at once, pressing her
face deep into the hay, she broke into
q storm Of low, desolate sobs.
At first her tears came only from the
awfulness and terror of the last few
hours, but gradually as she wept the
vividness of the present relaxed a lit
tie, and one after another all the lone
ly miseries of her past rose up before
her demanding their full measure Of
tears, which always she had denied
them. For the misery Of the past she
wept, for the awful present and for
the barren stretches of the dead fu-
ture which opened before her.
Adrian stood looking down at her
shaken figure and presently a little Of
the anger began to die from his usual
ly gay face, which was never meant
for any long holding of wrath.
Leaning down at length he put his
hand upon her shoulder:
What did Yer shoot at me like that
fer"' he persisted, shaking her a little.
At his touch Ellen struggled again to
a sitting posture. Her sobs checked
themselves, and. pushing her hair back
from her forehead she looked at him
for a moment in dazed silence.
In the lantern light her eyes shone
through their mist of tears with a
flame of mysterious unhappiness, as
though they had looked into the un-
known waste places of grief.
Her hair lay heavy and very black
Upon her brow, and her whole appear
NEE was unusual and different from
anything Adrian had ever known.
And as always when her real emotions
We're touched, her true self awoke sud
denly and sweeping away the barrier
of her shyness took swift and rightful
possession of her personality.
II thought YOU was Kip RyersOn,''
she said at length, answering his ques-
ton.
Kip Ryerson.' he cried in amaze
ment. whats Kip done ter you:' he
demanded quickly.
He amt done nothin'," she answer
ed. her voice far away and lifeless.
".Ain't done nothin'.. An yit You
tried ter shoot him out er Their dark
he cried incrednlously. Suddenly an
idea rose before him, and again anger
leaped into his eyes.
Il know why Yer done hit he
cried. Yer done hit cause yer love
David Cree
Ellen looked at his flushed face
steadily for a moment before she an
swered. She was not angry as she had
been the other times when he had ac
cused her of caring for David. Then
her anger had been kindled sharply
by modification. for he had laid y
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