The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-11-19

Soon 10 eat when you come to my
house, don't II"
"Th, huh"
Then why won't you take my note
n give me the one you have?"
Don't dast. Uncle SRI be mad"
"lT be mad II you don't, and l won't
ever give you anything good to eat
again.
Billy frowned and scratched his head
th%oughtfully for a moment, then said:
who's your note fory
Its for Abe Slocum. Will you take
1t to him."
Don't keer. Reckon thoughts WELL"
All right. There 1t is. Now give
me that n you have. Will you
hurry?"
9th, huh"
well, go on: and be sure you don't
fail me, now?"
II won't.
Billy sped away, and she sat there
and waited until from away over in
the woods she heard his voice singing:
Sheep in the woods.
Won't come out;
Take the old gun
An hun 'em all about"
house-to the house Of her father,
against whom she had been plotting,
and whose messenger she had just
bribed to work against him and in
favor of a stranger.
Alb Slocum was a southern man, and
the note she had sent Informed him
that a Federal soldier was q prisoner
in her fathers house. She told him Of
James Ross danger and urged him to
come with two or three other men and
take him away Immediately.
She was in good spirits when she en-
tered the room, for If Billy kept his
promise and performed his duty all
would be we'll with James Ross. And
she had no fear Of Billy. He would
never miss the chance of earning the
- unless he received a larger bride,
and there was no likelihood Of his do
ing that.
When she saw her father she smiled
at the thought of how she had thwart-
ed him, and as the evening wore on
she laughed and chatted with a gayety
of manner she had not shown for many
days.
But her exuberance of spirit was
soon to end. and keen anxiety and fear
were to take it's place. The change
came when old Silas casually re-
marked:
Bud Simpson come along we're while
you was out, daughter, an fearin' Bill
" mought not git that note to George
right away, l sent another by Bud"
Then it was that the daughter saw
that the father had probably defeated
her after all and that James Ross fate
rested between Silly Billy and Bud
Simpson.
Which would win was a question no
one could answer.
There We're three long hours Of wait
ing before the occupants Of old Silas
Bones house, for it would be that long
before either Georges party or that Of
Slocum could arrive. Three hours are
II long time to one in suspense, and If
old Silas' daughter had never discov-
cred that fact before she discovered it
now. To her they We're longer, far
longer, than to either her father or
James Ross.
At first the time dragged by in COM
parative silence. No one seemed to be
in a talkative mood, and though an &C.
casional attempt was made by one or
another to start a conversation it soon
came to naught.
Old Silas sat with his rifle close at
hand, seemingly occupied in earnest
thought. The daughter fidgeted rest
lessly about, now sitting down, now
getting up and now moving things
nervously from place to place in the
ROOM. James Ross sat with his elbows
resting on the table and his face in his
hands, his eyes following the move
mentS Of Minerva OF else he slowly
paced back and forth across the floor.
The minds Of all these three were oc-
cupied with serious and earnest
thoughts. Silas was thinking of the
cows in his field destroying his corn
and of his inability to do anything to
stop their depredations. Minerva was
thinking Of Bud Simpson and Billy
Slye, and wondering which would win
in the unconscious race they were max
ing-the n to win death for a fellow
man, the other to win him freedom and
life. James Ross was thinking of his
situation and Of the terrible fate that
threatened him, and was wondering
whether he should ver escape it. He
wondered, too, If she would care, and
now and then he found himself wan
dering away from these serious
thoughts to wonder if she was really
married.
An hour or more had passed in this
way, when suddenly old Silas broke a
long silence by %springing to his feet
and exclaiming:
"Dadburn his dadgummed onery
skin!"
The other two looked up at the old