The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-11-26
"You bet l wouldn't. In a case like

"You bet l wouldn't. In a case like
this ycre now ii l was the chap that
was goin' to be hung I'd say: 'Fe)lers.
Jest take your own time an don't hur-
ry none on my account. I'll wait as
patiently as ! kin, an you won't hear
no kick out o me if you keep me wait
in forty years. l hain't so mOughty
polished in my manners, but I'm too
much of a gentleman to deny anybody
a little favor like that
You ltet yo' boots.."
The men laughed ut their cruel and
gr,,esome jokes. and their hostess join
ed in the laugh. James Ross looked at
her in establishment. shocked to the
very SOU at her conduct and wonder
ing If she could really be Il heartless
and unfcciing fiend.
She proceeded to spread the table,
spending as much time ut it as she con-
sistently could, and when it was all
ready she placed chairs and invited
her guests to be seated. She helped
them to food. laughing and chatting
gayly with them and managing every
way she could to delay the meal as
much as possible.
To her time was valuable, and one
minute might mean much. 1t might
mean life or death for james Ross.
Having helped the men she went to
the door and looked out. There was
a little light from a waning moon, and
she could see down the road q short
distance, but there was nothing astir.
| Shn IicfoponI infnnf1y- n ON. fin,n hV1f
no sound broke the stiffness Of the
night. With a sigh she turned back
into the house.
Were all her plans in behalf of James
Ross to come to naught?
What she hoped for was the arrival
of Alb Slocum and his friends. If Billy
delivered her message ,hey would
come, and if she could manage to keep
those other men waiting until they ar
rived Ross might yet be saved. But
would Slocum ever come, and, if so,
would he be too late?
Knowing that tile men could not eat
SO fast while talking, she sat down at
the opposite side Of the table and start
ed a conversation. She was fighting
y ~ oNNo1AAto SSNh Ao"s Nm
cared nothing about the fight Mt the
Conrow farm, but she asked about it
particularly because she knew the men
We're in it and would be glad to tell of
their deeds of valor. "
1T was one O the purtiest fights /
ever Sec" one Of them began. "an' the
best managed on our side. Thar them
Feds was, all drawed up thar in the
road jist as nice fer us to shoot at as
we could affixed 'em ourselves. We
rode down toward 'em, slow an steady
like, till all at once ole Quantrell he
gives us 4 sign, then with a whoop we
goes at 'em. Lor', but want them
Feds surprised. though! l bet we
skeered 'em out O five years growth
that minute! Then you jist ort a-seen
'em scatter. Never offered to fire a
shot at us, but jist th'owed their guns
down an lit out, goin' over fences an
bitches an in the fields an roads for
all the world like a passed. O. skeered
sheep.
1--WE jumped Off our hosses an took
after 'em, a-scattcrin' out, an every
Teller choosin' his own man. Some of
ON. in co'se, got away, but thar was
some that didn't, you bet.
II got after one Teller that went off
down across a blue grass pastur', an,
my land, but ! give him a run for his
money! 1t was about a quarter Of a
mile to the woods he was maxim fer,
an he jest hit it off down thar, a-step-
PIN about ten feet at a time. an we
after him a-pepperin' the shot to him
like a good Teller. l hit him five times,
VT he went right on, an l got to think
in he war goin' to git away from me
after all, but he didn't. lest as he
reached the woods I give him one more
shot an that knocked his t%rotters from
under him.
II Went on down thar Whar he fell,
and 1 found he Want dead yit, so l
draWcd my gun to finish him. Then
he got up on his knees m gun to beg
for all that's out for me to spare him..
Said he hadn't eve harmed nobody
an that he had a Wife an baby at
home. an 4 old mother, an all that kin
O. rubbish. All a pack O. lies, I reckon,
an anyhow it WANT nothin' to me if
he had Z: dozen wives an babies an
old mothers"
but you didn't kill him." Minerva
said Questioningly.
"Didn't! WAL, I reckon l shorely
did"
".And him begging like that?"
"That didn't make no difference to
me. You see, l hain't forgot about
that poor little sickly Cal Campbell,
who never done 40 harm to nobody in
his life, IN how them jayhaw kers
come long thar an took him out Of the
house an shot him down right before
the eyes of his sisters old mother an
them a-bcggin' an a-pleadin' for him
on their knees. l amt forgot that yit,
you bet"
1.-THE man Won killed. Though hadn't