The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-02-11

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tage. She had done that unconsciously
the first time she had seen James Ross,
and she had blushed at the thought OF
1t ever since, though she had not real
lied the danger to which it might q
Soon, however, with James Ross In
her house, and seeing him every day,
she began to comprehend that there
was a danger opening before her, and
she not only blushed ut the thought OF
it. but trembled as we'll.
If she had loved her husband she
would have had no reason to fear. but
she did not love him and she knew 1t.
If she had loved him she would never
have found faults in him and virtues
in another. She was ! woman, ana
II a oma the very faults Of the man
she loves are virtues.
Minerva Bone had married George
Stevens when she was very young.
She had believed ut the time that she
loved him, but she was too young to
know what real love was. She was
only experiencing one of those blind,
unreasonable infatuations that young
girls often feel. and which burn so in
tcnsely that they soon burn themselves
out. leaving their victims wondering
with Amusement what 1t was all about.
II Minerva had not married George
Stevens she would have recovered
from her %infatuation for him sooner
THAI she did. In either case she was
bound to open her eyes to his faults.
but after becoming his wife she felt 1t
her duty to try to blind herself to them
and cling to him in spite Of all. And
she did cling to him and try to make
herself believe she loved him until she
finally reached a point beyond which
she could not deceive herself longer.
She did not love him, she never had
loved him, and she knew 1t. Neverthe-
less it was the earnest desire Of her
soul to be loyal to him, in thought as
we'll as deed.
But now the truth, however unwel-
come it might be, had forced itself upon
her. She not only did not love her
husband, but she loved another. With
all her heart and soul, with all the
strength Of her ardent nature, she loved
james Ross.
And James Ross knew it. He knew
it, though she had never uttered one
word to betray her feelings. He was
a man of mature years and good COM
mon sense, and where is there one
such, associating daily with a woman
he loves and who loves him, who can
not read the secret Of her heart?
They loved each other. they both
knew it, yet she never forgot that she
was the wife of another man, and he
forgot it but once
In spite of the warnings he had re-
ceived Of coming danger Ross remained
and continued on with his school. He
neve told Minerva of those warnings
t1uence to induce him to 90 away. 1t
is probable that he knew this, and for
that very reason failed to tell her.
Almost a week passed without any
thing new and startling %transpiring. If
Jake Martin and his friends were max
ing any movements they were keeping
it very quiet. If George Stevens had
any knowledge Of all that had taken
place between his wife and Ross he
did nothing to show it. Ross even be
gan to hope that his threatened trouble
had all blown G again.
But the few days Of quiet was only
the period Of silence that precedes the
breaking of the storm. The an%ticipat-
ed troubles came, and they came thick
and fast. They began one evening as
Ross was walking home from school.
He had gone only a short distance
from the schoolhouse and was walk
ing along a path that led across u field
when suddenly the stiffness of the
summer evening was broken by a
series of loud and pleading shrieks.
Startled and wondering, Ross stopped
and listened.
The shrieks came from a piece of
woods a quarter of a mile to his right,
The voice was that of Il man, and IN
mistakably he was in dire distress.
He not only shrieked, but he plead
for mercy and begged for help.
Ross, thinking only of giving aid t,
Il suffering fellow creature, ran down
across the field in the direction from
which the cries came. AT the edge OF
the field was a fence, and, tumblinl
over it, he struck out through tho
woods, guiding his course by the
shricks.
When he had gone a few yards il
!, the woods a man carrying a gun raj
, across his path a few steps ahead OF
, him and disappeared among tn,
/ bushes. He called to the man. but re
ceived no swe He gave the cir
, cumstance no further attention, foJ
still before him We're those Shrek,
t calling him on.
At a point a hundred yards farthel
into the woods he came to a stop
8 Through an opening among the tree:
2 and bushes he saw Il sight that tillct
him with horror and Amusement an,
made his blood boil.
/ Just before him there was a SINAI
,lnrrnl SDot in tho conto. re v,hi,t