The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-07-21
"Umph. A courteous gentleman.

"Umph. A courteous gentleman.
Will he use it now?"
'If l know him he will not until he
has given UP every hope of carrying
his purpose with me-"
even after your splendid defiance
of him today?'
which so often wins-patience. I be-
lieve he suspected from the first what
the object of the betrothal was n
just set himself to rivet the chain un-
til should not dare to break it. While
| was away he threatened my mother
that if l did not retun at once her ar
rest would be used to force me back"
well, look at it as we will, he has
us tied up in a tangle bad enough to
satisfy ever him"
lit is not so bad as If his men had
caught me just now. He would have
been much nearer his end. So long as
l am free l can fight him, but he
knows what his power would be if he
had both mother and me in his hands,
1t was in truth a devil Of a tangle.
With Mime. Drakona in prison, Bremen
hof had his hand on the lever which
controlled everything, and to get her
out seemed hopeless.
"This is the Place of st. JOHN said
Nolna presently. THAT is the house,
No. II, across there. l will leave you
here. What will you do"
II shall go to Ladislas and let him
know what has occurred"
Poor Ladislas. What do you think
he can do: You will find him with his
hands full Of more serious matters
than ever my troubles"
Nothing could be more serious in
his eyes," I said. "And you, what will
you dog
"Wait until tomorrow; that is all"
She spoke with a rather weary smile.
THAT is not the courage that defed
B~remenhof. The people may wiz In
the impending struggle. and then ev-
erything will be changed"
"They may" she agreed, but with no
hope in her voice.
you don't believe it,"
"There is always hope
1--WE may find another way. Moth
ing is impossible for such courage as
you have shown"
There is always one way open to
me in the last resort"
You mean?"
She looked up steadily. "What should
l mean but surrender:'
"Not that, for Gods sake" I cried
i~mpetuously.
Don't think me a coward for nam
ing it. 1t would take all the courage
you think l have. But he knows how
love my mother and that it would
kill her to remain in prison. Tomor-
row she must be freed at any cost
"No, no; don't think Of it. Think of
your own brave words in defying
him."
She smiled again, "That is just it
brave words, nothing else. He knows
they We're but words
III find some other way. You'll
think differently tomorrow"
She paused and then gave me her
hand. III try. If any one can give
me confidence you cam"
How shall | see you tomorrow? Is
there any risk in my coming to the
house,"
1T will be better not. One never
knows. l will be in the square of st.
Faul-Where the strikers meetings
Were-at II o'clock: but, remember,
my mother must be freed tomorrow at
any cost
Then know what l have to do" l
answered confidently, land l repeat,
I'll do it somehow"
AS | turned away, having watched
her enter the house she had indicated.
l could not resist applying her phrase
brave words, nothing else''-to my
own resolve to find some means of
bringing RTemenhof to terms. l could
see no way to make it good, to make
it more than mere words intended to
encourage her. 1t looked a sheer I'M
possibility.
Short of calling the man out and
shooting him for the old insult to me
or forcing a fresh quarrel upon him,
there was nothing l could do. and the
utter futility of any such crude plan
was too patent to do more than in
crease my impotent anger.
l was hurrying to Ladislas' house
when I remembered that I had had no
food for some hours and had nowhere
to sleep. SO went to the big hotel,
the Vladimir, and had dinner and en-
gagged a ROOM, lest Ladislas should
deem it imprudent for me to stay with
him.
AS I sat over my dinner b%rooding it
appeared to me that tho only hope for
Nolna lay in the success of the popular
movement, and after dinner / fingered
some time in the streets, intensely in |
terested in the progress of affairs.
The excitement and general unrest
We're certainly increasing fast. and the
temper of the people was rising. The
groups of strikers We're growing larger.
In some places crowds had gathered
and yrny,n rlon1,- c1,oo,;,r ..,..I.-