Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-09-21

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Perhaps the Faintest Flicker Of Ad-
miration Came Into Her Eyes.
wholesome nature had taken It's place.
He felt a curious warmth stealing
over him.
"They meant what they said, Bruce.
Believe me, If those men can do no
other thing, they can keep their word.
They didn't just threaten death to
me. / could have run the risk of that.
Badly as .I-wanted to make them pay
before I-sdfed, would have gladly
run that risk. a
'You are amazed at the free way I
speak Of death. The girls you know,
In the city, don't even know the word.
They don't know what It means. They
don't understand the sudden end Of
the light-the darkness-the cold
the awful fear that 1t is! It's real
ity here, something to fight against
every. hour Of every day. There are
just three things to do in the noun
tains-to live and love and hate.
There's no softness. There's no mid
die ground" She smiled grimly.
I've lived with death, and I've
heard Of it, and I've seen it all my
life. II there hadn't been any, other
way, I would have seen It in the dra-
mas Of the wild creatures that go on
around me all the time. You'll get
down to cases here, Bruce-or else
you'll run away. These men said
they'd do worse things to me than
kill me-and I didn't dare take the
risk.
But once or twice l was able to
get word to old Elmira-the only ally
/ had left. She was Of the true breed.
Bruce. You'll call her nag, but
she's q woman to be reckoned with.
She could hate too-worse than a
she-rattlesnake hates the man that
killed her mate-and hating is all
that's kept her alive. You shrink
when I say the word. Maybe you
won't shrink when I'm done.
"This old woman tried to get in
communication with every stranger
that visited the hills. You see. Bruce.
she couldn't write, herself. And the
one time I managed to get a-written.
message down ITO her, telling her to
give 1t to the first stranger to mall
one Of my enemies gotsi II away from
her. I expected to die that night. I
t1 hA o1l,
clan came. The only reason I. didn't
was because Simon-the greatest of
them all and the one hate the most
kept his clan from coming. He had
his own reasons. !
"From then on she had to depend
on word Of mouth. But at last-just
few weeks ago-she found. q man
that knew you. And 1t is your story
from now on"
They were still little while. Bruce
arose and threw more wood on the
fire.
ITS only the beginning" he said.
And you want me to tell you all?''
she asked hesltantly. s
"Of course. Why did come heref'
"You won't believe me when / say
that Tn almost sorry sent for you.n
She spoke almost breathlessly. az
didn't know that 1t would be like this,
That you would come with smile on
your face and light in your eyes,
looking for happiness. And instead
Of happiness-to And all this!n I'd
She stretched out her arms to the
forests. Bruce understood her per.
fectly. She did not mean. the woods
in the literal, sense: She meant the
primal emotions that were their spirit,
ITO know the rest, you've got to 60
back whole generation. Bruce, have
you heard OF the terrible blood-feuds
that the mountain families sometimes
have9'
"Of course. Many times"
these mountains Of: Trails End
have been the scene Of as deadly q
blood-feud as was ever known In the
West. And for once, the wrong was
all on one side.
1 "a few miles from here there Is d
wonderful valley. where stream
flows. There issnot much tillable land
I'm these mountains. Bruce, but there,
along that little stream, there are al
most i've sections-three thousand
acres Of as rich land as was ever
plowed. That tract Of land was :ac-
quired long ago by family named
Ross. and they got It through some
kind Of grant. can't be definite az
stoathe legal aspects Of all5this story.
They don't matter anyway-only the
results remain. q. +;
.These Ross men were frontiersmen
Of the first order. They were virtuous
men too-trusting every one, and oh !!
what strength they had!s With their
I own hands they cleared away the for
est and put the land into rich pasture
& and hay and grain. They raised great
herds Of cattle and had flocks Of sheep