A young Butte mother was killed and her companion, a Mining City resident, was seriously injured in a two-car collision early Christmas morning.   Also injured were four others on U.S. Highway 91 near Helena.

      Dead is Mrs. Clara Hicks, 20, 541 Colorado.

      Her companion, Emile Buck 31, of 23 Wells, was taken to a Helena hospital along with the occupants of the other car, Guy C. Howard of Chinook;   his 14-year-old daughter, Phyllis Howard;   Erling Peterson of Harlem and Bertha Jordahl of Zurich.

      Mrs. Hicks,   who was divorced from Andy Hicks Jr. Monday,   and Buck left Butte Christmas Eve for a ride.

      According to the Associated Press, Jefferson County Coroner Kyle Scott said the two cars skidded together near the top of a railroad viaduct just across the county line in Jefferson County, about seven miles south of Helena.   The accident happened about 1:15 a.m.

      The coroner said neither car apparently was traveling fast.   He blamed the sliding headon collision on "pure ice".

      The death was Montana's fourth of the Christmas holiday and the seventh in less than three days.   It brought the state's traffic toll for the year to 234, compared with only 193 in all of 1958.   The death count a year ago Friday was 191.

      Mrs. Hicks is survived by her daughter, Jenell, 2;   parents, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver R. Geist, 107 Mullin Street.;   sisters, Mrs. Edward Cadenhead, Phoenix City, Ala. and Mrs. Elsie Miljies of California;   brother, Roy Geist, Butte;   grandparents, Mrs. Hattie Heron, Sacremento, Glen Heron, Worland, Wyo.;   uncles and aunts, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Heron, Bozeman; Dr. and Mrs. Billy Heron and Mr. and Mrs. Pat Heron, all of Chico, Calif., Arthur Heron, address unknown, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Heron, Thermopolis, Wyo., John Geist Jr., Waterloo, Iowa, Leila and Glennis Heron, Sacremento, Bertha Geist, Lander, Wyo.

      The body will be forwarded to White's Funeral Home here.