Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-01-10

the woodpile, grabbed Thorsten Sletten,
whom he suspected of being his assail-
ant. by the leg and dragged him down.
One of the stakes which confined the
logs broke. and the whole pile tumbled
down pell nell with the young men on
top of it. Some of them got painful
bumps and scratches, which did not i'm
prove their temper. One by one, as
soon as he got upon his legs, rushed at
Gunnar with clinched fists; and the
latter. finding himself attacked on all
sides, struck right and left, little heed
ing whom or where he hit. 1t was a
most unfair battle-six against one
Ingerid's blood boiled as she saw her
companion surrounded, beaten and POM
meled by those envious fellows. only be-
cause she had favored him.
He fought for while manfully, re-
turning blow for blow, and neither ask
ing nor receiving quarter. But he was
gradually getting the worst of it. She
saw his flushed face above the knot of
combatants, every muscle strained, his
teeth clinched in savage wrath and
flash in his eye of desperate resolution.
Then suddenly down he went, tripped
up by some tricky foot, and the others
fell upon him like raging hounds. The
light died out of Ingerids face, leaving
it pale and terrified; for an instant she
stood speechless then borne along by
mighty impulse she rushed into the
midst of the fighters, grabbed the first
one she got hold of by the shoulders and
flung him aside. 1t was Thorsten Slet-
ten.
"Oh, shame on you'll" she cried.
Thorsten sent her surly sidelong
glance and walked off, trying to hide his
resentment and modification under an
air of bravado. In another moment she
had gotten hold of another offender, who
likewise skunk off with muttered curses,
and the others. unwilling to fight girl.
got up hastily and took to their heels.
Last of all Gunnar rose, with slow and
deliberate motions. and turned toward
her red, swollen face, with white
blotches and streak of blood on his
left cheek. He looked at her with half
shy, awkward glance. at which all her
sense of championship forsook her, and
she felt strange weakness in her knees.
The crimson flush fared out upon her
cheeks, and she found it impossible to
utter q word. Had she not been foolish
in allowing her heart to run away with
her? She had put him in a humiliating
position, and though she would have
liked to beg his pardon she did not know
how to frame the difficult words. And
yet she had meant well. 1t was horri-
bly, peyplexing. But why did he not
speak? He ought to have had the gen.
erosity to say something. if only to re-
lieve her awlzwardness. She watched
him with a dim sense of guilt, through
which slow resentment glowed, while
he wiped his bloody cheek with the
sleeve of his coat and pulled himself to-
gether to recover his wonted attitude.
When he had as nearly as possible eff
faced all traces Of the combat he looked
about to see if they were observed. In
gerid's heart leaped into her throat. He
was now surely going to thank her.
81 suppose you meant all right" he
said in resentful tone; "but another
time wish you wouldn't do it."
''But they were killing you, Gunnar,"
she cried in eager self justification.
well, next time let them kill me-"
he answered doggedly.
"Oh, how can your she moaned, too
deeply wounded for tears 81 wish-l
wish-I had never seen you"
She felt weak and sore. Her heart
seemed heavy as lead. The sunlight
had hard brightness which hurt her
eyes. The world had lost its glory
CHA pTER V