Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-16
scious into Jack Denton's outstretched
CHAPTER VII.

| EN writing Of his face in pain
"A and fury, together with the
long red cut made by the
whip, gave him the expression of de-
mon.
you. You" he gasped.
"Yes, ~ said Denton. Fortunately,
I arrived in time to foil this dastardly
attempt Of yours to take advantage Of
a dcfenscless girl. have been riding
along the railway from stream to
stream examining the bridges. l reach
ed this place on my horse moment
ago. A boy saw me coming and hur-
| ried to tell me what was going on.
had no idea I should find a friend in
need of help. But, thank God, was
In time"
"You will never leave this place
alive!' said Neslerov.
He plucked a revolver from his pock-
ct and aimed at Denton.
A woman standing near held out her
hands and caught the form Of Frances
and bore it into her house. Denton.
with flashing eyes, leaped forward and
closed with Neslerov.
at is a battle to the death between
giantsw cried a man in the crowd.
The pistol fell from the grasp of Ne
slerov, and the whip before welded
by Denton dropped to the ground.
| The iron fingers of Denton would
close on the throat of Neslerov, and 1t
seemed as though the struggle would
end that moment, but Neslerov would
wrench himself free and leap at his
enemy with curse and growl.
1T is you or l! One Of us must die"
cried Neslerov.
A swinging. crashing blow from the
| Americans right hand sent the gov
ernor to the ground, where he lay as II
stunned.
Take care Of him, somebody" said
Denton in Russian. IL don't want to
kill him.
lie turned without look at the fall
ell man and started toward the hut into
which Frances had been carried.
Look out!' cried a woman.
At the cry, which WAS echoed in the
crowd Denton turned suddenly. The
dastardly Neslerov had feigned. He
had risen TO his feet and was creeping
upon his enemy with a dagger drawn.
ooh, you are an assassin. eh?" said
Denton as he drew his revolver. Let
me see if we can't settle you once for
/ ALL"
/ While II might be that not one Of the
villagers sympathized with Neslerov.
yet his act was not a crime to them.
! With their sordid understanding Of
women having no rights, no freedom,
no liberties save what their lords and
masters gave them, the men of this
place looked upon the eagerness of
/ Neslerov to be married to so beautiful
girl as natural.
One of them, realizing that the gov
ernor's safety was necessary TO their
own, sprang upon Denton and drove
knife through the heshy part Of his
arm.
The pistol fell to the earth near that
of Neslerov and two villagers picked
them up and hid them.
Like a flash Neslerov was upon his
unarrned foe. and his knife was raised
to strike. but Denton. with a quicker
movement, drew a knife from his belt.
He had ridden too often over the tun-
ORA to go unprcpared for enemies. hui
man and otherwise.
/ And now began duel the like OF
which the banks Of the Irish or its
branches will probably never see
again.
Steel flashed on steel
The blood from the wound in Den.
tons arm WAS flung over the face and
clothing of NoSlcrov. while that from
the bruises on the governors face grew
thick and dark. making him truly hide.
GUS.
With grasp as OF iron Denton seiz-
ed the hand of Neslerov that held the
dagger, but with wrench the govern
or got it away and cut to the bone
half the length of Denton's finger.
But the American scarcely felt the
wound. He was not fighting now for
life, nor for vengeance. He was fight
ing for that girl who lay in the hut.
He knew that if Neslerov killed him
md was not killed himself, her life
would be made such he'll in the
power Of this monster Of brutality tnat
death would be preferable.
year ago she had told him she did
not and never could love him. 1t had
been quarrel She didn't want to get
married, and he asked her if his rough
exterior, the result of years Of hard work
In rude and dangerous places, was dis
agreeable to her. He said there were
fine gentlemen at Paris, New York
London and St Petersburg. She had
answered that she knew it. She pre-
ferred their company to boors They
parted then and had not met till now.
Denton and Neslerov kept fighting
on, the villagers too much aghast to
step between or utter word.
Ncslerov felt his right arm getting
weaker. Denton's knife had slashed
through the sleeve Of his coat and
found the bone near the elbow. An ar
terry must have been cut, for the blood
was thrown from the end Of the sleeve.
Made desperate, he gathered all his
strength for final effort and sprang
bodily upon his foe.
Denton, seeing an opportunity ard
knowing that nothing but a deathblow
seemed likely to end the fight, met the
plunge and drove his knife into Nesle-
rows side.
With another curse. splutterinp Of