Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-04-12

ed out hand to the shawl and literally
tore it away from the poor clay it Gov
cred.
At the instant he did SO Armand
vaulted the rail where he stood, caught
rope, swung to stanchion and land
ed as lightly as cat at the side of the
burly ruftlan. The act was so cleah SO
graceful and SO quick that none of the
passengers could have told exactly how
1t was done.
The mate turned and, seeing him at
his elbow, struck with all his strength
at the others head.
The stroke was one to stun, but it
never reached home. The young for
eigner bent one side, not moving his
feet, with motion that would have
spoken volumes to an athlete, and the
mates fist banged against the bull
wark. While he staggered from this,
Armand, Selling ropes end as he
circled, cut him across the face with
such ii slash that the blood ran from
the cash.
Now ensued strange combat. The
mate, heavy and cumbrous, tried to
reach the ether with sledge hammer
blows. The Frenchman, slight, wary,
circling, retreating, slipped hither and
thither. Three ttnes in as many sec
onds that sibilant "swish" sang, and
red mark sprang out on the brutal face.
At each swing of the fist a sort of
groan went up from the huddled re-
demptioners, and at each cut they
sucked in their breath with delight. 1t
was new, strange entertainment for
them-to have brain sick passenger
descend from his clean deck to cham
pion the cause of a scum.
The Virginian, looking down, was
quiyerlng visiely. AS the passenger
evaded blow that would have crush
ed his ribs he could not forbear shout:
"Well done, by the Lord! But ware
the clinch! Ware the clinch, mon
sieur!'
Cor the mate, though maddened out
Of himself, had shown a sudden CLEAN
Of purpose. He was forcing the sec
rotary back into corner between bull
wark and stanchion, not striking, but
his burly arms now stretched out wide
". Even as Cary shouted the arms
gripped Armand like a wise, and the
singing ropes end. useless now, fell to
the deck.
Over the upper rail the passengers
leaned, watching.
"a shame!' cried one. '"That bloody
brute will kill him out of hand!'
"'Tis the clerk! Pshaw" said the
Quartermaster. "He sides with the
rabble. Let the rabble care for himv'
The woman who had been the unwit-
ting cause Of this struggle crouched
back of the first sullenly intent rows,
waiting, hugging her bundle. The 9TH
ers watched, guessing well what the
issue would be, most Of them accepting
It as they had accepted the unspeak-
able fare, the cursings and revilings of
the crew, with that stolid acceptance
which, multiplied by centuries Of hered-
ity, had brought them at last to this
same condition.
The Virginian leaned down with Vi
brant hopelessness. He looked to see
the secretary, vised and cracked in
those arms, drop limp and senseless.
As he looked he saw Armand's face.
very white, turn up to him.
Then, like lightning, wonderful
thing happened. The young mans chin
sank deep into the hollow Of the others
shoulder; his arms went up about the
muscles Of the bulky back; 1.-THE legs
like wire went suddenly curling and
twisting about the stocky ones. A mo-
ment Of strained silence and glaze of
shocked surprise on the mates slashed
face, then
Crack! The coil UNFINISHED; the mate
relaxed, tottered and fell to the deck
There was at this time in France a
curious science known as LA Savate."