Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-21

schoorboys know, bumped him headlong
over his shoulders and tore the throttling
rag away.
He called hoarsely for the police as he
dashed out into the lane, struggling and
smashing at the three men who kept rush
ing him. He was trying to get to the wall
and had nearly reached 1t. when he slipped
and fell, and then the game seemed up, as
the three men came running In on him. His
stick and knuckles were broken, and the
sweat and blood were pouring freely from
his body, while the lane was strewed with
tattered rags that had been torn from the
combatants In their raging fight. You may
be sure they gave him no breathing spell,
but rushed to finish their dirty work before
he was fairly down.
Now, as fate saw At. he fell at the Intel
Of a door. and even. as he fell 1t yielded In
with Earring scrape. He rolled over on
his back half into the open doorway, and
as he did 80 something soft and white-a
woman-sprang swiftly past him and met
the rushing men.
She balanced herself swaying astride of
the fallen man like some slim young Anna
Zon, her sart gathered and knotted about
her loins and her brown limbs barred and
gripped bullying linen bag, and as the
leader came on swung it full in his face,
letting loose the string that held it's mouth,
deluging him In cloud Of pepper which
filed his eyes and nose and mouth and
caught the others stranglng as they came
painting up behind him. There was a hoarse
scream Of fright and pain from the lead
er-his hands went UP to his eyes in sudden
agony, and the girl caught the CLINT of
| starlight on the knife that lay bound along
his wrist.
For a moment there was a terrible
coughing and oursing and gasping for
breath. The woman made a desperate
effort to drag the door to, and Mere
dith was struggling to his knees to
help her, when the man whom she had
struck flung himself headforemost, like a
mad boar right on top of them. The girl
was dashed aside by the impact and Mere
dith was borne backward striking his head
| a nasty blow on the stone flooring, while
his assailant, still cursing and believing
with fury and pain, was tearing at his
throat and striving to press the knife home
But the girl was back at the fellow again
| marrying him. She felt for his head, and
gripping her firm young arm under his chin
forced 1t steadily back He was unable to
shake her off and unable to use his knife
hampered by the rigid vice-like grip of the
doctors arms and legs And so they strug-
| gled and cursed and rolled In the black
passageway. and slowly the beggar was
choking the doctor, and inch by inch the
girl was forcing the beggar's head back
| till at last she bore 1t down on the stones
beneath her. She changed her hold then
and drew herself up till she could plant her
naked knee on the fellows throat. and at
| ter that her free hands went out gropingly
| to the strappings that held the knife in
place.
Meantime the men in the lane were dane
| ing and cursing with their pain, though now
and again pausing to listen how the fight
was going on in the passage.
| The door had been forced nearly shut In
/ the struggle. barring their entrance even
| enough to do coughing and sneezing and
| clearing their eyes. and were quite willing
| to let their comrade settle the matter In his
own fashion. The man who had first at