The Lake County times., 1907-09-18

principals close TO the golden sands
where first they had made entrance.
The man and the girl came face TO
face with the judge and marshal. who
cried out upon seeing them, but as
side them a man shot amid clatter and
uproar
Give me a hand-quickr' he shouted
to them.
What's up?" inquired the marshal.
It's murder! Mcnamara and Glen
isterp' He dashed back up the steps
behind Voorhees,, the judge following,
while muft1ed cries came from above
The gambler turned toward the three
men who were hurrying from the
beach and, recognizing Wheaton.
called to him: Unite my feet! Cut
the ropes! Quickr
Whats the trouble?" the lawyer
asked, but on hearing Glenister's name
bounded after the judge, leaving one
of his companions to free the rider
They could hear the fight now and all
crowded toward the door, Helen with
her brother, in spite OF his warning TO
stay behind
She never remembered how she
| climbed those stairs, for she was borne
along by that hypnotic power which
/ drags one To behold a catastrophe in
/ spite OF his will. Reaching the room,
! she stood appalled,; for the group she
had joined watched two raging things
! that rushed at each other with in
! hT1T n Orfac roo Gnh
1 on a carpet of debris Every loose and
breakable thing had been ground to
| splinters as though by iron slugs in a
whirling cylinder.
To this day, from Dawson to the
j straits, from Unga to the arctics, men
| tell Of the combat wherever they fore
| gather at faring campfires or in dingy
bunkhouses, and, although some scout
the tale, there are others who saw it
and can swear to its truth. These say
that the encounter was like the battle
of bull moose in the rutting season,
though more terrible, aveYring that
two men like these had never been
known in the land since the days of
Vitus Bering and bis crew; for their
rancor had swollen till at feel of each
others flesh they ran mad and felt
superhuman strength. 1t is true, at
any rate, that neither was conscious
Of the filling room, nor the cries of the
| crowd, even when the marshal forced
himself through the wedged door and
fell upon the nearest, which was Glen
lister. he came at an instant when the
two had paused at arms length, glar-
ing with rage drunken eyes gasping
the labored breath back into their
lungs
With a fling of his long arms the
young man hurled the intruder aside
SO violently that his head struck the
iron safe and he collapsed insensible.
Then without apparent notice of the
interruption, the fight went on. It was
seen during this respite that McNa-
mara's mouth was running water as
though he were deathly sick, while
every reich brought forth a groan.
Helen heard herself crying, "Stop
them. Stop them!' But no one seemed
capable of interference. She heard heI
brother muttering and his breath com
ing heavily like that of the fighters, bis
L
judge was ashy, imbecile, helpless.
McNamara's distress was patent tC
his antagonist, who advanced upon
him with the hunger of promised vic
tory, but the young mans muscles
obeyed his commands sluggishly; his
ribs seemed broken, his back was
weak, and on the inner side of his legs
the flesh was quivering. AS they came
together the boss reached up his right
hand and caught the miner by the face
burying thumb and fingers crablike
into his cheeks, forcing his slack jaw:
apart, thrusting his head backward
while he centered every ounce of his
strength in the effort to MAIN Roy
felt the flesh giving way and f1unG
himself backward to break the hold
whereupon the other summoned his
wasting energy and plunged toward
the safe, where lay the revolver. In
stinct warned Glenister of treachery
told him that the man had sought thi:
last resource to save himself, and q:
he saw him turn his back and reacl
for the weapon the youth leaped like (
panther, seizing him about the waist
graSping McNamara'S wrist with hi
right hand For the first time during
the combat they were not face to face
and on the instant Roy realized th'
advantage given him through the 9th
ers perfidy, realized the wrestler
hold that was his and knew that tn
moment of victory was come.
The telling takes much time, but s.
quickly had these things happened tha
the footsteps Of the soldiers had no
yet reached the door when the mel
were locked beside the safe.
OF what happened next many gar
bled accounts have gone forth, for o
all those present none but the Bronze
Kid knew its significance and ever re
counted the truth concerning 1t. Som
claim that the younger man was selze'
: with fear of death which multipIie
, his enormous strength, others that th
; power died in his adversary as rewar'