Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-09
! h e Spoil rs|
By REX E. BEACH.
By REX E. B,EA c H.


IsSSu oDouC. anu prompted by a Secre-
i've instinct swung TO the safe door
as though to guard its contents. He
mad acted upon the impulse before
realizing that his weapon was inside
and that now. although the door was
not locked it would require that one
dangerous, yes fatal, second to open
it. go
The two men started at each other
Tor time, silent and malignant, their
glances meeting like blades; in the
older mans face look Of defiance, In
the younger's logged and grim-pur-
posed enmity McNamara's first per-
turbation left him calm, alert, danger.
Gus; whereas the continued contemp-
lation of his enemy worked in CLIENTS
ter to destroy his composure. and his
purpose blazed forth unhidden.
He stood there unkempt and soiled.
the clean sweep Of jaw and throat oy.
ergrown with three days black stub
BILE, his hair wet, and matted, his whole
left side foul with clay where he had
fallen In the darkness. A muddy red
streak spread downward from cut
above his temple. beneath his eyes
were sagging folds, while the flicker
at his mouth corners betrayed the high
nervous pitch to which he was keyed.
Il have come for the last act Nc.
Namara; now we'll have 1t out, man to
man"
The politician shrugged his shout.
ders You have the drop on me. I
am unarmed." At which the miners
face lighted fiercely and he chuckled,
All, that's almost too good to be
true. have dreamed about such a
thing and have been hungry to feel
your throat since the first time 1 saw
you. It's grown on me till shooting
wouldn't satisfy me. Ever had the
feeling? Well, I'm going to choke the
life out Of you with my bare hands"
MCNAMARA squared himself,
i wouldn't advise YOU to try It, I
have lived longer than you and was
never beaten, but know the feeling
you speak about. have it now"
His eyes roved rapidly up and down
the others form, noting the lean thighs
and close-drawn belt which lent the an.
pearance of spareness, belied only by
the neck and shoulders. He had beat.
en- better men, and he reasoned That il
it came to a physical test in these
cramped quarters his own great weight
would more than Offset any superior
agility the miner might possess. The
longer he looked the more he yielded
to his hatred Of the man before him,
and the more cruelty ne longed to sat.
isfy it.
Take off your coat" said Glenister.
Nov turn around All right! l just
wanted to see if you we're lying about
your gun"
"T']l kill you,' cried Mcnamara. ..s.5
Glenister laid his six-shooter upon
the safe and slipped off his own wet
garment. The difference was more
marked now and the advantage more
strongly with the receiver. Though
they had avoided allusion to it, each
knew that this fight had nothing to do
with the Midas and each realized
whence sprang their fierce eqmity.
And it was meet that they should
come together thus. 1t had been the
one certain and logical event which
they mad felt inevitably approaching
from long back And it was fitting,
moreover, that they should fight alone
and unwitnessed, armed only with the
weapons of the wilderness, for they
were both Of the far, free lands. were
both of the fighters type, and had both
warred for the first, great prize.
They met ferociously. MCNAMARA
aimed a fearful blow, but Glenister
met him squarely, beating him off clev.
erly, stepping in anu out, his arms
swinging loosely from his shoulders
like wha1ebone withes tipped with
lead. He moved lightly, his footing
made doubly secure by reason of his
soft-soled mukluks. Recognizing his
opponents great weight, he undertook
merely to stop the headlong rushes
and remain out Of reach as long as pos
sible. He struck the politician fairly
In the mouth so that the mans head
snapped back and his fists went wild,
then, before the arms could grasp him.
the miner had broken ground and
whipped another blow across: but Nc.
Namara was boxer himself, SO Gov.
cred and blocked it. The politician
spat through his mashed lips and rush
ed again, sweeping his opponent from
his feet. Again Glenister's fist shot
forward like lump of granite but
the other came on head down and the
blow finished too high, landing on the
big mans brow. A sudden darting
agony paralyzed Roy's hand, and he
realized that he had broken the meta
carpal bones and that henceforth 1t
would be useless Before he could re.
cover, Mcnamara had passed under
his extended arm and seized him by
the middle, then, tbrusting his left leg
back of Roy's, he whirled him from
mis- balance. flinging him clear and
with resistless force 1t seemed that
q; fatal fall must follow, but the youth
squirmed catltke in the air. landing
with set muscles which rebounded like
rubber. Even SO, the receiver was up
on him before he could rise, reaching
for the young mans throat with his
heavy hands. Roy recognized the
fatal strange hold" and, Selling his
enemy's wrists, endeavored to tear
them apart, but his left hand was use
less, SO with a mighty wrench he freed
himself, and. locked in each others
arms, the men strained and swayed
about the office till their neck veins
were bursting, their muscles paralyzed.
Men may fight duels calmly may
shoot or parry or thrust with cold de-
but when there comes the
jar of body to body, the sweaty con.
tact of skin to skin the NAV Of iron