The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-03-07
TheSp'oilers.
~ REX 3. HRACA
Copyright 1904 By Rex n Beach.
(Continued from last issue.)

| beach and, recognizing Wheaton,
called to him: Unite my feet! Cut
the ropes! Quickr'
whats the troubleI" 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 az each other with in
human cries. ragged. bleeding. fighting
on a carpet of debris Every loose and
breakable thing had been ground to
splnters as though 10y iron slugs in a
whirling cylinder.
To this day from Dawson to the
straits. from Unga 10 the arctics. men
| tell of the combat wherever they fore
| gather at flaring campfres or in dingy
| bunkhouses, and. although some scout
| the tale. there are others who saw IL
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 averring that
| two men like these had never been
| known in tine land since the days Of
Nitus Eering and his crew; for their
| rancor had swollen till at feel of each
others flesh they run mad aud felt
superhuman strength. II Is true. ut
any rate. that neither'was conscious
Of the filling room. nor the cries Of the
crowd. even when the marshal forced
himself through the wc1Eed 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 r &c drunken eyes. gasping
the labored, breath back into their
lungs.
With fling of his long arms the
young man hurled the intruder aside
so violently that his head struck the
iron safe and he collapsed insensiblc
/ Then without apparent notice Of the
interruption. the fight went on. II was
seen during this respite that McNa-
mara's mouth was running water rs
though he were deatlly sick. while
every reich brought forth IA groan.
Helen heard herself crying. stop
them. Stop them But no one seemed
capable of Interference. She Heard her
brother mutterins and his breath COM
ing heavily like that of the fighters. his
body swaying in time 70 theirs. The
judge was .ashy imbecile, helpless.
McNamara's distress was patent 10
his antagonist who advanced upon
him with the hunger of promised vie
tory. but the young mans muscles
obeyed his commands slugglshly; 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,
bnrying thumb and fingers crablike
into his cheeks. forcing his slack jaws
apart, thrusting his head backward,
while he conferred every ounce Of his
strength i'm the effort to MAIN. Roy
felt the flesh giving way and flung
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 trelChpry,
told him th:t the man had sought this
last resource TO save himself. aud "a
he saw him turn his back ana reach
for the weapon the youth leaped like IA
panther. sewing him about the waist.
yraspng McNamara's wrist with his
right hand. For the first time during
the combat they We're not face to face
and on the instant Roy realized IN,
advantage given him through the 9th
er's perfidy, realized the wrestler's
hold that was his and knew that the
moment of victory was come.
The telling takes much time. but so
quickly had these things happened that
the footsteps of the soldiers had not
yet reached the door when the men
Were locked beside the safe.
OF what happened next many gar
bled accounts have gone forth. for of
all those present none but the Bronco
Kid knew its significance and ever re-
counted the truth concerning IL. Some
claim that the younger man was seized
with fear Of death which multiplied
his enormous strength, others that the
power died i'm his adversary as reward
for his treason, but 1t was not so.
No sooner had Roy encompassed Nc
Namara's waist from the rear than he
slid his damaged hand up past the 9th
er's chest and around the back of his
neck, thus bringing his own left arm
close under his enemy's left armpit.
wedging the receivers head forward,
while with his other hand he grasped
the politicians right wrist close to the
revolver, thus holding him in a grasp
which could not be broken. Now came
the test. The two bodies set them
selves rocklke and rigid There was
no lunging about Calling up the final
atom Of his strength, Glenlster bore
backward with his right arm, and IL
became contest for the weapon,
which, clutched in the two hands,
swayed back and forth or darted up
and down. the fury of resistance caus-
L.. 4. In, l,n