The Greenville times., 1908-03-15

TO red heat by the discovery of her
earlier detection, was enhanced four
fold by the thought OF this last adven-
ture. Something told him there was
treachery afoOt, and when she did not
return at dawn he began to fear that /
she had cast in her lot with the riot
ers This aroused a perfect delirfum
OF doubt and anger till he reasoned
further that Struve, having gone with
her, must also be a traitor. He recog-
nized the menace in this fact, knowing
the mans venality, SO began TO reckon
carefully its significance. What @could
Struve do? What proof had hes Nc
Namara started and, seiZing his hat,
hurried straight to the lawyers Office
and let himself in with the key he car
ried. 1t was light enough for him to
decipher the characters on the safe
lock as he turned the combination. SO
he set to work scanning the endless
bundles within, hoping that after all
the man had taken with him no incrim
mating evidence Once the searcher
paused at some fancied sound, but
when nothing came of it drew his re-
volver aud laid it before him just in
side the safe door and close beneath
HIS ndUu, 10 run
the documents while his uneasiness in
creased He had been engaged so for
some time when he heard the faintest
creak at his back, too slight to alarm
and just sufficient to break his tension
and cause him to jerk his head about.
Framed in the open door stood Roy
Glenister watching him.
McNamara's astonishment was so
genuine that he leaped to- his feet,
faced about, and prompted by a secre-
tive instinct swung to the safe door as
though to guard its contents. He had
acted upon the impulse before realiZ-
ing that his weapon was inside and
that now, although the door was not
locked, it would require that one dan
gerous, yes, fatal second TO open it.
The two men stared at each other
for time, silent and malignant, their
glances meeting like blades; in the old
er mans face q look of defiance, in the
younger's logged and grim purposed
enmity. McNamara'S first perturba-
tfon left him calm, alert dangerous,
whereas the continued contemplation
of his enemy worked in GIenister to
destroy his composure, and his purpose
bIazed forth unhidden.
He stood there unkempt and soiled,
the clean sweep Of jaw and throat
overgrown with a three days black
stubble, his hair wet and matted, his
whole left side foul with clay where
he had fallen in the darkness. A mud
dy red streak spread downward from
cut above his temple, beneath his eyes
We're 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, Me
Namara. Now We'll have it out man
to man.
The politician shrugged his shoulders
you have the drop on me. I am un-
armed At which the miners face
lighted fiercely, and he chuckled
"Ah, that's almost too good to be
| true. I have dreamed about such a
thing, and / have been hungry to feel
| your throat since the first time / 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.
Il wouldn't advise you to try it,. I
have lived longer than you, and / was
never beaten, but | know the feeling
/ you speak about. l have it now
His eyes roved rapidly up and down
the others form, noting the lean thighs
| and close drawn belt, which lent the
appearance of sparseness, belied only
| by the neck and shoulders. He had
/ beaten better men, and he reasoned
/ that if. it came to physical test in
n~fa \,
/ weight would more than offset any SUI
perior 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 he Ionged to
] satisfy it,
Take off your coat, said Glenister.
"Now turn around. All right l just
wanted to see if you We're lying about
your gun
.I'll kill your cried Mcnamara
GIenister laid his six shooter upon the
safe and slipped off his own wet gar
ment. The difference was more mark
| ed 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 enmity
And it was meet that they should
come tofrether thus. 1t had been the
one certain and logical event which
| they had felt inevitably approaching
from long back. And 1t was fitting,
moreover, that they should fight alone
| and unwftnessed, armed only with the
| weapons of the wilderness, for they
| We're both of the far. free lands. We're
both of the fighters type and had
both warred for the first great prize
They met ferociously. Mcnamara
aimed fearful blow, but Glenister
met him squarely, beating him off
eleverly, stepping in and out. his
arms swinging loosely from his shout
ders like wffalebone withes tipped With
lead. He moved lightly. his footing
made doubly secure by reason of his
soft spled mukluks. Recognizing his
opponents greater weight. he under
took merely to stop the headlong
rushes and remain out of reach as
long as possible. He struck tile poll
tician fairly in the mouth so that the