West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1908-01-30

hhu sweat Roy LETT itlnd panied him
excruciatlngly. while McNamara's mac
Grated lips had turned outward IN n
hideous pout. They crouched so for an
instant, cruel. bestlai-then clinched
again. The office fittings were wrecked
utterly, and the room became N litter
OF ruins. The mems garments fell
away till their breasts were bare aud
their arms swclled white and knotted
through the rags. They knew no pain,
their bodies were insensate mechan-
isms.
Gradually the older mans face WINS
beaten into shapeless mass by the
others cunning blows. while Gienis.
ter's every bone was wrencbed and
twisted under his enemy's terrible on
slaughts. The miners chief effort. IL IL
true. was to keep his feet and 10 break
the map's embraces. Never had he en-
countcred one whom he could not beat
by sheer strength till he met this great,
snarling creature who worried him
hither and yon as though he were a
child. Time and again Roy beat upon
the mans face with the blows of
sledge. No rules governed this solitary
combat; the men were deaf to all but
the roaring In their ears, blinded to all
but hate, insenslble to everything but
the blood mania. Their trampling feet
caused the building to rumble and
shake as though some monster were
running amuck.
Meanwhile n bareheaded man rushed
out OF the store beneath. humping into
n paIaStrtan xxhA no ~
sidewalk. and together they scurried
up the stairs. The dory which Roy
had seen at sea had shot the breakers,
and now its three passengers were
tracking through the wet sand toward
Front street. Bill Wheaton I'm the lead.
He was followed by two rawboned
men who travelled without baggage.
The city was awakening with the sun
which reared copper rim out of the
sea. Judge Stillman and Voorhees,
came down from the hotel and paused
TO gaze through the mists at caravan
of mule teams which trotted into the
other end OF the street with Jingle and
clank. The wagons were blue with
soldiers. the early golden rays slant
ing from their Krags. and they were
DOund Tor the Midas.
out OF the fogs which chung so
thickly TO the tundra there came two
other horses. distorted and unreal. on
one girl. on the other figure of
pain and tragedy, n grotesque creature
that swayed stifiiy TO the motion of its
stced. Its face writhed into lines OF
suffering, Its hands clutching cantle
and horn.
1t was as though fate, with Invisible
touch, were setting her stage for the
last act of this play. assembling the
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
they refined In, out from the stairs be-
side them man shot amid clatter and
uproar
Give me hand-quickw he shouted
to them.
What's up?" inquired the marshal.
ITS murder! Mcnamara and Glen
lister" He dashed back up the steps
behind Voorhees,. the judge following,
while rnufiled- 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! Quickw a.
What's the trouble?" the lawyer
asked, but on hearing Glcnlster'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 10
stay behind.
She never remembered how she
climbed those stairs. for she was borne
along by that hypnotic power which
drags one to behold 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
human cries, ragged. bleeding. fighting
on carpet OF debris. Every loose and
breakable thing had been ground TO
splinters as though 10y iron slugs in n
whlrling cylinder
To this day. from Dawson to the
straits, from Unga to the arctics. men
tell of the combat wherever they fore
gather at flaring campfires or i'm dingy
bunkhouses, and. although some scout
the tale, there are others who saw II
and can swear TO its truth. These saw
that the encounter was like the battle
of bull moose I'm the rutting season.
though more terrible averring that
two men like these had never been
known I'm the land since the DAYS OF
Nitus Boring and his crew: for their
rancor had swollen till at feel OF each
others flesh they ran mad and felt
superhuman strength. II Is true. nj
any rate. that neither was conscious
OF the filling room. nor the cries Of the
crowd. even when the marshal forced
himself through the wcdged door and
fell upon the nearest. which was Glen
ister. He came at an instant when the
two had paused AT arms length. elar-
Ing with rage 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 insenslble.
Then without apparent notice Of the
Interruption the fight went on. n was
seen during this respite that McNa-
mara's mouth was running water as
though he were dcatlIly sick. while
every reich brought forth groan.
Helen heard herself crying. "Stop
them! Stop them" But no one seemed
capable OF interference She heard her
brother muttering aud his breath com.
ing heavily like that n the fighters. his
body swaying In time to theirs. The
judge was ashy. imbecile. helpless.
McNamara's distress was patent 20
Dis antagonist. who advanced upon
him with the hunger Of promised vic