Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-12
CONTINUATION OF CHAP XVIII
The Love of PoIeon Doret

ment. The Peterborough stood out upon
the bar conspicuously, as did he ana the
girl: but the chance remained that THIS
man. whoever he was. would pass by. for
his speed was great, the river a mile IN
width. and the bend sharp. Necia had
cried Poleon's name. but her companion
saw no resemblance to the Frenchman In
this strange looking voyager; I'm fact
he could not quite make out what was
| pecuIiar about the man-perhaps his eyes
were not as sharp as hers-and then ne
saw that the bOatman was naked TO
the waist BY now he was drawing OPP
posite them with the speed of hound
The girl gagged and held by her cap
| tors hands. struggled and moaned de-
spairingly. and. crouching back OF the
boat. they might have escaped discovery
| in the gray morning light had il not
been for the telltale fire-a tiny. crack
ling blaze no larger than a mans hat. IL
BETRAYED them The dancing craft upon
which their eyes were fixed whipped
about. almost leaping from the water at
one stroke then came towards them. now
nothing but a narrow thing, half again
the width OF a mans body. The current
carried it down abreast Of them, then
past. and RunniOn rose. releasing the
girl. who cried out with all her might to
the boatman. He made no sound in re-
ply. but drove his canoe shOreward with
quicker strokes. II was evident he would
effect his landing near the lower end Of
the spit. for now he was within hearing
distance. and driving closer every in
slant.
Necia heard the gambler call:
Sheer off, DOret! You can't land
here"'
She saw a gun in Runnion's hand, and
a terrible. sickening fear swept over her,
/ for he was slowly walking down the spit
keeping abreast of the canoe as IL drift
ed She could see exactly what would
hammer; no man could disembark against
/ the will OF an armed marksman, and II
( Poleon slackened his stroke, or stopped
/ il to exchange his paddle for weapon
| the current would carry him past; he
would have to fire from a rocking paper
shell harried by a boiling current, where
as the other man stood fat upon his
/ feet.
keen away or I'll fire" threatened
Runnion again; and she screamed, Don't
/ try IL. Poleon. he'll kill your
At her words Runnion raised his weap-
/ on and fired. She heard the woods be-
hind reverberate with the echoes like a
sounding board. saw the white squirt or
/ smoke and the skitter of the bullet as II
went wide. 1t was a long shot, and had
been fired as a final warning; but Doret
made no outcry, nor did he cease COM
4 ing: instead his paddle Glove the water
with the same steady strokes that took
/ every ounce of effort in his body. Run
/ MON threw open his gun and replaced the
i spent shell. On came the careening.
\ crazy craft in a sidewise drift. and with
/ Il the girl saw coming a terrible tragedy.
! She started to run down the gravelled
ridge behind her enemy, not realizing
/ the value or moment of her action, nor
| knowing clearly what she would do; but
/ as she drew near she saw RunniOn raise
/ his gun again. and. without thought Of
/ her own safety, threw herself upon him.
| Again his shot went wide as he strove
| to hurl her of. but his former taste of
her strength was nothing to
this. now that she fought for
| Poleon's life. Runnion started
| angrily and thrust her away. for he had
waited till the canoe was close.
Let me go. you DEVIL" he cried, and
/ aimed again. but again she ran at him.
| This time. however, she did not pit her
| strength against his, but paused, and as
/ he undertook to fire she thrust at his
elbow. then lodged out of his way. Her
blow was crafty and well-timed, and his
/ shot went wild. Again he took aim and
] against she destroyed it with a touch
/ and danced out of his reach. She was
nimble and light. and quickened now
/ by a cold calculation of all that depend
/ ed upon her.
Three times in all she rhwarted Run
| Mon. while the canoe drove closer every
/ instant On the fourth. as she dashed at
i him. he struck TO be rid of her, cursing
wickedly-struck as he would have struck
at a man. Silently she crumpled up and
! fell a pitiful, draggled. awkward little
figure sprawled upon the rocks; but the
delay proved fatal to him, for, though
! -. AGAINST the hank
and the huge man in il seemed to offer a
mark too plain to be missed. he was too
! close to permit careful aim. Runnion
| heard him giving utterance to a strange,
/ feral. whining sound, as IL he were cry
| ing like a fighting boy; then, as the
| gambler raised his arm, the Canadian
| lifted himself up on the bottom of the
| canoe until he stood stretched to his
| full height. and leeped. AS Runnion
fired ne sprang out and was into the
water to his knees. his backward kick
| whirling the craft from underneath him
! out into the current, where the river
/ seized Il. He had raised and jumped all
. in one moment. launching himself at the
| shore like a panther. The gun roared
| again. but POleon came up and on with
| the rush OF the great, brown grizzly that
no missile can stop. Runnion's weapon
bIazed in his face. but he neither felt
.
/ upen his quarry, the impact of his body
/ hurting the other from his feet, and
/ neither Of them knew whether any or
/ all OF the last bullets had taken effect.
| POleOn had come like an arrow, straight
for his mark the instant he glimpsed it,
an insensate. unreasoning, raging thing
/ that no weight or lead nor length of
blade could stop. In his haste he had
i left Flambeau without weapon of any
kind. for I'm his mind such things were
I superfiuOus. and he had never fought
with any but those God gave him. nor
found any living thing that his hands
could not master. Therefore, he had
rushed headlong against this armed and
waiting man. reaching for him ever
closer and closer tilt the burning powder
stung his eyes. They grappled and fought
alone and unseen. and yet il was no fight,
for Runnion. though a vigorous. heavy
muscled man, was beaten down. smOth-
cred. and crushed beneath the onslaught
Of this great naked fellow. who all the
time sobbed and whined and mewed in a
painting fury.
i They swung half across the spit to the
farther side. where they fell in a fantastic
lconvulsion. slipping and sliding and rolling
among the rocks that smote and gouged
and bruised them. The gambler fought
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