Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-06

aIter DOUBLING TWO or three lmeS, i
stopped to listen and made sure that
I had shaken OF and distanced my
pursuera
A ghostly policeman passed me, and
I nodded to him gaily, for was child
ishly pleased with myself; SO pleased
that l found myself whistlipg softly
as I turned vaguely east In what !
supposed to be the direction Of Fifth
avenue. I must have been walking
four or five minutes before my men
stepped suddenly out in front OF me.
For a second all three OF US stood
still peering In the vague light for
further certainty; then, as II at some
preconcerted signal. they sprang at
me. Instinctively lodged a little to
one side, as something hong and heavy
grazed my right ear and thudded TN
crushing silence on to my shoulder.
The other man had dived and taken
me about the knees.
II got him, Jim," he grunted.
Soak him."
In the meantime, had struck the
man with the sand-bag full In the chin
with my left hand, and, as he stagger-
ed, caught him roughly by the coat.
and still with my left hand, for my
right arm seemed numb and power
less, jerked him forward 80 that he
toppled toward me, and the three of
us went down in heap. think,
even as we fell, felt the exurtant Joy
of fighting. Then squirmed and
kicked out viciously, for the man who
still held my knees had suddenly
fastened his teeth in my useless wrist.
With the animal pain OF 1t, and the
flashing recognition Of the unfairness
and murderous intent of the fight, my
unused, unrecognized strength swept
over me like hot wave. ! found
myself suddenly on my feet, holding
my lesser assailant by the collar and
using his head as sort of unwieldy
club to batter consciousness out of
the man upon the sidewalk. My
jerking him viciously back for a third
blow was the last thing remember,
for, like suddenly extinguished light,
the world went utterly out Of exist
ence. 1t must have been some time
before it came reelingly before my
eyes again.
Lave go my arm; lave 1t go, ye
divil. Do We want to break it?''
l relaxed an unconscious grasp and
closed my eyes for sickening mo-
ment.
who are your" whispered at
length.
who we are has got more to do
with it, the voice answered.
l tried opening my eyes aagin, and
in the staggering darkness saw the
looming outline of a policeman's he'll
met
Where are they, officer?" l asked.
The policeman dragged me up into
a sitting posture.
There" he said. 1--WE been holding
your head in my lap for the last five
minutes, and tbs a silly looking sight
the two of us was. Are We able to
sit? What hit ye? Were We at
tackled .
81 was" answered. Didn't you
see them?"
mot sowl. But l near broke me
neck over We. It's fearsome thing
to step on mans stomach in the
dark and get never a grunt out Of him.
Do We want to make complaint" 2
mo" said vaguely. Il believe I'll
go home I'm not feeling very we'll. :"
I laughed abruptly and stopped at the
foolish sound of it.
The park policeman lent me a
steadying arm and took me as far as
the gate, protesting kindly that he had
better find a cab.
"No wonder We feel SICK" he said,
with boomp on the back Of yer
head like the dome of q synagogue.
Vel better run up to the hospital and
see If any of yer skull is left, for If
we've been murdered, We ought to
make complaint whether ye want to
or not"
NO." / protested, "I'm all right"
and at the Fifth avenue entrance
left him.
l had only gone about block, how
ever, before terrible thought burnt
for moment the sick dizziness from
my mind. stopped under light and
began a systematic search Of my
pockets. They were empty. The col
lar and tie of the man in the brown
derby, my watch, my notebook, and
my money were all of them gone. I
had been stripped absolutely bare.
CHAPTER XIV.
In sort of daze found my way,
as best could, to the Hotel Gloria.
After the first brilliant shock Of real
lzation, the fog of confusion had set
tied down again, with this additional
whirling eddy of new misfortune. I
stumbled up the, steps and to the desk
in the main Office. My friend, the
clerk, glanced up at me inquiringly,
and whistled softly in sheer amaze
ment
"Well," he said, "well!" You did
get it, didn't you? What on earth
happened?"
Il was sand-bagged, Think" an
swered. I'll tell you all about 1t in
the morning. I'm too dizzy to get it
straight now"
This particular clerk of the Hotel
Gloria had known me, as have said,
for several years, and liked him be-
cause he was one of the few people
on earth to whom my misfortune had
never seemed to make any particular
difference. should hardly have called
him friend; nevertheless, there had
always been in his brisk professional
cordially strain of something more
intimately human. In his present
concern he forgot his professional role
altogether, and came from behind the