Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-04-04
THE WAY
OF
A MAN
By EMERSON HOUGH
Copyright. 1907. by the Outing Publishing
Company

SAID l. come, now. III take you
home. Sanderson. go get his horse or
wagon or whatever brought him here"
mot homer cried Harry. First In
fiict punishment. on you for denyin'
Miss Oracle Sheraton pretties girl
whole Cfederate States America. Girls
like John Cowles too much! Must mash
John Cowles. Must mash John Cowies
sake Of Oracle Sheraton. pretties' girl
In whole wide worPp'
he came toward me as best he might
his hands clinched. caught him by
the wrist, and as ne stumbled past
turned and had his arm over my shoul-
der. ! admit | threw him rather cruel
" hard. for thought be needed it.
by JoveT | heard voice at my ell
bow. THAT was handsomely done
handsomely done all around"
turned to meet the outstretched hand
Of my new friend. Gordon Orme.
Where did you learn the trick?" he
asked
'sThe trick Of being a gentleman"
answered him slowly. my face red with
anger at Singleton's foolishness. 81
never learned at all. but to toss poor
drunken fool like that over ones head
any boy might learn at school,"
mo" said my quasi minister of the
gospel emphatically. II differ with you.
Your time was perfect. You made him
do the work, not yourself. Tell me,
are you a skilled wrestler"
! was nettled now at all these things
which were coming to puzzle and per-
turb an honest fellow out for morn
ing ride.
YES" answered him, "since you
are anxious to know. I'll say l can
'And hep
my father. He's sixty. as told
you. but he can always beat me-"
There are two in Fairfax you can
not throw" said Orme, smiling.
"Sir," | said to him hotly, II pro-
pose taking you home with me. But
before do that and since you seem to
wish it am going to lay you on your
back here in the road. Frankly, there
are some things about you | do not
like, and if that will remedy your con-
ceit I'm going to do it for you for any
sort of wager you like"
Money against your horse?" he in
quired, stripping to his ruffied shirt
as he spoke "A hundred guineas,
five hundred?"
'sYes, for the horse,'' | said. Hes
worth ten thousand But if you've
two or three hundred to pay for my
soiling the shoulders of your shirt I'm
willing to let the odds stand so"
Il like you." he said simply. If all
the men of this country resembled you
all the world could not beat it."
Orme came to me with no hurry and
no anxiety, light on his feet as a
skilled fencer. AS he passed he struck
for my shoulder, and bis grip, although
it did not hold. was like the cutting Of
a hawks talons- He branded me red
with his fingers wherever he touched
me, although the stroke Of his hand
was half tentative rather than ag-
gressive. | went to him with head
low, and he caught me at the hack OF
the neck with a stroke like that of q
emiting bar, but flung him OF. and
20 we stepped about, hands extended,
waiting for hold. he grew eager
and allowed me to catch him by the
wrist drew him toward noe, but he
braced with his free arm bent against
my throat, and the more pulled the
more I choked. Then by sheer strength
] drew his arm over my shoulder as 1
had that Of Harry Singleton. He GID
ed into this as though It had been his
own purpose. and, true an I speak, I
think he aided me In throwing him
over my head, for he went light as q
feather and tell on his fest when |
freed him.
As we stepped about cautiously,
seeking to engage again, his eye was
hxed ON mine cnrionsiy, half contem-
platively. but utterly without concern
or fear Of any kind I never saw an
eye like this. It gave me not fear.
but horror. The more / encountered
him the more uncanny he appeared.
Continually felt his hands, ana where
he touched there was pain--on my fore
head, at the edge of my eye sockets. at
the sides of my neck in the middle Of
my back-whenever we locked and
broke felt pain. and knew that such
assault upon the nerve centers of y
mans body might well disable him, no
matter how strong he was. But. as
for him. he did not breathe the faster.
1t was system with him. l say l
felt not fear only. but horror Of him.
BY chance found myself with both
hands on his arms, and knew that no
man could break that hold when once
set, for vast strength Of forearm and
wrist was one of the inheritances Of
all men OF the Cowies family. drew
him steadily to me. pulled his head
against my chest and up ended him
fair, throwing him this time at length
across my shoulder. | was sure had
4.