The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1913-07-12

4
tire OF surprised but belllcose swirl
OF opponents who were nothing loath
To change their plan OF batting we'll
dressed girl into the more thrilling
pastime IT beating a well-dressed
candidate.
AS the score OF toughs rushed him.
Give had barely time To get his back
into the shallow angle between the
bulglng outer bases OF the two prosce-
mum boxes. Then the rush was upon
him.
Hitting clean and straight. and with
the speed and unerring deadliness of
the trained heavyweight boxer, Give
for the moment held his own. There
was no question of guarding. He re-
lied rather for protection on the un.
usual length OF his arms.
Nor could blow be planned before
hand. II was hit. hit, and keep on hit
ting. Fully twenty youths and men
surged forward at him. and at nearly
every blow one went down among the
pushing throng. But for each who
| fell there were always two more TO
take his place. The impact and crash
OF blows sounded above the yells and
bhufne OF feet. This was not boxing.
II was bntehery.
Only his semi-sheltered position and
the self-confusing hurry and numbers
OF hts assailants kept Give on his feet
and allowed him TO hold his own.
Yet. as he dimly realized even
through the wild lust of battle that
Eripped and intoxicated him. the fight
was but a question of moments. Soon
someone. running in. must grapple or
trip him, or kick would reach and
disable him. And once down, in that
bedlam OF stamping. kicking feet, his
life would not be worth a scrap of
paper.
While IL lasted. though. II was glor-
/ ous. The yeneered shell OF civiliza-
lion had been battered away. He was
primitive man. gigantic. furious. terri
ble battling against hopeless odds.
Yet battling Gas had those ancestors
from whom his yellow hair, great
shoulders and bulldog jaw we're in.
herlted) all the more gladly and
ioughtily because Of those very odds.
He was aware OF man who. running
along the box rail from the stage, had
dropped to his side and stood swing.
ing gilded bluecushioned chair
about his head This apparition and
The whizzlng sweep OF his odd weap-
On caused the toughs TO give back for
an instant
Good old Ansel!" painted Give.
Save your BREATH grunted Karl.
You'll need &C."
Then a yell from twenty throats
md the rush was on again. At first.
anticipating the easy triumph which
heir type so love. the toughs had
turned from the milder fun OF fright.
ening girl OF the better class TO the
momentary work OF thrashing the soil
tary man who had interfered with that
simple amusement. Now. bleeding
faces, swollen eyes and more than
one fractured jaw and nose had trans
formed the earlier phase OF rough
spirits into one OF murderous rage.
The man who had so msrcilessly
punished them must not be allowed
TO escape alive. The tough never
fights fair When fists fail. gouge
bite or kick is considered quite al
lowable. When, as I'm the present in
stance, the intended victim Is so pro
tected as TO render these tactics diff
ficult OF success. pockets are usually
ransacked for more formidable weap
ons
Ansel's arrival on the scene had but
checked the onrush. No two men, big
and powerful as both were. could sub
due nor hold out against that assault
Give struck. right. left, with the
swiftness OF thought And each blow
crashed into yielding. Keeling flesh.
Down whirled Ansel's chair on the
bullet head OF one man. and dowr
went the man beneath the impact.
Up whirled the chair and again II
descended on another head--de
scended and shivered into kindlins
wood.
Dropping the fragments, Kar
ranged close TO CHNe ana together the
two struck out, the one with the wild
force and fury OF kicking horse, the
other with the colder but no less ter
rife accuracy OF the trained athlete
A tough. ducklng one OF Ansel's wild
swings, ran In and caught him about
the waist. Doubling his left leg under
him. Karl caught the mans stomach
with the point OF his knee. The as
sailant collapsed gasping. But the
momentary lapse OF the tall New Eng
lander's hstic attack had opened q
breach through which two more men
rushed and flung themselves bodily
on him.
Give, unaware OF his ally's plight
yet felt the increased impetus OF the
onslaught on himself and had TO rally
his every faculty TO Withstand II. His
breath was coming hard from his
| hoaUfo. ,haat md hiq hand aWarn