The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-08
NINTH INSTALLMENT
"DOdginp the Law"

The beach comber was shuffling along the sands, like some furtively uncouth night animal. He was a forlorn spec tacle-unshaven, i'll clad. For week, now, he had dwelt in a tumble down shack at the far end of Surfton beach.
 Only after dark did he venture forth in search of food or firewood The few people who had seen him on these night prowls thought him a mere tramp and nicknamed him Mike
 This evening Mike was securing the shore for driftwood. His gaze was caught and gripped by something that swayed and reeled eccentrically on the verge of the cliff, far above him.
 He looked more closely. There, sil- houetted against the brightness of the midnight sky, he could make out two close locked bodies fighting for very life on the cliff edge.
 Mike stared upward spellbound. Then he shouted. The night wind carried away his cry of warning. Galvanized into fe- verish activity he cast aside his care fully hoarded armful of wood and ran to the base of the cliff.
 Forgetful of his own safety, Mike be- gan to swarm up the steep trail toward the summit.
 Max Lamar was yielding, inch by inch to the fearful pressure of his foe. With every ounce of his 24O pounds and with every atom of his mighty strength, Smiling Sam Eagan was striving to drag Lamar to the cliff brink and hurl him over
 Max realized his enemy's intent. and fought like a wildcat to overcome the terrible handicap of weight He wrenched one arm free and struck His left fist battered thuddingly against the sweating flesh of Eagan's upturned face.
 Eagan shifted his hold, so as to pinion Q 1IIy Iaff his broad face to one side to evade the shower of blows
 The maneuver enabled Max to tear free his right arm. Bracing himself, he threw every atom of his weight and his waning strength into short-arm uppercut. His jaw.
 Eagan's mighty arms relaxed their hold under the impact of the blow.
 Before he could brace himself Lamar struck again Eagan reeied backward, dizzy and all but helpless With box CTS intuition, Max knew third blow would end the fight. He braced his feet to deliver it, throwing his right foot several inches behind the left
 The right foot did not touch the ground Instead, it swung into space. For Lamar was on the very edge of the preclpice Understanding his peril he flung himself forward
 The movement caused the cave-in of the crumbling verge, beneath his right foot He threw out his arms to save himself. But it was too late to recover his balance. Over the edge his body crashed.
 Sam, his brain clearer from the far of the two jaw blows 1urched forward to peer down at his vanquished foe. But at the first uncertain step, he paused. Over the side of the cliff some 10 feet beyond, appeared the head and shoulders of a man. A moment later the lean body of Mike scrambled to its feet on the summit.
 Planting and exhausted from his steep climb, the beech comber moved forward uncertainty. Sam, seeing him approch. fancied the whole man hunt was upon him, and that a dozen or more pursuers might be at hand He snarled like wild beast connered. With one smash of his beefy fist, he knocked the panting beach comber half senseless to the ground, then made off at top speed along the summit of the bluff :;
 As Mike blinked uncertainty about him. he heard a untitled cry that seemed to come from the ground be- meath his feet. He Jumped to one side, in superstitious dread ss
 "Who's-whos there?" he num- bled..
 Six feet below him. and hanging over 300-foot drop, clung mana man who had broken his fall by seiz- ing an outcropping jut of stone.
 To the stone the unfortunate Lamar was clinging with both hands
 Mike drew back from the edge. yanked off his ragged coat, twisted 1t ropewise. and tied one end firmly around his thin waist He wound both his spindling legs around an out cropping rock near the edge and once more leaned over.
 The collar of the coat brushed against Lamar's face. Max seized it. The weight nearly tore thestramp loose from his impromptu anchorage. But 4 he set his teeth and hauled upwarGfI agonized effort. Max rolled over tEA dge on to the crisp grass of the sunNiN nit There side by side. he and hisS rescuer lay. for space--panting.
 
 (Ccntinued in Tomorrow Age -HeralG.l