The Arvada enterprise., 1918-02-14
Copyright By the Bobbs-MssriIi comps
CHAPTER XVI.

CHAPTER XVI.
IT,
Professor MeoIii.
Red Gold City was ripe for q night
II relaxation. There had been some
gambling, Q few fights and enough
liquor to create excitement now and
then, but the presence Of the mounted
police had served to keep things un-
usually tame compared with events 4
few hundred miles farther north. In the
Dawson country. The entertainment
proposed BY Sandy AcTriggef and Jan
Harker met With excited favor. The
news spread for twenty miles about
Red Gold City and there had never
been greater excitement in the town
than on the afternoon and night Of the
big nght. This was largely because
Kasan and the huge Dane had been
placed ON exhibition, each dog In .
specially made cage Of bis own, and q
fever Of betting began. Three hundred
men. each Of whom was paying i've
dollars to see the battle. Viewed the
gladiators through the bars Of their
cages. Harker's dog was . combina-
tioo Of Great Dane and mastin. born In
the north, and bred to the traces. Bet.
ting favored him BY the odds Of two to
one. Occasoaally 1t ran three to one.
At thess odds there was plenty Of Ka-
san money. Those who were risking
their money On him were the older
wilderness mso-men who had spent
their Hives among dogs, and who knew
what the red light In Kaxan's eyes
meant. An old Kootenay miner spoke
low in another's ear:
ia bet % I'm even. I'd give odds
u ! had to. Hen Aght all around the
Dane. TIE Dane won't have %
method"
But he's got The weight" said the
seAsf duhiously. Look at bis jaws,
~ hls ahouldses@
sAn' his big feet. an his soft throat,
an the clumsy thickness Of his belly"
interrupted the Kootenay man. "Tor
heavens sake. man take my word for
It an don't put your money on the
Danei"
them. At Arst Kaxan had snarled at
Ill these faces about him. But now
Ae lay back against the boarded side
Of the cage and eyed them sullenly
from between his forepAws.
TAs nsht WAS to b pulled OF In Har.
kse's place. q combination Of saloon
and cafe. The benches and tables had
bsea cleared out and In the center of
the one big room cage ten feet square
rested on Q platform three and a half
feet from the floor. Seats for the three
hundred spectators were drawn closely
around this. Suspended Just above the
open top Of the cage were two big oil
lamps with glass renectors.
II was eight o'clock when Harker.
AcTngger and two other men bore Ka-
san 70 the arena by means Of the wood
q bars that projected from the bottom
q his cage. The big Dane was already
u the nghting cage. He stood blinking
Ais Gyes In the brilliant light OF the
re1setins lamps. He pricksd up his
earo vhea hs saw Kasan. Kazan did
not snow his fangs. Neither revealed
Tie sxpeeted animoGty. II was the 1rst
tAay bad sssn Of each other. and . muir
npf of disappolntmeat swept the ranks
6 ~ three hundred meu. The Dane
rs@ained % motionless - Q rock when
Xa1an WAS prodded from his own cage
isto The dshting cage. He did not leap
o. snaEi. He regarded kaxsn with
dubious questiouing poise to his splen-
did head. and then looked again to the
sxpeetant and excited faces Of the walt
ilG men. For . few moments Kazan
stood sti6.legeed. facing the Dane.
Thea hia shoulders dropped. and he.
TOO. coolly faced the crowd that had ex.
pectsd . nght to the death. A laugh Of
dsrtsion swept through the closely seat.
ID rows Catcalls, jeerins, taunts flung
at AcTfigEer and Harker. and angry
voioss demanding their money back
mingled with tumult Of growing dfs-
eoatent 6andy's face was red With
modification and rage. The blue veins
n Harker's forehead had swollen twice
thsiP nos.nal sise. He shook his nst In
ths faes of ths crowd. and shouted:
sWaiti Give 'sm . chance. you
foolst"
At his words every voice was stilled.
Kasaa had turned. He was facing the
Dana The Dane had turned his eyes
70 Kasan. Cauuously. prepared for .
lunss o. . sidestep. Kaxan advanced
Q little. The Danes shoulders bristlcd.
He. too. advanced upon kaxnn. Four
fest apart they stood rigid. One could
have heard whisper In the room now.
Sandy and Harker. standing close TO
the age. scarcely bFesthed. Splendid
n every limb and muscle. warriors Of
Q huAdrsd nights, aud fearless to the
point Of death, the two half.wolf vic
Tins oe man stood facing each other.
None could 80 the questioning look In
thsls brute eyes. None knew that In
this thrilling moment the unseen hand
q ~ wonderful Spirit God Of the viii
eesnsas hovsrsd between them. and
that one Of ltD miracles was descending