Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-09-12

been freed-either she, or her
mother"
Believe? know. tell you never
play any game with my eyes shut"
"And you actually intend toto
hold her as a slave?"
swell, I'll look her over first before
/ decide-she would be worth a pot
full of money down the river"
The contemptuous, utterly indiffer-
ent manner In which lie voiced his vii
lainous purpose, would have crazed
any man. To me this utterance was
the last straw, breaking down every
restraint, and leaving me hot, and
furious with anger. forgot the muz-
zle of the pistol pressed against my
side, and the menacing threat in
kirby's low voice. The face of the
man was indistinct, a mere outline,
but the swift impulse to strike at it
was irresistible, and 1 let him have the
blow-a straight-arm jab to the jaw.
My clinched knuckles crunched against
the flesh, and he reeled back, kept
from falling only by the support of
the deckhOuse. There was no report
of a weapon, no outcry, yet, before
could strike again, l was suddenly
gripped from behind by pair of arms,
which closed about my throat like a
wise, throttling me instantly into silent
helplessness. 1 struggled madly to
break free, straining with all the art
of wrestler, exerting every ounce of
strength, but the grasp which held me
was unyielding, robbing me of breath,
and defeating every effort to call for
help. Kirby, dazed yet by my sudden
blow, grew eager to take hand in the
affray, struck me a cowardly blow in
the face, and swung his undischarged
pistol to level with my eyes.
ID you" he CALCULATED, and for
the first time his voice really ex-
hibited temper. 'Td kill you with this,
but for the noise. No, by God there
is safer way than that to settle with
you. Have you got the skunk, Carver?'
'You can bet / have, Joe. 1 kin
choke the life out o. him-shall II"
''No; let up bit-just enough so ne
can answer me first / want to find
out what all this means. Now look
here, Knox, what is all this to you!
Why are you butting In on my game
Was Beaucaire a friend of yours?"
| 'T can hardly claim that" 1 admit
ted. "We never met until l came
aboard this steamer. All am inter
ested In is justice to. others" :
"To others? Oh, suppose you mean
those .girls-you know them then?"
81 have never even seen them," ]
said.
II see; self-appointed squire OF
danes; actuated merely by a romantic
desire to serve beauty in distress. Elk.
tremely interesting, my dear boy. But
see here, knox," and his tone changed
to seriousness. 0'Let the romance go
and talk sense minute. You are not
going to get very far fighting me alone
You haven't even got the law with you
Even If cheated Beaucaire, which ]
do not for a moment admit, there Is
no proof. The money is mine, and SC
Is the land and the niggers. You car
be ugly, of course. but you cannot
overturn the facts. Now, you acknowl
edge that what has occurred is per
sonally nothing to you; Beapcaire wa.
no specialt friend, and you don't ever
know the two girls-all right then
drop the whole matter. / hold n,
grudge on account of your striking me
and am even willing to share up will
you to avoid trouble"
"And If 1 refuse?"
"Then, of course, we shall be com
PEELED to shut your mouth for you
Self-preservation is the first law"
looked about at them both, scarce
ly able to distinguish clearly evel
their outlinesAin the dense gloom. TIL
seriousness of the situation, couple,
with my helplessness, and inability t
achieve the object proposed, was YER
evident. 1t might, under the circun
: stances, have been the part of wisdor
for me to have sought some means O
compromise, but was young, and hot
fiery blood swept through my vein.
The words of Kirby stung me wit
: their breath of insult-his sneering, il
I solent offer to pay me to remain still.
8 "You must rank me. as one of YOU
I own kind" l burst forth. "Now yo
t listen to a plain word from me.
e that was intended as an offer, 1 refus
y 1t. You, and your confederate, hay
= coolly robbed Beaucaire- and propos
: to get away with the spoils. Perhar
you will, but that end will not be a
complished through any assistance {
s mine. At first l only felt a slight il
;, terest in the affair, but from now on
|, Gm going to fight you fellows viii
every weapon I possess"
IS Kirby chuckled, apparently great
; amused.
e "Quite glad, am sure, for the de
d laration of war. Fighting has alwa.
n agreed with me. Might l ask the N
e ture of those weapons?"
W "That remains for you to discover
x calculated sharply, exasperated
his evident contempt. Carver, tai
N your dirty hands off of me-"
u In spite of the fact of their thres
the ready pistol pressing against n
II ribs, the grip of Carver's fingers at n
a. throat, l did not anticipate any actu
DR. assault. That either would really da
injure me seemed preposterous. |
d. deed my impression was, that Kirl
4, felt such indifference toward my
tempt to block his plan, that he wou
4, permit me to pass without opposite
certainly without the slightest resC
IS to violence. The action of the two W
so swift, so concerted, as though
some secret signal, that, almost befo
g- realized their purpose, they held 1
h helplessly struggling, and had fore
We me back against the low rail. He
/ / endeavOred to break away, to she
he an alarm, but was already too la
lie Carver's hands closed remorseles
ng on my throat, and, when managed
strike out madly with one free fist, [
of butt of Kirby's pistol descended on
We head, so lacerating my scalp the dr.
I'D ping blood blinded my eyes. The bl
partially stunned me, and l half (,
er clutching at the rail, yet dimly c,