Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-08-27

prise, hastily pushed his own caa1r
back and stood up.
Marie was laughing brutally now,
but in a strangely hysterical way, in
which relief again was dominant. 1t
puzzled Wallen-but there was little
time to think of that. The men from
the nearest table were pushing for
ward.
"What do you chaps say to that?'
Marie bawled out, pointing toward
Wallen. "This ERE cove says he's Wal
len, the first mate of the Upolo, the
bark you've all read about as bein'
picked up by the Phyllis!''
A chorus of derisive jeers, Oaths and
outlaws greeted the announcement.
Wallen's hand slipped into his coat
pocket and closed over his automatic.
They were crowding down the room,
closing in around him now.
He glanced quickly over his shoulder
to locate precisely the position of the
rear door, should it come to a row
and instinctively stepped back a pace
as hulking, rawboned fellow, half
drunk and carrying his liquor bellig-
erently, lurched forward.
"Hif e says that, wot we says is
/ that 'es a bloody himpostor!' an
nounced the man truculently. AN
wot's more, we doesn't like the looks
of i'm when he comes :n-does we,
mates? Al 1Ut's n1Gce--tyke that J"
He made a sudden, wicked pass at
Wallens face.
A yell of applause greeted the act.
But the blow never reached it's mark
Wallen had dealt too long and too in
timately with the forecastle not to rec
ognize the breed around him that was
the forecastle's curse and the curse of
the better men who hOnOred it. With
quick sidestep he evaded the blow,
whipped his left in a lightning drive
to the others chin, and as the man
staggered backward into the crowd
Wallen leaped for the rear door be-
hind him.
He reached it, but not before they
were upon him like pack of wolves,
snarling at him, tearing at him, their
breaths In his face, pounding at him,
trying to trip him up, to throw him to
the floor.
The place was now in pandemOnium.
Again and again Wallen's dubbed re-
volver rose and fell, again and again
his fist shot in and out and still he
kept his feet; but he could not free
himself long enough to get the door
open-and then something seemed to
lend him added passion, added
strength.
The face of Drink-House Sam! 1t
was just out of reach-just out of
I reach.
He flung two men from him anu
lunged forward. If he could only
mark that face! A below of fright
| from Marie greeted the savage on
slaught-and Wallen's fist had smashed
straight between the red little blink
ing eyes. The suddenness of the at
| tack brought an instant's pauec-and
in that instant he had reached the door
| and this time wrenched it open.
And then Wallen laughed, not pleas
antly, and his revolver not dubbed
now, swept the crowd.
'I'll be out here somewhere in the
darkness" he told them grimly as he
backed away, "and the first man that
steps across the threshold I'll drop the
way I'd drop mad dog!'
They stared at him, dogged, sullen
but without a word-until they could
no longer see hin-and then they an.
swered him with catcalls, boots, pro-
family and brave defiance. But no
man crossed the threshold.
He moved backward cautiously, max
ing no sound edging always in side
wise direction-and suddenly, to his
own surprise and relief, where he had
| expected to encounter fence or some
other obstruction, found instead that
the rear of Drink-HOuse Sans gave
evidently onto only vacant ground, fol
he had now come out onto what was
either a street or a lane.
But while his escape was now as.
sured, Wallen was in no happy frame
of mind. He had yet to square ac
counts with Drink-HOuse Sam. He
had accomplished not only no part OF
the purpose for which he had come
but had, worse still, probably put the
man thoroughly on his guard. But the
night was still young and Drink-House
Sam was still there!
He was not through with Drink
House Sam yet; the i'll luck of his first
attempt changed matters not at all
he would never be through with Drink
, House Sam until-that murderOus
sweep Of passion was on him again
until he had not only forced the secret
out of the other but had paid the score
between them as well And this time
he would see to it that the privacy OF
! their interview was of his own making
Wallen made wide circuit of the
, place, which, owing to his ignorance
of the neighborhood. in which he los