Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-12

angels and white lilies, and all nat
rot He crossed my path once TOO +
often, and for the last time. seven
wears ago. He's In, hell now. Ana {
your mother"
rhe bars crsaked with the lunge 81
sinewy shoulder against them. me
INST that stabbed out Of the WINDOW
fell almost short, landing with 2 snap
instead Of q crash, Tx 2 lasn tnas
man on the point Of the cheek ana
shot his head back. )
He staggered and threw up his
hand to his face. His other hand an
voluntarily dropped toward his hip.
Well for him that 1t stopped before
ut rot there. The P~earlhunter nad.
matched the revolver from ID MS
blouse and held 1t Just below the w1n-
dow ledge.
away, his face stung to flame by the
blow. He felt for his knife; seemed
to remember where he had left 1t
between>the ribs Of a man. Anyhow, 1t
would have been as suseless as the re.
%yolver. Noise preclpded tn the 'ot use =
There was still another way
strike-safer, surer, than knife. -
pistol, and far more terrible. The
easy smile returned. Only the devil
and an unbridled life can Dr1ng a
mans face to that-to where It can
spread a smile over such Mucous
blackness. %A
"I'd kill. you,' he retorted finally,
his tones steady. though strained. like
the current that plays across the top
of a whirlpool, ''only I haven't time.
There's a flock of yellow furls n a
devilish trim pair Of ankles waitin'
for me down the road"
H. bol 90 frorao1 tho faYlnf AZ IL
reflect on the-1girl his very thu.lghs
he turned and walked away.
The Pearlhunter seriously debated
whether to shoot him dead. an trust
to fate for the rest. The revolver
grasped n of the bars to steady ms
Inland. A start of surprise came to
Ehis face. The revolver went back
below the window sill. The a was
loose.
It was almost unbelievable. but It
was so. For some reason or otner II
had not been fixed very firmly IN ITS
auger hole sockets. The lunge of his
shoulder had loosened it. He slid the
revolver, muzzle down. into the mar
row, holster-shaped pocket at his nip
and laid his strength to the bar:
There was play-a heartening amount
OF it-between the upper ana as Lower
kduAC 1lVlods x11o oAOoN -
beat: thep leaped 1.-THE higher.
He jammed the bar into the lower
lsocket. The bottom of he hole was
: soft. The ain had probably rooted
! 1t. He jammed the bar again and
the wood gave. He put all ms
strength to it: Each effort drove the
bar, a little deeper: gave 1t a little
more play at the top. IT, he, could
only drive it far enough sc that the
top would clear! He was working
like a wild man. He realized after
the first minute or two that he was
making a noise. The noise
frightened him.
He listened a moment and then
went back at his task. He studied
the wood; felt outside Of the win
dow; coaxed a straw into the upper
auger hole beside the bar to see how
much 1t lacked Of clearing. AS near
] as he could tell. It held by less than
!, Ito his work.
> Bearing down with all his strength.
= he rotated the bar. The tremendous
a ,exertior opened the cuts and scratch
= es on his neck and breast until they
bled afresh. He jammed the bar
s down again; bore upon It with all ms
strength; rotated it again and again:
and then tried his straw. Less than
half an inch still held at the top.
His exertions brought the sweat out
, upon his face. 1t mixed with the
n bleeding cuts and scratches and stung
and smarted.' He drove the bar the
y harder and swung his weight on it.
Another effort; tremendous; to the
last ounce Of his power. ~
), His hands were like Are-but the
bar cleared. He could. move it a tiny
mite to the side Of the upper anger
hole. The clearance was ever 80 lit
|tle-but 1t cleared. Bracing his knee
g against the wall and Erasping the
- easement with his left hand for an
h chorage, he bent and worked and
" twisted the bar outward. Every effort
y gave him another fraction Of an inch.
= At last, by a final supreme heave, 1t
cleared the upper log. There re-
manned only to lift it out of the low
er auger hole.
J. The P%earlhunter dropped back
>. painting, and mopped the sweat from
his face with his sleeve. The effort
had been tremendous.
IL A minute to get his breath; another
spent In listening; and he worked the
loosened end a little freer: lifted o
ithe bar; crawled outside; put it back
into place again, feeling about with
,e his fingers to make sure there were nc
r. scars on the wood or bits of chips
II scraped loose: and stole away under
is the. trees
"a Continued in Monday"
0i Evenings Herald.