The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-16

crossed my path once too often. and
Tor the last time. seven years ago. He's
IN hell now. And your mother"
The bars creaked with the lunge of
a sinewy shoulder against them. The
fist that stabbed out of the window
/ fell almost short, landing with a snap
instead of a crash. like lash that can
reach only SO far. 1t stung the man
! on the point of the cheek and shot his
| head back.
He staggered and threw up his hand
to his face. His other hand involun-
tarily dropped toward his hip. Well
for him that it stopped before it got
| there. The Pearlhunter had snatched
the revolver from under his blouse and
! held it just below the window ledge.
The man on the outside backed away,
his face stung to flame by the blow.
He felt for his knife; seemed to re-
! member where he had left it-between
the ribs of man. Anyhow, it would
have been as useless as the revolver.
Noise precluded the use of the one;
walls and bars the other.
There was still another way to
strike-safer, surer, than knife or pis-
toll, and far more terrible. The easy
smile returned. Only the devil and an
unbridled life can bring a mans face
to that-to where it can spread smile
over such hideous blackness.
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 curls and
devilish trim pair OF angles waitin' for
me down the road"
He had so framed the taunt as to re-
fleet on the girl his very thought dis
honored. Without another word he
turned and walked away
The Pearlhunter seriously debated
whether to shoot him dead, and trust
to fate for the rest. The revolver
crawled up over the window sill He
grasped one of the bars to steady his
hand. A start of surprise came to his
face. The revolver went back below
the window sill. The bar was lose.
1t &as almost unbelievable, but it
was so. For some reason or other it
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 hip
and laid his strength to the bar. There |
was playa heartening amount of it
between the upper and lower auger |
holes. His blood missed a beat; then !
leaped the higher.
He jammed the bar into the lower
socket. The bottom of the hole was |
soft. The rain had probably rotted it.
He damned the bar again and the
wood gave. He put all his strength to
it. Each effort drove the bar a little
deeper; gave it little more play at
the top. If he could only drive it far
enough SO 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
suddenly frightened him.
He listened moment and then went
pack at his task. He studied the wood;
'elt outside of the window; coaxed a
straw into the upper auger hole be-
side the bar to see how much it lacked
IF clearing. AS near as he could tell
t held by less than an inch. He tried
o put method into his work.
Bearing down with all his strength,
lie rotated the bar. The tremendous
,xertion opened the cuts and scratches
IN his neck and breast until they bled
fresh. He jammed the bar down
lgain; bore upon it with all his
strength; rotated it again and again;
md then tried his straw. Less than
laif an inch still held at the top.
His exertion brought the sweat out
mon his face 1t mixed with the bleed
ng cuts and scratches and stung and
marted. He drove the bar the hard
r. and swung his weight on it. Another
ffort: tremendous; to the last ounce
# his power. ,
His hands were like fire-but the bar
feared. He could move it a tiny mite
q the side of the upper auger hole.
NE clearance was ever so little-but
+ cleared. Bracing his knee against
he wall and grasping the easement
With his left hand for anchorage, ne
ont and worked and twistetd the par
inward. Every effort gave him an
thar fraction Of an inch. At last, py
final supreme heave, it cleared tne ,
nner log. There remained only 10 Iii
oI,x of the lower auger hole.
The Pearhunter dropped back pant
80 and mopped the sweat from ms !
e. nth his sleeve The effort hao
cen tremendous.
oant N listening; and he worked the
: s,a,,aa end a little freer; lifted OUT
- bar. crawled outside; put 1t PACK
10 nlace again, feeling about with ms
~ m make sure there We're no
ms MS on the wood or bits of chips
ero a loose; and stole away uhoei
: CONTINUED Tomorrow
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