Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-07-22

all with suppressed excitement. Babe
Litteford stood in the edge Of the
water. with her hands clasped below
her throat, her face was pale. John
Moreland, who had witnessed many
other great fights, himself q fighting
man, had never before behed such a
contest Of strength and endurance as
this; Bill Dale had won John More
lands heart for all time to come.
But the blows of the fighters were
growing weaker now. The sound Of
their labored breathing rose distinctly
over the gentle roar Of the sparkling
waters above. :,
Then the watchers saw Adam Ball
lunge at his man, saw Dale stumble
out Of sheer weakness, saw Balls
mighty blood-streaked arms close
about the beautiful white body and
hug 1t close to his great and hairy
chest. A moment, and Ball was bend
Ing Dale slowly backward and down.
ward more by reason Of weight than
of strength; another moment, and Ball
was about to sink the brown head un.
der the surface!
Babe Littleford gave a smothered
cry. John Moreland stepped toward
the water and shouted hoarsey:
Don't ye drowned him Adam! Eff
ye do, yell answer to mel"
Dale had gathered himself for a last
move. He slipped downward suddenly,
immersing himself completely, and
shot one arm around Balls thigh ;
then, by q great effort, he rose with
the giant and overthrow him, and
staggered free
Balls hairy face came to the surface
first. Dale fought back the pain of
the water in his lungs and the pain
as Of sharp and jagged Iivers Of steel
In his hands, and struck ma,l]y, half
hlindly, at the hateful face. He kept
it down, but 1t wouldn't 80 under the
water completely. 80.
Adam Ball began to drift as though
lifele:;s town the stream. Bill Dale
followed. still fighting weakly. choking
as he breathed. But con he cei sed
to StlIke. He saw, instead Of the beast.
like face, flashes as of distant summer
lightning, and red blotches against a
thick blackneSs. The blotches faded,
and all became dark to him; he
pitched forward gaspilg, and began
to drift down che stream with the
vanquished Ball.
Babe Littleford was standing In the
waller to her knees. When Dale sue
cumbed to utter exhaustion, she start
ed toward him, to save him from
drowning. She felt strangely drawn
toward the big, white, clean man who
had whipped the Goliath she had al
ways dreaded. But she had gone only
a few yards toward the center Of the
river when John Moreland and Sam
Heck reached the unconscious figures.
Heck dragged Ball to the Littleford
bank and left him lying there. face
downward, on the sand. Moreland hnlf
carried. half dragged Bill Dale to the
other bank. Babe Llttleford waded
out. She paid absolutely no attention
to the worsted bully. She stood IN
tently watching the limp form of Dale.
rs he dead. John Moreland?" she
! called tremulously.
"Nu, Babe" Moreland answered, Eis
voice not unkind; "he amt anyways
!. nigh dead"
/ He and Sam Heck took up Dale's
dripping figure and bore it away. Babe
Littleford ran to higher ground, hid
herself behind a clump Of sassafras
and watched them.
Granny Heck followed with Dale's
coat and hat. She chartered all the
way across the meadow
"Now what did I tell We, John and
Sam? What did I tell ye? La, Ia
Wasn't II master fight. like I said
now wasn't it?"
Sometimes We make me a little
tired, granny-woman," Moreland re-
monstrated gently. 1.-THE amt nothin
In forchune-telItn'. You've jest been
here TO- so long at you know how to
jedge the future by the past. And
you're tol'able good guesser, too,
reckon"
Granny Heck fared up quickly
",Ain't nothin' in forchune-tellin'
Now don't go and fool ycself. John
Moreland. You listen to me about 6
half minute, John. 1 seed more in the
cup an 1 told Mr.. Bill. seed blood
and death. I seed big fight atwixt
the Morelands and the Littlefords!" !"
That's easy to guess at" Johr
Moreland replied. you know, o
course, at Black Adam will do all he
can to bring trouble to us on accoun
O. Bill Dale a-stayin' with us. An(
you know it amt never impossible Il
hatch up war atween US and the Lit
tIefords. Jest run on ahead, Cram!
Heck, and tell my wife TO hunt NJ
some kind o. good liniment TO- Bill:
bruises. Tell her she needn't to waste
time a-loukin' up any bandages. Thl:
man here Is like me: he wouldn't veal
handages. cause they look bad"