Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-07-14


son and the watchful and silent John
MOreland.
Hit him in the stummick, Mr.. Bill! -
she cried over and over. Hit him
whar he lives at"
The combat grew hotter and hotter
Both landed frequently now. The faces
of both were bleeding, and each spat
red now and then. Their clothing had
been torn away to the belt, and their
magnificent wet bodies glowed in the
morning sunlight. Dale had seriously
damaged his soft hands; they felt as
though they were filled with slivers of
steel. But still he fought on doggedly,
determinedly, desperately, minute aft
er minute.
Those on the two banks watched it
all with suppressed excitement Babe
LittlefOrd 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 a fighting
man, had never before beheld 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-streGked arms close
about the beautiful white body and
hug it 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
vas about to sink the brown head un-
der the surface!
Babe Littleford gave a smothered
cry. John Moreland stepped toward
the water and shouted hoarsely:
Don't We drowned him Adam! Eff
We do, yell answer to mel"
Dale had gathered himself for q last
move. He slipped downward suddenly,
immersing himself completely, and
shot one arm around Balls thigh !:
then, by 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 slivers of steel
in his hands, and struck madly, half
blindly, at the hateful face. He kept
water completely. :.
Adam Ball began to drift as though
lifeless down the stream. Bill Dale
followed. still fighting weakly, choking
as he breathed. But soon he ceased
to strike. He saw, instead of the beast.
like face, flashes as of distant summer
lightning, and red blotches against 8
thick blackness. The blotches faded
and all became dark to him: be
pitched forward, gasping, and began
to drift down the stream with the
vanquished Ball.
Babe Littleford was standing In the
water to her knees. When Dale sue
; cumbed to utter exhaustion, she start
ed toward him, to save him from
drowning. She felt strangely drawr
toward the big. white, clean man wht
; had whipped the Goliath she had al
ways dreaded. But she had gone onl,
few yards toward the center of tn,
river when John Moreland and San
\ Heck reached the unconscious figures
Do
bank and left him lying there, fac,
downward, on the sand. Moreland hal
carried, half dragged Bill Dale to tn,
other bank Babe Littleford wade,
! 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?' sh
called tremulously.
mo, Babe" Moreland answered, hi
voice not unkind; "he amt anyway
nigh dead"
y He and Sam Heck took up Dale
dripping figure and bore it away. Bah
Littleford ran TO higher ground, hi,
herself behind a clump of sassafra
! and watched them.
Granny Heck followed with Dale
. coat and hat. She chattered all tn
I way across the meadow
Now what did 1 tell We, John an
{ Sam? What did 1 tell vel? La, la
Wasn't it a master fight, like said
now wasn't it?"
Sometimes We make me a littl
tired, granny-woman," Moreland n
mOnstrated gently. The amt nothir
in forchune-tellin,. You've Jest bee
here fo' so long at you know how t
jedge the future by the past. An
you're tolable good guesser, too,
reckon"
Granny Heck fiared I'D quickly
4 "Ain't nothin' In forchune-tellin'
Now don't go and fool yeself. job
Moreland. You listen to me about
; half minute, John. I seed more in tn
cup AN l told Mr.. Bill. l seed bloc
e and death. 1 seed big fight atwix
:. the Morelands and the Littlefords I"
:, That's easy to guess at" job
n Moreland replied. You know,
s course, at Black Adam will do all h
d can to bring trouble to us on. accoun
t o. Bill Dale a-stayin' with us. An
d you know it amt never impossible t
g hatch up war atween US and the Lii
+ tlefords. Jest run on ahead, Cram
f Heck, and tell my wife to hunt u
some kind o. good liniment fo' Bill
7. bruises. Tell her she needn't to vast
S time a-lookin' Up any bandages. Thi
v man here is like me: he wouldn't wea
e bandages. cause they look bad"