Elbert County tribune., 1921-11-25

valise. when Wine found voice, utter
Ing q strange cry of terror, which
ceased him to glance about. He
leaped to his feet instantly. his eyes
glaring into mine, one hand flung back
~ though In search Of q weapon.
I gave him no time. i leaped
straight at him. striking so hard even
as we grappled that the blow sent him
reeling back against the bookcase He
knew me then, and the recognition
brought with 1t a fury which trans
formed the Russian into a wild beast
Coward as / felt him to be. now that
he was cornered, with the spoils of
victory in his very grasp. he became
a demon, mad dog, whose only de-
sire was to kill.
You're fighting a man this time.
yer h-lhound; not a whiffet like
Harris. I'll blow a hole clear through
yeri Sneaked In, did yer7 Well, yen
never sneak out again Say, how do
yer like the taste o. that?" He struck
with q knee In the stomach, grinning
as loosened my grip on his beard.
and tried to butt into me with low
cred head. I caught him instantly.
with free fist, rocking his head back
and cutting a cash In his cheek from
which blood spurted. II he possessed
any self-control before, he lost 1t then.
crnzed with hate and the desire to
kill. He was a barroom fighter. bound
by no rules, capable OF any ferocity-
biting. gouging. using hands and feet,
ruthless savage. 1t was this which
defeated him. for while was neither
cool nor clear of mind, kept my head
sufficiently to remember my training
and accept every advantage that pre-
sented itself; more than that. the very
threats with which he tried to goad
me were guides to his own action,
giving me the swift hint needed for
defense.
Realizing Wine was back OF me,
1 managed TO whirl the big bulk Of
the battling Russian about so as to
block any surprise attack from the rear.
This movement gave me the support
Of the wall, and, using 1t as a de-
fense. resorted to the same tactics
adopted by Waldron, assaultng him
with feet as well as hands, breaking
his strangle hold on my throat and
forcing him backward, so that a swift
kick sent the fellow stumbling over a
pile Of books, clawing at the empty
air for support. He would have gone
sprawling upon his back II Wine had
not been directly In the way. As 1t
was, he struck the other, the force Of
his big body hurling the smaller man
heavily against the ledge of the outer
window. Az the fellow struck, the
glass shivered and crashed into a
thousand pieces, but before Waldron
could regain firm footing, or realize
what had happened, I was again upon
him, breaking through his dazed guard
and driving my fists straight Int his
face.
The revolver In Wines hand was
discharged, the bullet whistling past
me. but even as the report cracked, the
pressure Of the Jews body forced the
smaller man relentlessly backward
over the sill. He gave uttersnce to
one Wild yell Of fright, releasing the
gun and gripping desperately at Wal
dron's collar for support, then toppled
over backward and went down.
We both heard the crash as the
splinters Of glass gave way. and the
dull. dead thud of the body as 1t struck
somewhere Car below. The Russian
seemed paralyzed with terror, unable
to quite comprehend what had occurred
behind him. But I had seen the trag-
edy. and my mind worked like fash
He made one weak effort to spring
aside, forgetful Of his own danger, his
guard dropped and I let him have it
straight in the jaw. The clenched flst
crunched into his whiskers, and, with
arms flung up. he went over as II
shot, his head striking an edge Of the
overturned bookcase as he fell. and
lay there motionless, a trickle of blood
slowly oezing out upon the floor.
l stepped back and leaned out
through the broken window; three
stories below, on a graveled roof, lay
something black, huddled up gro-
tesQuely. which I knew was a human
body, crushed helpless. Its bones
soms sight so sickened reeled dizzi-
ly, clutching at the sill for support.
As I clung there, uncertain, dazed,
my mind for the moment a blank,
some one began rattling and pounding
against the door leading into the cor
ridor.
crossed the room, my limbs trem-
bling so l could scarcely walk, my
breath coming In gasps. They were
kicking against the wood and pound
ing with nsts, seeking to break In the
lock. The sight sobered me, brought
back my self-contrOl and threw the
door open and faced them almost cool
ly. There were four policemen, the
nrst q gray-mustached sergeant, re-
volver in hand. and behind these q
jam of excited individuals of both
sexes, peerlng over shoulders to gain