Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-05-26
Copyright by William Macleod Raine
(Continued from Page SKI

Is so much the result or perfect phySl-
cal fitness. Clay's years of clean life
on the desert counted heavily now. He
was master of himself, though his
mouth was dry as a whisper and there
were goose quilts on his flesh.
But Durand, used to the fetid at
mosphere of barrooms and to the soft
living of the great city, found his
nerve beginning to crack under the
strain. What kind of a man was his
enemy to lie there in the black silence
and not once give sign of where he
was, in spite Of crashing bullets2 Was
1t possible that he could have killed
the fellow at the first shot? The COM
fort of this thought whispered hope in
the ear of the eX-priZe-fighter.
A chair crashed wildly. Durand
fred again and yet again, his nerves
giving way to q panic that carried him
to swift action. He could not have
stood another moment without scream
ing.
There came the faint sound of q
hand cropping on the wall, and imme-
diately after a flood of light filed the
room.
Clay stood by the door. His revol-
yer covered the crouching gang leader.
His eyes were hard and pitiless.
"Try another shot," he advised iron
ically.
Jerry did. A harmless click was all
the result he got. He knew now that
the cowman had tempted him to waste
his last shots at a bit of furniture
flung across the room.
You'll tell me what you did with
Kitty Mason" said Clay in his low,
persuasive voice, just as though there
had been no intermission of flying bull
lets since he had mentioned the girl
before.
you can't kill me, when I haven't
a loaded gum" Durand answered be-
tween dry lips.
The other man nodded an admission
orc that point. "That's an advantage
you've got of me. You could kill me If
/ didn't have a gun, because you're a
yellow wolf. But 1 can't kill you.
That's right. But I can beat hill out
of you, and I'm sure goin' to do It,"
Talks cheap, when you've got a
loaded six-gun in your fist" jeered
Jerry.
With a fiirt of his hand Clay tossed
the revolver to the top of a bookcase,
out of easy reach of a mar standing
on the floor. He ripped open the but
tons of his overcoat and slipped out of
it, then moved forward with elastic
step.
Its you or me now, Jerry Du-
rand"
The prize-fghter gave a snort Of de-
rislve triumph. "You d-n fool! I'll
eat you alive"
"Mebbeso. I reckon my system can
assimilate any whalin' you're liable to
hand me. Go to it."
Durand had the heavy shoulders and
swelling muscles that come from years
Of training for the ring. Like most
pugilists out Of active service he had
taken on flesh. But the extra weight
was not fat, for Jerry kept always in
good condition. He held his leader
ship partly at least because of his
physical prowess. No tough in New
York would willingly have met him in
a rough-and-tumble fight.
The younger man was more slightly
built. He was a Hermes rather hal
q Hercules. His muscles flowed.
Ihey did no bulge. But when he
moved it was with the litheness Of a
panther. The long lines of shoulder
and loin had the flow of tigerish grace.
Inc clear eyes in the brown face told
Vi a soul indomitable in a perfectly
'synchronized body.
Ourand dashed out with a swinging
ae1t' all the weight of his body behind
me blow. Clay stepped back, shot a
Hafd straight right to the cheek and
tucked the counter. Jerry rushed him,
mailing at his foe blow on blow, intend
lug TO wear him out by sheer hard
Numbering. He butted with his head
ald knee, used every foul trick he had
eailed IN his rotten trade of prize
asnthg. Active as a wild cat, the
MlAohan side-stepped, scored a left
~ the eye, ducked again and fought
oack the furious attack.
n gangman came out OF rally
%ilued' perplexed and distI His
meek was bleeding, one q in
~ and he had harS
Hs agile opponent.
ne rushed again. Not IS
eelnper, the lack of sol
hMaue MIN see red and had once put
at the mercy of a first-class ring
5oa e,ai with stamina and a punch,
~ Kept Jerry out of a world cham
shlp. He had everything else
oeueu' but he was the victim of his
~ passion. 1t betrayed him now.
nghting was that of a wild cave
thu. blind. furious. damaging. He
in away his science and his skill
~ - Nh