Williams news., 1922-12-22

ExS2y4 T
 She Was in his Arms, Struggling
 Against Their Steel.
 the roots of the world, but seH-preser. vation is a deeper instinct still
 But he didn't hear 1t in time. FL mira had not struck with her knife. The distance was too far for that But she swung her cane with all her force. The blow caught the man at the tenn pie, his arms fell away from the girls body, he staggered grotesquefy fin the carpet of pin needles. Then he fell face downward.
 'Hfs belt, quIcki" the woman cried. No longer was her voice that of de- crepit age. The girl struggled with herself. wrenched back her se4f-eon- trol. and leaped to obey her aunt. They snatched the mans belt from about his waist, and the women locked 1t swiftly about his ankles. With strong, hard hands they drew his wrists back of him and tied them tight with the long bandanna handkerchief he wore about his neck. They worked almost in sf- lence, with incredible rapidity and deftness.
 The man was waking now, stirring in his inconsistencies and swiftly the old woman cut the buckskfn thongs from his tall logging boots. These also she twisted about the wrists, knottfng them again and again, and pulling them so tight they were almost buried in the lean flesh Then they turned him face upward to the moon. The two women stood an instant, breathing hard. ''What now?" Linda asked. And a shiver of awe went over her at the sight of the woman's face.
 Nothing more, Linda," she an- swered, in a distant voice. Leave Dave Turner to me"
 It was a strange picture. Woman hood-the softness and tenderness which men have learned to associate with the name-Seemed fallen away from Linda and Elmira. They were only avengers-like the she-bear that fights for her cubs or the she-wolf that guards the lair. There was no more mercy in them than in the females of the lower species.
 Dave awakened They saw him stir. They watched him try to draw his arms from behind him. It was just a faint, misunderstanding pull at first. Then he wrenched and tugged with all his strength. Hopping strangely in the dirt. The effort increased until it was some way suggestive of an animal in the death struggle-a fur bearer dying in the trap.
 Terror was upon him. It was in his wild eyes and his moonlit face; it was in the desperation and frenzy of his struggles. And the two women saw it and smiled into each others eyes.
 Slowly his efforts ceased He lay still in the pine needles. He turned his head, first toward Linda, then to the inscrutable. dark face of the old woman. As understanding came to him, the cold drops emerged upon his swarthy skin.
 Good G-dI' he asked. "What are you going to dor"
 "Pm going back" Linda answered. You had some other purpose in bring ing me out here-or you wouldn't have brought Elmira, too. I'm going back to wait for Bruce"
 And you and I will finger nere," Elmfra told him. I've have many things to say to each other. We have many things to do. About my Abner there are many things you'll want to hear of him.
 The last vestige of the mans spirit broke beneath the words. Abner had been old Elmira'S Son-a youth who had laughed often, and the one hope of the old woman's declining years. And he had fallen before Dave's ann bush in a half-forgotten fight of long years before.
 The man shivered in his bonds. Lin da turned to go. The silence of the wilderness deepened about them. "Oh, Linda, Linda,'' the man called. Don't leave me. Don't leave me here W tth heri' he pleaded. "Please-please don't leave me in this devils power. Make her let me go.'
 But Linda didn't seemed to hear. The brush cracked and rustled; and the two-this dark-hearted man and the ayenger-were left together.