San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-14

Bess shook her head. Her heart
paused in her breast.
Maybe him got shells. He took
'em ali out when he saw your canoe
come in"
If. like her husband, the brown
squaw was a devotee of cruelty, she
must have received great satisfaction
from the sight of that slender, girl
ish figure standing in the gloom of
the cabin. The fact that there were
no shells in the rifle-otherwise a
desperate agent of escape-seemed
nothing less than the death of hope.
She heard Doomsdorf's heavy step
at the door.
The man came in, for an instant
standing framed by the doorway, the
light of morning behind him.
He turned cOntemptuOusly to Ned.
Whats the. matter?" he asked.
Startled and indignant at the
tone. Ned instinctively Strengthened.
"I didn't say anything was the mat
ter. Where's Knutsen?"
"Knutsen-has gone on. He'll
didn't suit him. He went against its
iAdHualtS tuC llESI HOpC II
doesn't happen again-I would hate
to lose any more of you. I've other
plans in mind"
Appalled,, unbelieving, yet obeying
racial instinct that goes back to
the roots of time, Ned dropped the
girl from his arI.s and leaped to his
feet. His eyes blazed with a magni-
ficent burst of fury. and might,
oath was at his lips. "YOu-" he
began.
Yet no second word came. DoOms-
DORIS great body lunged across the
room with the ferocity and might of
charging bear. His arm went out
like javelin, great fingers extended,
and clutched with the effect of
mighty mechanical trap the younger
mans throat. He caught him as he
might catch vicious dog he intend
ed to kill, snatching him off his feet.
Ned's arm dashed out impotently,
and forcing through with his own
body, Doomsdorf thrust him into the
corner. For O moment he battered
him back and forth, hammering his
head against the wall, then let him
fall to q huddled heap on the floor.
IGNORES voice raised in piercing
scream of terror; but 4. fiercer in
stinct took hold of Bess. The impulse
that moved her was simply that TO
fight to death, now as Wal as later.
A heavy hammer, evidently tool re-
Gently in use by Doomsdorf, lay on
the window sill, and she sprahg for
it with the strength of desperation.
But her hand had hardly touched it
before she herself was hurled back
against the log well behind her.
The sQuaw had not sat supine in
this stress. With the switfness and
dexterity of an animal, she had sprung
to intercept the deadly blow, hurting
the girl back by her hand upon the
latter's shoulder.
Except for the huddled heap in the
blood-spattered corner of the cabin,
it was as if it had never happened.
The squaw was again stolid, moving
slowly back to her chair; Doomsdorf
breathed quietly and evenly. The two
girls stood staring in speeches. hor-
ror.
q hope, there won't be any more
OF that" Doomsdorf said quietly.
"The sooner we get these little matters
Strengthened out, the better for all
concerned. 1t isn't pleasant to be ham,
mered to pieces, is it?'
He took one step toward Ned, and
Lenore started to scream again. But
he inflicted no further punishment.
He reached a strong hand, seized
Ned's shoulder, and snatched him TO
his feet.
Racked by pain but fully conscious.
Ned looked into the glittering eyes.
1t was no longer possible to disbe-
lieve in this hairy giant before hin.
Doomsdorf walked o the door and
threw it wide.
"There's snow and cold nut there"
His voice was deeply sober. "Death,
too-sure as you're standing here. A
weakling like you can't live in that.
out there. None of your kind can
stand it-they'd die III so many
sheep. And as a result on have TO
bow down and serve the man that
cam"
Ned had no answer. The greatest