Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-01-29
ain concealed from the sight of those


within.
The mans voice rose in falsetto
snarl.
"What do / mean to do with her,
What would / do with her? She's
mine, amt she?'
"And what about me?" Low as the
voice was, restrained, yet passionate
something about it sent sudden
shiver through Lee, and Cor few mo
ments he could only remain help
less listener.
.You?' he laughed. You can stay
on here's long as you want to, / guess
There's Pierre and Shorty if you want
a man"
'You coward!" Her voice was vi
brant with indignation. Il tell you
you've made a mistake in bringing that
girl here. You'll regret it. That mine
doesn't exist. And when she finds
you've fooled her, what are you going
to do?"
$50 we're jealous, are we? Well,
I'VE been tired of you for long time,
he jeered.
"Jim-" There was desperate plead
ing in the woman's tones-"I gave up
all for you. Let her go. Don't cast
me off. love you, Jim"
And now Lee knew. A mist trembled
before his eyes, and, gripping MS auto
matte, he sprang forward to ice door.
He must have shouted, though ne
was unconscious Of everything but the
desire to get Railway by the throat.
Wheeling, Railway swore, and then
needless of Lees pistol. leaped.
But in the moment before they
closed, Lee saw the woman's face and
knew her for his dead love, who had
broken his life and changed it utterly
-Estelle.
Lee did not shoot. Instinctively ne
obeyed that unwritten law OF the po-
lice tradition not to take life save IN
the last extremity.
But the sight of this sinister figure,
the wholly incredible presence there
of Estelle, the woman who had
wrecked his life, and the girl lying IN
conscious on the bed in this mans
power, aroused in Lees heart sleep
ing devil of whose existence he had
hardly been aware at any time in his
life before.
He was conscious only Of mad de-
sire to kill, but to kill with natures
own weapons, in obedience to mans
instructive law.
Clubbing his automatic, Lee leaped
to meet Railways charge, and breast
to breast they met, rebounding like
balls Of rubber. Railways hand shot
out and grasped Lees wrist before the
weapon descended. Then, interlocked,
they stood almost motionless, matched
SO evenly that neither budged an inch
before the other for a full minute.
Railways sneering face was up
turned to Lees. Malice and hate
cleaned from his bloodshot eyes. Be
side them stood Estelle, with her hands
still clasped in the gesture that she
had made at the moment of Lees inter
vention, struck dumb and motionless
with terror and amazement.
Railway was proving himself the
stronger. Malice and hate became tri-
umph, derision. Lees pistol hand was
beiD bent back. Lee adapted himself
with quick instinct to the discovery
that he was the weaker in arm and
shoulder muscles. AS Railways body
slowly assumed forward tilt, shifting
his center Of gravity, Lee suddenly
drove his knee into the back Of Rath-
way, causing the man to stumble for
ward. The impetus of the body pro
jected against him sent the pistol fly
ing out of Lees hand; but Lee, in the
moment of Railways loss Of equipoise
drove his fist home into his face, split
ting his lips and sending him Keeling.
In an instant they were together
again, delivering and receiving sue
cession Of pile-driver blows that fell