White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-11-12
Continued from Last Week.

When he heard the crunching OF
shell ice and knew that he was being
carried out upon the lake, Grimble
vas almost cheerful again. He had
seen death reaching out for him, and
now the lean hand seemed to be way
,ring. He remained inert in the hands
Of the two who bore him, but men,
ally he gathered himself for a SUI
preme effort, to be made the instant
ne struck the water The heaye OF
he walking stopped.
He's as solid as pig iron" grunted
Jacko. "Now!"
Once, twice they swung him, and at
he third swing they let go. Pete felt
like grinning as he half turned In the
air, catlike, and drew his legs up to
strike out the instant he splashed.
That instant was vast and soul-shak-
ing surprise. He was seized AS though
in the grip of invisible hands and hur-
ried away-whisked along just under
JnG surface Ol lue Wdtcl NY a Sui
against which he was powerless to
swim, weighted by clothing as he was.
BY the time he came up he was under
the ice, whirling like a bit of wood.
Instinctively, Hickory Pete had
taken in a great breath of air as they
swung him out Between him and
suffocation was that one filling of the
lungs; and if by some miracle he
were to have air he knew that death
would come from the cold within an
incredibly short time. For fraction
of a second Hickory Grimble recog-
nized the end and saluted it. Then he
defied death itself.
IL will live!" he shouted to himself,
in the chambers of his mind. 81 will "
He realized the presence of faint
light above him at the moment when
an upflung hand stopped against a
wall of ice. He braced himself against
the current Another hand; he wanted
to pray and swear at the same time
as he chung, treading water, pushing
against the current, and trying to get
him hands higher.
A superhuman effort and he did it..
His hands slid over the upper edge of
the ice and fastened there with grip
which even death would not have been
able to break He pulled himself up
into air and light, gathered himself
for a final heaye, and found arms
helping him up through the hole I'M
der a fisherman's shanty. He rolled
upon the board floor, limp and gasp
ing, and blinked up into the bewild-
cred face of Buffalo Hall.
Heavenly day." breathed Hall, as
he began to strip Pete of soaked cloth
ing Look what l caught"
Pete fumbled and tried to help him
self Grimly the two men worked, for
a minute might make the difference
between deadly chill and safety.
When Grimble stood stripped by the
little sheet-iron stove and rubbed him.
self pink with a blanket he was out
of danger Buffalo turned into him
the steaming-hot contents of a pint
dipper. Pete tingled happily, inside
and out. He began to put on the
change of clothing that Hall gave him.
He executed a jig step as he set his
shoe-pacis up back of the stove to
dry.
How come an oldtimer like you
fell in?" asked Buffalo, as he found
time to light his pipe and talk And
who put your face in a sausage
grinder"
Il didn't fall" Pete told him. Il
was dropped in. JACKIE and his bud
dies figured it would be the best way
to get rid of the. corpse.
What did tell you, you bone
head!" cried Hall. Now maybe you'll
lay off them crooks"
mo, I'll be going back as soon as
uTy out, BulIal0. L haven't got lne
girl yet"
When Hickory Pete Grimble ap-
preached the Broken Finger for the
second time that night he moved with
an elaboration of caution which had
been absent from his first visit If
they had another chance to kill him,
they might succeed. So he settled to
his task with doggedness that ad-
mitted no defeat.
The noise from the roadhouse had
increased. The windows blazed with
light. AS Grimble watched there was
tinkle of broken glass and bottle
came soaring out, to drop into the
snow. A man staggered forth and
collapsed. Through the doorway Pete
saw the furry of brief and casual
fight Like an overtone came the
maudlin and persistent bowling of