The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-06-28

1 and Sneaklng up on Nancy every
 time my back is turned"
 There was a hiss of an indrawr
 breath from the intent watchers
 as Mallory, casting all restraint
 aside, leaped. Like the athlete that
 he was, he dashed like a whira-
 wind across the floor, his arms
 bent to punch or to parry. Lucci
 head shorter, twenty pounds or lso lighter, smiled grimly as though
 he welcomed this sudden reverSion
 to brute, physical action. Victor ! in many 8 bar-room brawl, he had
 no illusions as to fair or foul play. TO fight at all was to fight to win. He reached instinctively for his hip, but drew his hand away empty. Quick as light he pivoted on his : left foot, swayed his body far away from the onrushing Mallory and launched a sidelong kick that was as swift and as deadly as the stroke of an erraged cobra. Mallory, by an almost superhu- man effort, twisted his body and caught the terrific blow on the hip. He crashed into One-Shot and the two fell to the floor, Mallory on top. His face convulsed with rage, he clutched two handfuls of his enemy's sleek black hair and but ted Lucci's head again and again against the floor.
 Nancy Wentworth, standing rigid with horror, gazed Wild-eyed at the frenzied pair. The dull humping as the dark head rose and fell seemed to echo against her own body, yet she could neither move nor cry out. She heard Mallory grunting, beast like, as his arms and body rose and fell, rose and fell, hammering Luccis head down against the floor.
 At last she looked away, her eyes darting around the room. Why did no one move to stop those fiendS? She saw Williams rise from his chair as though to interfere, then relax again as he glanced at an automatic in the slender hands of the white-haired cripple. The lat ter then laid his gun on his thin knees and watched the struggle with undisguised pleasure.
 In the frenzy of despair, Lucci struggled conyulsively. Mallory slipped from his seat on the gang ster's body. Lucci writhed like snake. Then suddenly he rolled over on his stomach, pushed him self to his hands and knees and threw himself backward with a bucking motion. The two toppled over, sprawled full lengths on their backs.
 Now Lucci was uppermoSt. Nal lory rolled over and tried to push himself to his hands and knees. Perched on the others back, Lucci reached two clawing hands beneath the others face and searched with clawing finger-nails for Mallorys eyes.
 They were down again, rolling over and over. For brief in- stant they had broken away ard crouched there, facing each other with expressions that Nancy had never dreamed the human coun- tenance could assume. Half a doz- en deep gashes marked the pro- gress of Lucci's fingernails from Mallory's forehead to chin.
 With leap so swift it could be scarcely followed by the eye, Lucci hurled himself at Mallory. at the same time bringing his right fist up from the floor in tremendous sweeping arct, it struck the others chin with a thud that echoed across the room. The Stockbroker plunged to the floor as though he had been hit by a sledgehammer. There was a long, hissing sigh from the spectators, who although the fight had ended. But the prone man rolled over. The gangSter reached for the others throat, but, with pick upward jerk of his leg Mallory kneed Lucci in the groin. Lucci's sob was like that of a wounded animal.
 Nancy knew that this was battle to the death Mallory, the suave, polished gentleman of Wall Street and the country clubs, was now an abySsmal animal, gouging and manning. fighting to kill or be killed. It was incredible. It hap pened to other people, somewhere in far-flung worlds. She would wake up in a moment, pull the blankets over her head and lie trembling, trying to banish the nightmare from her brain. Yet her wide brown eyes missed no detail of the struggle. She was shocked to realize that she was losing all feeling of horror. Her pulses were hammering with ex- citement.