| Show A harold atif us U a EL CHAPTER I 1 WAS armistice lay day in tincup thibup IT the time was so far r rei e noved from that delirious into I 1 in tills flint lit in ninny many parts of tile tho country lie eleventh 0 of r november had conio come to be regarded na as simply another jay but tincup was a mill 11 town find and the surrounding country was wai timber land and in such a community almost any anniversary from tile fourth of july on down to tile tho birthday la Is seized upon as ag nn an excuse to lay iny off and play so tile camps which turned nicholas brandona Hran Bran dons standing hardwood flail hei into saw logs and tile tho mills which chewed them into stuff and flooring and were deserted and the entire population of a bis big territory which ila had commenced pouring into town tile the evening before was joined for tile lay with tile tho residents of in competing or watching or cheering or listening in consequence a mere event such as the arrival of the eastbound passenger train drew no attention whatever all and so none but tile the all station agent was thero there to greet tho the stranger as lie ho dropped down from the rickety red smoking car between tits ills packsack pack sack filling from one shoulder and at old don stuart literally dangling from tits his other arm tile tho agent trundling ills his express truck and in a hurry to be done with duty and get back to tho the more exciting affairs which occupied the rest of tile the town spoke faul lo dont hack back home elk cli well wel I 1 glad t see ace you I 1 netter better git up to tile the big doans log roll rol rollina ins llna just gain on nig big ti me ill As an if to vindicate this prideful of one of its own all tincup and its company at the moment opened opened lips and compressed chests to solid up a mighty roaring shout of cc lalni alm slowly the sharply contrasting pair moved off tile tho younger still hall supporting the elder and mod ernsting his galt gait to a stroll so stu all 1 I give y two tiro minutes he growled thanks buddy I 1 billott retorted id say any thata sweet of youl you I 1 aro are you rindy ready barney cried from shore iloth hoth nodded nodal A then lot let her go feol A husli balanced on tile log faced in tile the same direction double nn an arms length from ono one another they poised and then dugals right too lifted tile heel pressing down yard ward the alio buoyant log moved quickly ills ilia left jett root foot raised free sharp chaks calks lit li its ita sole solo clawed savagely find with a mighty drive of tho the log leg lie he had find the cedar spinning beneath them ilen hen elliott did not offer resist ance lie ito followed the moving footing walking for tho the first three or four turns and then adding his impetus to tile the stick commenced to trot with each stride forcing tho the tempo of tile tho turning raster faster and faster now the trotting became a run the run waxed to a nimble dance up and down up and down a n mad gallop ot of supple limbs now find and then duval leaped lie he leaped high and without warning and feet spread drove its calks balks deep into the log ngali hunching bunching hun ching his dors ders thrusting hla his peavey genvoy before him for balance bending forward tho the spin of tho the stick was checked sharply and hall had ills his opponent been caught unprepared ho he certainly would have pitched face foremost into the pond but elliott was not unprepared ila iio had watched tile the bulls every move lie ile did not dot junie when duval jumped lie ho waited a split instant eyes on oil Duvil duvilla ls feet and when lie ho saw the toes pointed stiffly downward lie ho rose nimbly into tile air a galloping break in tits his swift run and catao came down poised spread logged legged himself crying out in an ejaculation of mock distress as lie he balanced on the cedar which swayed and heaved beneath them A great roar went up cries ot of encouragement for tho the stranger somo some shouts of admonition for their townsman the bull would have no cinch in this cont contest estl I 1 on the shore bard kye eye pranced up and down swinging ng his artna arms duck him elliott I 1 he yelled duck th big chunk I 1 S sure ure nd lie ha needs him film a hath 1 the smooth tole bole gathered momen turn tum swiftly and elliott began to skip and dance breaking the steady steadly measure of hla his run achis As his weight carne came and went irregularly upon tile the cedar it commenced to teeter causing dugals feet to splash in aalde deen water again without warn ing tile the bull leaved rie he went higher this time but instead of driving ills hla splices spikes into tho the far side of ef tho the log and stopping its spin ns he had done before he drove them into the near side increasing rather than the thrill the action the adventure that are part of an outdoor story you will find them all in this gripping tale of the north woods harold titus has no peer in the field that he has chosen to make mace his own the american woods he has won a large following with his code of or the north below zero arid and other novels as well as with many stories in the leading maga of the in THE MAN country this installment JT CT read opening t FROM YONDER he has written a fast CP va 3 and follow the story through tigh moving tale that ranks among his best to its satisfactory conclusion arts quick anil and audible breathing should grow no moro more pronounced A slender young man was climbing a jammer in the mill yard ilo ile lifted himself himsel f above tile the heads ot of tile the crowd and held field up a hand for silence this however was not readily obtained A drenched and dripping citizen was only just pulling himself from tile the chill waters of f the pond it a self conscious grin killed glued to tits his lips as the black hair was plastered to tits brow ly by the soaking it had received on oil a peeled cedar log in tile the pond a giant or of a man in a rally gaily checkered shirt in hla his lianda hands balanced and surveyed the throng a picture of front frnnk find boastful self golf the slender man on the janit jammer ner continued to wave ills his hands and finally I 1 to e johes find were mere smothered by other cries for hi silence lelice give birney a chin chinat ct a iman shouted tile the man ratio railed birney caled from ills hla vantage point As of tile the cot committee vin ini ilak aik a ik stig ln for help I 1 tilts this committees worked hard we got a long ork pro burn of sports for toony but this log firlings going to flop unless we net get more contests I 1 all these folks folk ve oine conie to town more to see tills watch match than anything ose on tile the ard card and what ve wo w showed ein why l lie he answered tits his own question we hall two pre and a send final between lie he winners rs of matches mut ches then tills this billial aln il which was ans a joko joke there alund hull duval Ii iMil whose partner 10 the preliminaries defaulted ani and who tho the winner of the benil without vit hout hall half trying I 1 ibish you tins has lie ha earned twenty tive lue dollars doll nis A laugh arose ond and duval daval on the log misted Ms ills mustache and leered tit bt tile the spencor spen kor er alere we raised a dol dollar lar prize find and half you yon river hogs got cold feet just because duval sald d lie ho was coln to roll bolh I 1 was truly annoyed and took no pains to conceal it aint any of 0 you lads got the sand blind to hand in III your names and tackle the null bull wheres your guts lie ho pleaded aint there anybody here that needs twenty five Jol dollars lars another laugh went up and when it had subsided A n voice said bald heres one I 1 do to got get it tills this wits waa a full even good nat ared voice and a quick silence fell upon the crowd fol followed towed by an expectant buzz na its tile the stranger moved forward ills his bronzed faco face uplifted to tile mail ou on tile the jammer atta boyl boy I 1 cried all YO you U got to do friend la Is to put mr air hull duval off air that log and stick by rules I 1 tile stranger slipped the pack strap from his shoulder seated himself on a log unlaced tits his shoes and the bug bag while ho he drew draw from its depths a pair of calked balked river boots boota find and tile tho cluster about liliu grow grew thicker a halt half dozen old men crowded around don stuart shaking ills his hand and saying tho the usual al things that men say to nn an old friend they have not seen been for long one of these was a short wiry little man with upturned noso nose arid and blue eyes and long up lip nd chos tit by donny lie he asked chob tb by shuts gain to try BlIs ther Bran brandona dons vet pet bull stuart shook his head lies iles a fine young gentleman birdeye bird eye and nil all I 1 know pound found nio me at th junction broke and to get back home to tincup bald my fare and helped me fine gentleman I 1 others came up greeted stuart und and eyed him with true concern any could see that heavy sickness alck nesa was on him film virtiey was bending over tile the stranger as aa lie drew taut tho the laces of ills his river boots well gents we got one more to try for tills this prize money mister blister bull duval king of the and woman will now take on mister blister uen lien R el I 1 llott sir mr lien ken elliott of you say you come from elliott Ul llott the stranger turned that good natured smile on the spokesman and waved one hand in an inden indell nato but inclusive gesture yonder ho he said and grinned mr lien elliott of yonder will now roll against bir hull bull duval for the grund grand prize of twenty five ill e bucks I 1 that rope around the tha log marks tile middle elliott Kl El llott stay on your own end dont touch the other man and anything elso else goes goe at I 1 As it 11 helper used it pike polo pole to drag the cedar with duval upon it cl close ose lillutt lillutt stood still and surveyed tits ills adversary ills glanco glance held that flint light of good nature and did not linger long on en the hulls glowering comite countenance nance rather it t dwelt on its hid units arid and the river boots shelling water in oll oil v beads after this lie ho looked duval lit in the eye cie and grinned broadly A sound like a breath which to Is almost a h ran through tile the crowd A likeable grin that flint was good natured frank fearless fe irless men take to it a ariti alli or of its kidney and on tile the instant lien hen elliott tile the stranger hall had t the lie crowd with him film as against hull duval suld said to be tile the king of tile the river tho cellar cedar lame cattle the boom stick and 1111 kellott ott took ills his once on it with it light it t wits was a good log leg nearly two reet feet through nt fit tile the finall end twenty fret feet long with a finall PI mil taller try dry and nd peeled led it a st rIghtly tog log indeed for inch it a contest n log to try tile alie mettle or of any inan with any sort or of contestant add to tills this hull nn val al the lost best river hog lit ID Thi tincup cul who hefted his and glowered at tho the stronger st nger checking tile hie momentum got t you blk boy elliott cried as aa he too came down running and grinning that was quick thinking inston action to leap was but to determine the opponents move and meet it with complacence and poise was another matter to have come town down to a stance then would have lung flung the challenger to wet defeat ah th ill ble big chunk nv av a nulla bulls coln to get bath lie he needs I 1 dillrd eyo bye shrilled into the roar hut but tills this was only one mans enthusiasm thu thusia sm ills his for duval finding voice thibup knew that anu isen den billott I 1 knew it well uc lie like tile alio town was waiting for tho the king of the alia mad woman to draw morn items from tits lila bug bag of tricks before lie he should assume the offensive without n flicker of warning duval dropped the pick of at tits his peavey twisting tile still ft in tits his hands ill flipping P the hook honk open the point plunked flunked into the water tile hook bit into the log simultaneously and as the handle swung upward in a swift are arc tho drove his fits weight ou on it ills body twisted he grunted and ills his face wren wrenched clied into a lightning expression or of great strain us as the cedar in a quarter turn stopped dealt dead and isen ben 1 Kt I llott back bowed acutely nc peavey henvey high above ill liti head buck bark to balance on oil nov foot cot laughed aloud I 1 quirk work alg ill boyi lie cried almost Alino it not got moll me hut but duval hild flo where near rutten lefin lit he knew it and 1 tt ag dianner vils tu if him llo cursed sharply and blint binl an and jet evl at the lie balin of tits hla hut flat its as he shook locse the convey and con com to hirl they ran n momi nt paully enell cadi waiting for ohp lip other to try some frosh trick tho the hull leaped and came down running lie ho leaped fout font times lit in tho the space of na as many quick breaths and then as aa though ready to leap again dropped the hook book of tits his peavey into tho the cedar ile iio dav ered when the handle swept upward by tile tho rush and weight of the spinning log og boro ills grout great palm ills ilia body swung sharply to tho the left ila iio cursed as the bin smooth handlo handle slipped front from tits hla clutch and in dillrd kye hya maine danced in a frenzy of delight as the lie henvey handle smacking tho the water disappeared in fit the pond find tile tho null waving fit his arms for balance run ran tile log dos des pern tely to hold lih his place the odds odda then worn were no longet equal like lake a fencer with it broken foil like a tinier boxer with ono on eye closed like n runner with n ned tendon so duval was now him off now bowl I 1 dillrd screamed lleo 1110 nn an audacious saucy hoy boy him rood good mesther el iles for help nd thol the aint none for atin html I 1 that was what tincup believed bolle vod L K 6 f VT k I 1 V he had watched the bulls every move A quiet quick finish seemed certain with the hull bull so handicapped wl without phout ills his peavey for offensive a moves or to told hold for balance but what happened stilled tile tho clamor lien ben elliott shifted hla his ila iio had held field it across ills hla body arms wide spread now lie ha swung tho the point upward and outward and as lie he run ran tile the spinning log drew tt it back and tossed it toward short tossed it high and far sending with it tits his chance for t ur a quick and certain victory tile tho silence was that of amazed ment tills this wits was ich aile 0 o 1 letting e a tuna man you had knocked down yet get to tits ida feet and have chance tills this wits was opportunity handed to truculent bull duval on oil a silver platter tills was the one read about and then cattle an ain excited clutter clatter of tongues rising to an even arl grenter ater roar conr tile the 0 outsider ut wits was through fouling through 1 with trickery and through with strategy lie he wits was going to run the bull off tits his reet I 1 past fast arid and faster spun the log spray front from it drenched dren clied the men to the their ir knees rained behind then them into the pond the log was hissing in the water rigidity ran from the hulls bulls shoulders down his fits back lie ile was if upright p now where elliott was forward and his scowl was waa gone une its ills brows no longer gathered tint but were upraised tits his eyes were wid alda open in tile the distress of fatigue and lie he breathed brent lied through ills hla mouth thought of tile the rules swept the crowd because duval was edging to the right lie moved slowly awkwardly at the cost of great effort on toward the center of the leg was lie he trying one more trick not likely A man under such a strain does not attempt strategy not fair strategy As liu lie progressed sei an inch at a time |
