Show ak h f M it tiffie acs U ir d uri a 11 ara jal rum I 1 il ul by HAROLD TITUS WIM service tea copy copyright right harold titus CHAPTER I 1 1 it was armistice day in tincup the time rime was so far remold from that delirious date in 1018 1918 that in many parts of the country the eleventh of november had come to be regarded as simply another day but tincup waa a mill town and the surrounding coun try was timber land and in such a community almost any anniversary from the fourth of july on down to the millwrights birthday is seized upon as an excuse to lay off and play so the camps which turned nicholas brandona Bran dons standing biro hardwood wood and hem lock locci into saw logs and the mills which chewed them into dimension stuff and flooring and shingles were deserted and the entire population of a big territory which had commenced pouring into town the evening before was joined for the day with the residents of tincup to in competing or watching or cheering or listening in consequence a mere event such as aa the arrival of the eastbound passenger train drew no attention whatever anil and so none but the station agent was there to greet the strangers stran geras s lie he dropped down from the rickety red smoking car between his packsack pack sack slung from one shoulder and old don stuart literally dangling from his other arm the agent trundling trundling his express truck and in IB a hurry burry to be done with duty and get back to the more exciting affairs which occupied the rest of the town spoke hullo hul lo don back home eh eb well glad f t see you I 1 getter better git up tip to the big boins log rollins just golo on big timet time As if to vindicate this prideful boast of one of its own all tincup and its company at the opened lips and compressed chests to send up a mighty roaring shout of acclaim come on dad the younger man wd said looking toward the arod ue he says its a big time big noise anyhow lets investigate slowly then tile the sharply contrasting pair moved off the younger still half supporting the elder and moderating ills galt gait to a stroll so stuarts quick and audible breathing should grow no more pronounced it A slender young man was climbing a jammer in the mill yard ile he lifted himself above the heads of tile the crowd and held beld up a ban hand for silence this however was not readily obtained A drenched and dripping citizen was only just pulling puffing himself from the cliff waters of the pond a self conscious grin glued to his lips ns the black hair was plastered to his brow by the soaking it had bad received on a peeled cedar log in the pond a giant of a man in a gall gaily chec checkered hered shirt peavey in hla his hands balanced and surveyed sun suri eyed the throng a picture of frank and boastful self satisfaction the slender man on the jammer continued to wave his hands and finally these jibes and compliments were smothered by other cries for silence give barney a chanat bowl a mau man shouted gents cents the man called barney cried from ills his vantage point As chairman of the committee im asking for help I 1 this committees worked hard we got a long program of sports for today but this log s going to flop unless we get more contests contes I 1 all these folks 4 01 he had watched the bulls every move ve come coma to town more to see tola this match than anything else els on the card and what ve we showed em ein why lie he answered his own question we had two preliminaries Iti aries and a semifinal semi final between the winners of them matches much cs then this final which was a joke there stands bull duval whose partner in the tire pre luminaries limin aries defaulted and who dumped the winner of the semifinal semi final floal without half trying I 1 ask you has he earned twenty five fie dollars A laugh arose and duval on tile lie los log twisted ills his mustache and leered at the speaker here we raised a alve dollar palm and halt half you river hogs bogs got cold feet just because duval said he was to roll I 1 birney was truly an noyed and took no do pains to conceal it aint any of you lads got tile the sand to hand in your names and tackle the bull whores wheres your gur gutel burshe she he pleaded aint there anybody here that needs twenty five live dollars another anothy r laugh went up tip arid and when it had subsided a voice said Il heres leres one I 1 do to get it this was a full even good natured nature voice and a quick silence fell upon the crowd followed by an expectant buzz as the stranger moved forward his bronzed face uplifted to the man on the jammer atta boyl birney cried all you got to do friend Is to put mr air bull duval off that los log and stick by rules the stranger slipped the pack strap from his shoulder seated himself on a log unlaced his shoes and the bag while he drew from its depths a pair of calked balked river boots and the cluster about him grew row thicker a half dozen old men linen crowded around don stuart shaking his hand and say ing the uzial ui ial things that men say to an old friend they have not seen tor for long one of these was a short wiry little man with upturned nose and blue eyes and long up tip nd chos th by donny lie he asked chos th ih by units coln to try brandona Eran Bran dons pet bull stuart shook his head iles hes a one fine young gentleman eird bird fye eye and all I 1 know found me at th junction broke and want in to get back home to tincup paid my fare and helped me fine gentleman I 1 hed better be all 0 thail the other commented with an emphatic nod nd kd heres bepin hes a log rollin rascal nd that he dumps sils ther Bran Br andoos dons bull nd ad thin drowns him so I 1 do dol I 1 others came up greeted stuart and eyed him with true concern any could see that heavy sickness was on him birney beriley was bending over the stranger as he drew taut the laces of hla his river boots well gents we got one more to try for this prize money mister cull bull duval king of the nad mad woman will now take on mister pen ben elliott mr pen een elliott of you yoo say you come from elliott the stranger so addressed was heft ing a judiciously ue he turned t that at good natured smile on the spokesman and waved one hand in an indefinite but inclusive gesture yonder lie he said and grinned mr ben elliott of yonder will now roll against mr bull duval dural tor for the grand prize of twenty five bucks 1 that rope around the log marks the middle elliott stay on your own end dont touch the other man and anything else goes I 1 As a helper used a fill pike e pole to drag the cedar with duval upon it close elliott stood still and surveyed his adversary ver sary his glance held that light of good nature and did not linger longon the bulls glowering countenance rather it dwelt on tits pants and the he river boots shedding water in oily heads beads after this lie he looked duval in the eye and grinned broadly A sound like a creath la Is almost a laugh ran through the crowd A likeable grin that was as good natured frank fearless men take to a grin of its kidney and n the instant ben elliott the stranger lad the crowd with him as against bull duya duval said to be king of the river the cedar came against the boom stick and elliott took his fits place pince on it with ith a light leap it was a good log nearly two feet through at the small end twenty feet long iong with a small taper dry and peeled it a sprightly log indeed tor for such a contest a log to try the mettle of any man matched with any sort of contestant add to this bull duval the best river bos bog in tincup who hefted his peavey and glowered at the stranger 1 I 1 give y two ni minutes nini itts he growled thanks buddy 1 elliott retorted id suy say sweet of youl you I 1 are you two ready birney cried from shore both nodded then let her go e IA hush Ha lanced on the lie log faced in the burne direction double an arms length from one another they poised and then dugals right toe lifted the heel beel pressing downward the buoyant log moved quickly ills dla left toot foot raised free sharp calks balks in its sole clawed savagely and with a mighty drive of the leg he had the cedar spinning beneath them ben elliott did not offer resistance ue lie followed tile the moving tooting footing walking for the first bree or four turns and then adding his impetus to the birling stick commenced to troth trot with each stride forcing the tempo ot 0 tile the turning faster and faster now the trotting became a run ran the run waxed to a nimble dance they watched one another ben elliott still grinned the bull eldred his black brows were drawn together and he ground do down n on his chew sav abely almost hatefully up and down up ano down a mad gallop of supple limbs now and then duval leaped he leaped high and without I 1 phout warning and feet spread drove his calks balks deep into the to log again hun bunching hunching ching his shoulders thrusting his peavey before him for balance bend ing forward the spin of the stick was checked sharply and had his opponent been ought alight unprepared he certainly would have pitched face foremost into the pond put cut elliott was not unprepared ue tie had watched the suits every move tie he did not jump when duval jumped he waited a split instant ees on dugals feet and when he saw the toes printed pointed stiffly downward he rose nimbly into the air a galloping break in his swift run and came lown down poised spread legged himself crying out in an lation of mock distress as he balanced on the cedar which swayed and heaved beneath them A great roar went up op cries of en coura gement for the stranger some shouts of admonition for their towns man the bull would have no cinch la in this contest now it was elliott who started the log cautiously and slowly watching duval dural on the shore birdeye bird eye pranced up and down swinging his arms duck him elliott i he be yelled duck th big chunk I 1 sure nd he needs him a bath P the smooth bole gathered momen turn swiftly and elliott lil llott began to skip and dance breaking the steady meas ure of his bla run As his bis weight came and went irregularly upon the cedar it commenced to teeter causing du vals rals feet to splash in ankle deep water again without warning the bull leaped Us ue went higher this time but instead of driving his spikes into the far side of the log ing and stopping its spin us as he had done before he drove them into tile the near side Ill increasing creasing rather than checking the momentum got you big boyl elliott cried as he be too came down running and grinning that was quick thinking instantaneous action to leap was simple but to determine the opponents move and meet it with complacence and poise was another matter to have cowe down to a stance then would have flung the challenger to wet defeat ali ah th tb big chunk av a bulls goin to get abut bath he needs I 1 birdeye bird eye shrilled into the roar but this was only one mans entrust aam his bis animosity for duval finding voice the outcome was far from a certainty tincup knew that and ben elliott knew lt it as well lie le like the town was walling waiting or the king of the mad iad woman to draw more items from his bag of tricks before he should as sume the offensive without a flicker ot warning juval uval dropped the pick of his peavey twist ing the shaft in tits his hands flipping the hook open the point iunker into the water the hook bit into the log simultaneously and as tile the handle swung ul up ward in a swift are arc the niao man drove his weight on it UIs his body twisted he grunted and his face wrenched into a lightning expression of great strain as the cedar in a quarter turn stopped dead and pon pen elliott Bl llott hack back bowed acutely peavey high above his head teetering back to balance on one foot laughed aloud I 1 quick work big boy he cried almost got nao me I 1 hut but luval duval had nowhere near gotten him lie he knew it and Ell Eil lotts manner was infuriating to him lie ha cursed sharply and spat and jerked at the brim of his slouch hat as tie he shook loose tile the peavey and commenced again to barl they ran a moment rosment easily each waiting for the other to try some fresh trick the pull cull leaped and come came down running he leaped four times in the space of as many quick breaths and ami then as though ready to leap again dropped the hook book of his fits peavey into the cedar lie ile wavered when the handle handie dle swept upward by the rush and weight elot of the spinning log bore against his great palm ills his body swung sharply to the left lie ile cursed as the smooth handle slipped from his clutch and birdeye bird eye blaine danced in a frenzy of delight as the handle smacking the water disappeared in the rhe pond and the bull waving his arms tor for bal ance ran the log desperately to hold his place A great shout went up frona from the crowd the odds then were no longer equal like a fencer with a broken foil like a boxer with one eye closed like a runner with a strained tendon so duval was now dow polish him olt off cowl bowl birdeye bird eye eyt screamed like an nuda audacious clous saucy boy polish him good listher elliott ni llott iles ilea for or help nd the aint none ter fer him halml 11 that was what tincup believed A quick finish seemed certain with the pull bull so handicapped without his peavey for offensive moves or to hold for balance put but what happened stilled the clamor quickly as though sound were a tangible mass and a great blade had sheared it quickly and cleanly cen ben elliott shifted his peavey tie had held it across his body arms wide spread now he swung the point upward and outward and as he ran the spinning log drew it back and tossed it toward shore tossed it high and far sending with it his chance tor for a quick and certain victory the silence was that of amazement this was like letting a man you had knocked down get to his feet and have another chance this was opportunity handed to truculent bull duval on a silver platter this w was as the sportsmanship one read about and then came art an excited clatter of tongues rising to an even greater roar the outsider was uras through fooling through with trickery and through with strategy lie ile was going to run the gull bull oft off his feet fast rod and faster spun the log spray from it drenched the men to their knees rained behind them into the pond elliutt elliott still kept ills his face turned toward his opponent but the bull fists clenched arms widely extended only watched elliott from the tall tail of his eye the log was hissing in the water rigidity rau ran front from the culls bulls shoulders down his back lie ile was upright now where elliott was poised forward and his scowl was gone ills brows no longer gathered but were upraised his eyes were wide open in the distress of fatigue and he be breathed through his mouth TO BE BB CONTINUED |