e announced in
wrath-thick tones.

Then his own face underwent transformation. The snarl left the lips, and
the angry eyes grew genial.

"An' sure an' it's yerself," he said. "I didn't know it was yeh
a-shovin'. I seen yeh lick the Terrible Swede, if yeh WAS robbed on the
decision."

"No, you didn't, Bo," Billy answered pleasantly. "You saw me take a good
beatin' that night. The decision was all right."

The Irishman was now beaming. He had endeavored to pay a compliment with
a lie, and the prompt repudiation of the lie served only to increase his
hero-worship.

"Sure, an' a bad beatin' it was," he acknowledged, "but yeh showed the
grit of a bunch of wildcats. Soon as I can get me arm free I'm goin' to
shake yeh by the hand an' help yeh aise yer young lady."

Frustrated in the struggle to get the crowd back, the referee fired his
revolver in the air, and the tug-of-war was on. Pandemonium broke loose.
Saxon, protected by the two big men, was near enough to the front to
see much that ensued. The men on the rope pulled and strained till their
faces were red with effort and their joints crackled. The rope was
new, and, as their hands slipped, their wives and daughters sprang in,
scooping up the earth in double handfuls and pouring it on the rope and
the hands of their men to give them better grip.

A stout, middle-aged woman, carried beyond herself by the passion of the
contest, seized the rope and pulled beside her husband, encouraged him
with loud cries. A watcher from the opposing team dragged her screaming
away and was dropped like a steer by an ear-blow from a partisan from
the woman's team. He, in turn, went down, and brawny women joined with
their men in the battle. Vainly the judges and watchers begged,
pleaded, yelled, and swung with their fists. Men, as well as women,
were springing in to the rope and pulling. No longer was it team against
team, but all Oakland against all San Francisco, festooned with a
free-for-all fight. Hands overlaid hands two and three deep in the
struggle to grasp the rope. And hands that found no holds, doubled into
bunches of knuckles that impacted on the jaws of the watchers who strove
to tear hand-holds from the rope.

Bert yelped with joy, while Mary clung to him, mad with fear. Close to
the rope the fighters were going down and being trampled. The dust arose
in clouds, while from beyond, all around, unable to get into the battle,
could be heard the shrill and impotent rage-