FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   >>   >|  
little farther on down the path. Jim came closer. "Say, I know what you're driving at and you're a liar, and for a leather cent I'd lick you like hell!" "You can't do it. You don't weigh enough." "Oh, shut up, Jack," called Bill. "Go about y'r business," he said to Jim, "or I'll take a hand." Jim's face flamed into a wild wrath. His lips lifted at the corners like a wolf's as he leaped the fence with a wild spring and lunged against Bill's breast. The larger man went down, but his great arms closed about his assailant's neck with a bear-like grip. Jim could neither rise nor strike; with a fury no animal could equal he pressed his hands upon Bill's throat and thrust his elbow into his mouth in the attempt to strangle him. He meant murder. Jack faced the other men, who came running up. Ike seized a stake, and was about to leap over, when Jack raised an axe in the air. "Stand off!" he yelled, and his voice rang through the woods; he noticed how harsh and wild it sounded in the silence. He heard a grunting sound, and gave one glance at the two men writhing amid the ferns silent as grappling bull-dogs. Bill had fallen in the brake and seemed wedged in. At last there came into his heart a terrible shiver, a blind desperation that uncoiled all the strength in his great bulk. Then he seemed to bound from the ground, as he twisted the other man under him, and shook himself free. He dragged one great maul of a fist free and drove it at the face beneath him. Jim saw it coming and turned his head. The blow fell on his neck and his carnivorous grin smoothed out as if sleep had suddenly fallen upon him. He drew a long, shuddering breath, his muscles quivered, and his clenched hands fell open. Bill rose upon his knees and looked at him. A deep awe fell upon him. In the pause he heard the robins rioting from the trees in the lower valley, and the woodpecker cried resoundingly. "You've killed him!" cried Ike, as he climbed hastily over the fence. Bill did not reply. The men faced each other in solemn silence, all wish for murder going out of their hearts. The sobbing cry of the mourning dove, which they had been hearing all day, suddenly assumed new meaning. "_Ah, woe, woe is me!_" it cried. "Bring water!" shouted Ike, kneeling beside his brother. Bill knelt there with him, while the rest dashed water upon Jim's face. At last he began to breathe like a fretful, waking child, and looking up into the scare
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

silence

 

murder

 

suddenly

 

fallen

 

shuddering

 

breath

 

fretful

 

desperation

 
ground
 

waking


smoothed
 

beneath

 

muscles

 
strength
 

coming

 
turned
 
carnivorous
 

uncoiled

 

twisted

 

dragged


brother

 

mourning

 
sobbing
 

hearts

 
solemn
 

meaning

 

shouted

 

assumed

 
kneeling
 

hearing


robins

 

looked

 

clenched

 

breathe

 

rioting

 

dashed

 

climbed

 

hastily

 
killed
 
valley

woodpecker

 

resoundingly

 

shiver

 

quivered

 

noticed

 

lifted

 

corners

 

flamed

 

leaped

 

spring