he woman. After all, it was her house. And it
was too dark now to pull it off outside.

The silence was broken by a sneering laugh from Joe. He made a move as
if to get his boots again. The sound was like a whiplash on Sam. He
turned to Bela, white with anger.

"Go to the kitchen!" he commanded. "Shut the door behind you. I
started this, and I'm going to see it through. Do you want to shame me
again?"

Bela collapsed under his bitter, angry words. Her head fell forward,
and she retreated to the kitchen door like a blind woman. She did not
go out. She stayed there through the terrible moments that followed,
making no sound, and missing no move with those tragic, wide eyes.

The adversaries advanced once more, Big Jack stepping back. The two
circled warily, looking for an opening. They made a striking contrast.
"David and Goliath," somebody whispered.

Joe's head was thrust forward between his burly shoulders and his face
lowered like a thundercloud. Sam, silent and tense, smiled and paraded
on his toes.

"Why don't you start something, Jeffries?" asked Sam.

Joe, with a grunt of rage, leaped at him with a sledge-hammer swing
that would have ended the fight had it landed. Sam ducked and came up
on the other side. Joe's momentum carried him clear across the room.

Sam laughed. "Missed that one, Jumbo," he taunted. "Try another."

Joe rushed back and swung again. Once more Sam ducked, this time as he
went under Joe's arm, contriving to land an upper-cut, not of
sufficient force to really shake the mountain, but driving him mad
with rage.

Joe wheeled about, both arms going like flails. This was what Sam
desired. He kept out of reach. He kept Joe running from one side of
the room to the other. Joe was not built for running. At the end of
the round, the big man was heaving for breath like a foundered horse.

Such was the general style of the battle. The spectators, pressed
against the wall to give them plenty of room, roared with excitement.

In the beginning the cries were all for Joe. Then Sam's clever
evasions began to arouse laughter. Finally a voice or two was heard on
Sam's side. This was greatly stimulating to Sam, who had steeled
himself to expect no favour, and correspondingly depressing to Joe.

For three rounds Sam maintained his tactics without receiving a
serious blow. He was trying to break the big man's wind--not good at
the best--and to wear him out in a vain chase. He aimed to make him so
blin