Triumph of John Kars
By BTOGEWELL Cl'LLEN.
A Thrilling Tale of Love, Adventure, Gold and Indians,
With Its Stirring Episodes Set in Alaskan Wildness.
(Continued From ftaturdaj.)
CHAPTER VII—(Continued )
The Out World.
The solemn eyes of the Indians
were watching the white man's face
with expressionless Intensity. Kars
gave no sign. His eyes were steadily
regarding the wreck of humanity
described as a "great chief." "White
man burn the land because necho
try to kill white man,’’ lie said after
a moment's consideration, in level,
unemotional tones. "White man
come in peace. He wqint no fish. 11c
want no hunt. He want only gold
and peace. White man not go. White
man stay. If Indian kill, white man
kill, too. White man kill up all In
dian if Indian kill white man. Louis
Creal sit by his tepee. He say white
man come Louis Creal not gel gold.
He say to Indian go kill up white
man. White great friends with In
dian. He good friend with Louts
Creal, if Louis Creal lies low. In
dian man very fierce. White man
very fierce, too. If great eliief
Thunder Cloud not hold young men,
then bo soon find out. Louis Creal,
too. Much war come. Much Mood
White man make most killing. So.”
Hunder Cloud listened and gave
no sign. Then he spoke again.
"(Jreat chief say him sorry for white
man talk. Him come. Him good
friend to white man. Him old. dim
very old. White man not go. Then
him say him finish. Him mak' wise
talk to young men. Young men lis
ten. No good. Young men impatient.
Young men say speak, white man.
Speak plenty. Him not go? Then
young men kill 'em all dead. So
g. Thunder Cloud sorry. Heap sorry.”
Kars abruptly stood up. His great
size brought hint w ithin inches of
tlie low, flat roof. His jaw bad
suddenly hardened. His eyes were
directed squarely into the eyes of
the mean-looking interpreter. “See
right here, you neehe.’’ lie cried, his
tones strong and full of restrained
force. “You can hand tills *011 to
that darn old bunch of garbage you
call a great chief. The play lauds
1'real figgers on Is played right out.
lie murderi-d Allan Mowbray to keep
this gold to himself. Well, this gold
ain't his, any more than its mine.
It's for those who got the grit to
take It. If he's looking for fight
he’s going to get It plenty—maybe
more than he's needing. You an’ this
{tarn old scnllawng have got. just
five minutes to lilt the trail clear of
this camp. Clear quick—the whole
ilarn outfit.”
vne interpreter conveyed me
* riefest cist of the white man's
words, even ns lie hastily scrambled
,o his feet. Kars' tone and manner
had Impressed him as forcibly as his
words. He was eager enough to get
away. The old man, too, was on his
feet far quicker than might have
been expected and he was making
for the door wih ludicrious haste.
The hut was cleared and the white
•■nen emerged Into the open. They
stood watching the preclpitato re
treat of their visitors.
"They'll he on us by nightfall.”
Kars said quietly. "We need to get
busy.”
That night the fighting men were
at their posts on the flanking em
bankments. Reserves were gath
- ered. smoking and talking tn the
hush of expectancy. Further afield
an outpost held the entrance to the
gorge tn the north of the camp. Sud
denly. without any warning, a not
rifle fire swept over the camp with
reckless disregard of all aim. Then
i nme the sound of many voices, and
the rush of feet, and the answering
fire of the defenders. The battle of
ltell river bad begun.
The defenders—whites. "breeds”
snd Indians, were ready braced at
their posts, and tlieir leaders were
in their midst. The fierce yelling of
advancing Indians was without
effect. They met the onslaught at
close quarters with a tire as coldly
calculated ns it was merciless. The
rush of assault was doubtless calcu
lated to brush all defense aside in
Hie first attack. But as well might
the Bell river leaders have hoped to
spurn ferro concrete from their
path. The method was qld. The
horde came like the surging tide of
driven waters. It reeled before the
flaming weapons like rollers on a
breakwater. There came the swirl
and eddy. Then, in desperate defeat.
• it dropped back. The carnage of that
» first onslaught was horrible. But
I the defenders suffered only the
vi.-t casualties. Kars labored
,_ under no delusion. The attack would
h come again and again in the hope
- of creating a breach, and that pos
sible breach was the thought in each
- leader's mind.
The tide of men surged once more.
It cam" on under a rain of reckless
fie. Kars shouted encouragement
to his men. The response das all
be could desire. The attacking In
uians surged to the embankment
only to beat vainly, and to fall back
decimated. But again and again
they rallied, their temper growing
to a pitch of fury that suggested the
limit of human endurance. The
numbers seemed endless, rising out
of the Mack beyond only to take
shape at the rifle muzzle. Kadi ri
fle was pressed tight into the
shoulder, w hile the hot barrel
hurled its billet of death deep into
the dusky bodies.
Kars fought w ith a disregard of
self that left its mark upon all
those who were near-by. He spared
nothing and bis "automatic” drove
terror as well as death into the
hearts of those with whom he was
confronted. Bill was no less stirred,
and fought till the first casualties in
the defense claimed mercy in ex
change for the merciless, and he
was forced regretfully to obey the
demands of the doctor's mission.
it was mianignt oeiore tne nnai
convulsion* of the great storming
assaults showed a waning The first
signs -were the lengthening intervals
between the rushes. Then gradual
ly the rushes lessened in determina
tion and only occasionally did they
i nme to close quarters. To Kars the
signs were the signs he looked for.
They were to him the sign of first
victory. But no vigilance was re
laxed. The stake was far too great.
None knew better than he the dan
ger of relaxing effort under the as
surance of success. And so the
straining eyes of the defense were
kept wide. Minutes crept by. passed
under a desultory fire from the dis
tance. Tile bullets whistled widely
overhead, doing no damage to life.
The tinie lengthened Into half nil
hour and no fresh assault came. An
other hour passed and still there
was no sign from tlie enemy. It al
most seemed as if the victory had
been more complete for the defense
than had at first been thought. The
men were refreshed, and the rest
was more than welcome. Kars re
fused to leave his post. For all his
faith in the defense he trusted the
vigilance of no one.
A meal of sorts was sent down to
him from th» cook house and he
shared it with the stalwart ruffian,
Abe. They had been talking and Abe
*10* suddenly broke off. his eyes search
ing the distance, his hearing strain
ing. Kars, too, had turned, search
ing beyond the embankment. "It's
coming." he said. “It Is coming
plenty.”
in less than two minutes the bnt
w as raging with all its original!
desperation. The black night air
was filled with the fury of yelling
voices which vied with the rattle of
firearms for domination.. Bare,
shadowy bodies buried themselves
with renewed impetus against the
defenses, and went down like grain
before the reaper. The embank
ments were held with even greater
confidence. Karlier experience, the
respite; these things had made* their
contribution, a contribution w hich
told heavily against the renewed as
sault. Kars wondered. He had said
these men were like sheep. Now
they were like sheep herded on to
the slaughter house The senseless
ness of it was growing on him with
his increased confidence. It all
scented unworthy of the astute half
white mind lying behind the purpose.
These were the thoughts which
flashed through his mind as lie plied
iiis weapons and encouraged the
men of his command, and they grew
In conviction with each passing mo
ment. But there was more wit in
It than lie suspected.
Then came tiie diversion. It came
by water. Out of the darkness grew
the shadowy outlines of four laden
ranees, and the beaching of the craft
was the first inkling. Abe Dodds, who
heid the left defenses, had of tin- ad
venture. Action and thought were
almost ouo with him. Claiming the
men nearest him lie hurled himself
on tile invaders with a ferocity which
had for its inspiration a full under
standing of the consequences of dis
aster in such a direction. Outflank
ing stared at him with ail its ugly
meaning, and as he went lie shouted
hoarsely hack to Kars his ill-omened
news. Kars needed no second warn
ing. lie passed the call on to Bill.
He claimed the reinforcement which
only desperate emergency had the
right to demand. Then he flung
himself to the task of making good
the depleted defense where Abe had
withdrawn his men.
The crisis was more deadly than
could have seemed possible a mo
ment before. The whole aspect of the
scene had he°n changed. The breach,
that dreaded breach with all its
deadly meaning, was achieved in
something that amounted only to
seconds.
The necnes swarmetl on me em
bankments on the lower foreshore.
The defenders who had been left
were driven back before the fierce
onslaught. They were already giy
ing ground when Kars flung himself
to their support.* The whole situa
tion looked like being turned.
It was no longer a buttle of coldly
calculated method, Here at least it
had become a conflict where indi
vidual nerve and ability alone could
win out. Already some dozen of the
half-nude savages had forced them
selves across the embankment, and
more were pressing on behind. It
was a moment when the whole edi
fice of the whito man’s purpose
looked to be tottering, if not falling
headlong. Kars understood. He bad
the measure of the threat to the last
fraction, and he flung himself into
the battle with a desperateness of
energy and resolve that bore almost
immediate fruit.
His coming cheeked the breaking
of the defenders. But he knew it
was like patching rotten material.
His Influence could not last without
Bill and his reinforcements. He plied
his guns with a discrimination which
no heat or excitement could disturb,
and the first invaders fell under his
attack amidst a din of fierce-throated
cries. His men rallied. But he knew
they were fighting now with a shad
ow' at the hack of their minds. It
was Ills purpose to remove that
shadow. The first support of his
coming passed with the emptying of
his pistols. Ho flung them aside
without a moment's hesitation, and
grabbed a rifle from a fallen neche.
It was the act of a man who knew
(lit value of every second gained.
He knew, even more, the value of liis
own gigantic strength. The weapon in
his hands became a far-reaching
cluti. And. swinging it like a . fierce
ly driven flail, he rushed into the
crowd of savages, senttering them
like chaff in n gale. The smashing
blows fell on heads that split under
their superlative force. and the
ground about him became like a
shambles. In a moment lie discov
ered another figures in the shadowy
darkness, fighting in a similar fash
ion. and he knew that Telgan Char
ley had somehow come to his sup
port. He was holding. Just hold
ing the rush, and that was all. With
out the reinforcements he had claim
ed lie could not hope to drive his at
tack home.
His first call tiad reached the ears
of the man for whom it "Us in
tended. Nor had they been indif
ferent. A eali for help from Kars
was an irresistible clarion of appeal
to Bill Brudenell. He flung aside
h><- drugs. Ills bandages. To collect
reinforcements from •the northern
defenses was the. work of a few min
utes. Kven the elderly breed cook
at the rook house was claimed,
though his only weapons were an
ancient patterenod revolver and a
pick haft he had snatched Up. Fif
teen men in all lie was able to col
lect and at the head of them, he
rushed for the battleground. Nor
was he a moment too soon. Kars
vigor was rapidly exhausting itself.
Pelgan Charley was fighting with a
demoniac fury, but weakening. The
handful of men who were still sup
porting were nearly defeated.
(Continued In The Morning Her )
Oniahan, Pioneer of State.
Dies on Pacific Coast
Wood River, Neb., Jan. 28—(Special.)
—Word was received here of tlie death
Saturday of W. W. Mitchell at the
home of his daughter, Mrs. F. M.
Hollister. Hos Angeles. The body will
arrive Wednesday and funeral ser
[ viees probably will be conducted fat
urday.
j Mr. Mitchell located at Albia, Neb.,
tjn the early sixttfs. He owned a gen
Ural store and bought grain until
11888, when he came to Wood River
w here he ran an elevator. He was
organizer of the Citizens ftate hank
pt Wood River. He moved to Omaha
|10 years ago.
Mr. Mitchell is survived by bis
widow, a son. Charles Mitchell of Ar
jhur. Neb.; four daughters, Mrs. Os
• at- Allen of Omaha and four in Call
(ornia; one sister and one brother.
Site for Museum ami
Park Meets With Approval
Nebraska City, Jan. 28.—(Special.!—
The offer of the Morton estate to
give Arbor lodge, the home of the
li fe J. Sterling Morton, to the state
o Nebraska for museum and park
p trposes, favorably impressed 2.1
n embers of the legislature who look - d
oter the place today. The mansion
contains 52 rooms and is surround-d
by spacious grounds on which (hr
tiyes were planted by Mr. Morton,
ihp father of Arbor day. The estate
r fiers the property to Nebraska it the
state will agree to keep it up as a
museum and park. It is valued at
tuora than 120U,0UU.
V
Exclusively - - - and Builds a Great Business
- _ - - ■■ ■ ■
tttSt Jftuattrr Caittpana
(iNCOPPOPATto)
Mv*OE'iS theatre builoim®
CM AHA
Jan. 16, IMS
Omaha Bee,
a7th & Farnam Streets,
op ah a, tfebraeka' r ' ,
Gentl effien: - - Attention- Classified Manager;
Y
We wish to express to you our appreciation of'the
3piendid returns from our classified advertising run exclu
sively^in your^paper. during the past thirty days.
When_we~re-organized our Deal Estate Department,
we^deci'ded to follow the plan outlined by you, which called
for a display real estate ad. for our announcement, featur
ing a number of listings picked out at random, and this
ad. brought numerous inquiries, and made it easy for us to
get, some good listings*'
We'have followed~this~ad. up, both'in'your daily
and Sunday issues, advertising from one to a dozen .houses,
and in connection with same vre beg to advise that.the
results,were beyond our expectations.
r ^
iV/a"'have~made~srveral~G&ie s as' a 'direct* result
'TrocTthe'^advertising done in your paper; also have
uncovered a field of prospective buyers that we,did not
kpow*were. i n. exi st enc e •'
V '
The above has""proven to us that even in the so
called"dull season" of mid-winter, real estate sales can
be stimulated, — and that it can be done with the use of
Bee advertising,' which alone, in our case, has proven that
your plan of advertising is very effective. Also, we
expect to,'continue.to concentrate our advertising in.the
Bee.
■ •
We?are,
Yours;very truly.
You, too, will find Omaha Bee Wants profitable. Just remember when you sit
down to write your “Want>; Ad to tell your story complete. Put selling “punch”
into^our “Want” Ads, create desire in your copy and the response will be quicker,
surer and far less in cost.
*
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Office and one of the “ad writers” will Help you.
Call AT-lantic 1000 and ask for “Want” Ad manager.