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His shirt torn, his unshaven face a mask out of Hell, his hairy arms and chest visible, he moved, like a gorilla, upon Gloria. Ames regained the ice, and staggered into the face of the Alaskan blizzard with the courage of desperation, born of the flames of a powerful love. He fell, arose, fell, arose, rushed undauntedly onwards. Arnold drew the exhausted dishevelled Gloria near to him. Ames staggered through the cabin door, snow flying from his clothes. He leaped upon Captain Arnold, and the men fought, knocking each other down, driving each other back and forth across the cabin, while Gloria stood trembling with her hands flat on her cheeks. The men clinched, and Captain Arnold attempted to gouge Ames. Ames knocked him into the wall. Rebounding, he grasped a club. Ames dodged low, and twisted his wrist. The club dropped to the floor. The men went down, and rolled over and over, punching fiercely. They arose. Arnold hurled a chair at Ames. Ames ducked, and the chair broke against the wall. They staggered at each other. Ames warded off Arnold’s blow, and connected with a last punch, into which he put all of his ebbing strength. Arnold fell unconscious. Durer shook his head, regained consciousness. They bundled Gloria in warm blankets, and carried her back across the ice, in the Alaskan blizzard. Arnold remained to die a villain’s lonely death in the ice-jammed ship.

Back at the general store of Morgan, now Jerome, the three friends enjoyed a happy and delicious dinner which Gloria had prepared. After dinner, she sat on Ames’ knee, and the men smoked. Suddenly, Durer arose and said goodbye. He walked out and away to a new village, singing but with a heart painted in the deep dyes of sorrow and unrequited love. Ames and Gloria saddened as they looked out the window to see him disappear. But love overpowered their sadness. They walked out into the glory of an Alaskan twilight, with the fading sun glowing over the snow. Under a tree, in the snow, before the setting sun, they kissed.

And under an Alaskan sunset, Studs Lonigan kissed Gloria, and kissed Lucy.

He made his exit with Slug, wishing there were more of it.

III

In front of the Michigan Theatre Studs guessed that he’d get coffee an’ with Slug near the show, and then go straight home. Slug wanted to go down to Fifty-eighth first and see if the lads were around. Studs said all right he’d go along, but he didn’t want to be out late because he needed rest; hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep all week. They crossed Garfield Boulevard, and walked south on Indiana Avenue. Studs felt close to Slug, as if Mason were his best friend. They seemed to understand each other, and when they were alone, they didn’t say much; but there seemed to be something deeper than words could express between them. Studs wondered did Slug have the same kind of thoughts that he had.

Exciting picture, full of action; peachy fight at the end, it was. And the broad had been a knockout. When Arnold went at her, her boobs had almost fallen out. If they only let the boobs really fall out in scenes like that. If they could show everything in movies. Wished that she had gotten her clothes wet; they would have stuck to her body, and it would have been the next thing to seeing her stripped. Would be plenty of delights marrying a jane like that. He kissed her; married her; went to bed with her .. .

“Good picture,” Slug mumbled.

“Yeah.”

“Have one,” Slug said, offering his pack of Camels to Studs.

Studs wondered what it would be like, hunting gold in Alaska. Yukon Lonigan in the gold fields. Taking a roulette game in Flamingo, Alaska, for a buggy ride. Shooting his way out to keep the gold he’d won. The picture made him want things like that, big dough, travel, broads as gorgeous as Gloria. The things he did, had no comparison with such a life; hanging around the poolroom, now and then a small-time crap game or round of poker; benders on Saturday night, and maybe a couple of times during the week; sometimes a can house. Nothing like it. And he