Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-05

and the men walked to their corners amid a
general shout of applause for a spirited and
well contested opening round. Harrison
fumbled in his mouth with his finger and
thumb, and then with a sharp turn he
wrenched out a tooth. which he threw into
the basin. "Quite the old times said he
to Belcher.
Have a care, Jack" whispered the anx-
ious second. You got rather more than
you gave"
Maybe I can carry more, too said lie
serenely, while Caleb Baldwin mopped the
big sponge over his face, and the shining
bottom of the tin basin ceased suddenly to
glimmer through the water.
| could gather from the comments of the
experienced Corinthians around me, and
from the remarks of the crowd behind,
that Harrison's chance was thought to have
been lessened by this round.
eve seen his old faults and I haven't
seen his old merits" said Sir John Lade,
our opponent of the Brighton road. Hes
as slow on his feet and with his guard as
ever. Wilson hit him as he liked"
Wilson may hit him three times to his
once, but his one is worth Wilson'S three"
remarked my uncle. HE is a natural
fighter and the other an excellent sparrer,
but | don't hedge a guinea
A sudden hush announced that the men
were on their feet again, and so skillfulIy
had the seconds done their work that nei-
, Their looked a jt the worse for what had
passed. Wilson led viciously with his left,
but misjudged the distance. receiving q
smashing counter on the mark in reply.
which sent him Keeling and grasping to the
ropes. "Hurrah for the old one!" yelled
the mob, and my uncle laughed and nudged
Sir John Lade. The west countryman
smiled and shook himself like a dog from
the water, as with a stealthy step he came
back to the center of the ring, where his
man was still standing. Bang. came Har-
rison's right upon the mark once more, but
Crab broke the blow with his elbow, and
jumped laughing away. Both men were a
little winded and their quick high breath
ing with the light patter of their feet, as
they danced round each other, blended into
one continuous long-drawn sound. Two
simultaneous exchanges with the left made
a clap like a pistol shot, and then as Har-
rison rushed in for a fall Wilson slipped
him and over went my old friend upon his
face, partly from the impetus of his own
futile attack and partly from a swinging
half-arm blow which the west countryman
brought home upon his ear as he passed.
"Knock-down for Wilson," cried the ref
cree, and the answering roar was like the
broadside of a "A. Up went hundreds of
curly trimmed Corinthian hats into the air
and the slope before us was a bank of
flushed and yelling faces. My heart was
cramped with my fears, and / WINGED at
every blow, yet | was conscious also of an
absolute fascination, with a wild thrill of
fierce JOY and a certain exultation in our
common human nature which could rise
Iaib hhb lNdi III VI training AFTER
the very humblest form of fame.
Belcher and Baldwin had pounced upon
their man, and had him up and in his corner
In an instant, but. in spite of the GOODNESS
with which the hardy smith took his punish
ment, there was immense exultation among
the west country men.
We've got him! He's beat! He's beat"
shouted the two Jew seconds. TITS a hun
dred to a tizzy on Gloucester
Beat, is he?" answered Belcher. you'll
need IN rent this Hnld hafora oar boot
him, for he'll stand a month of that kind OF
fy-iappin,'" He was swinging a towel in
frcnt of Harrison as he spoke, while Baldwin
mopped him with the sponge.
How is 1t with you, Harrison?' asked my
uncle.
Hearty as a buck, sir. It's as right aa
the day"
The CHEEKY answer came with so merry n
ring that the clouds cleared from my uncle'a
face.
"You should m your man to lead
more, Tregellis." said Sir John Lade. He'll
never win 1t unless he leads"
"He knows more about the game than you
or l do. mon ami! I'll let him take his own
way"
"The betting is 3 to 1 against him
now" said a gentleman, whose grizzled NOUS
tache showed that he was an officer of the
late war"
very true, General Fitzpatrick. Bat,
you'll observe that 1t is the raw young bloods
who are giving the odds, and the sheenies
who are taking them. | still stick TO my
opinion"
The two men came briskly up TO the scratch
at the call of time, the smith a little lumpy
on one side OF his head, but with the same
good humored and yet menacing smile upon
his lips. AS to Wilson, he was exactly as he
had begun in appearance, but twice | saw
him close his lips sharply, as II he were in a
sudden spasm of pain. and the blotohes over
his ribs were darkening from scarlet to a
sullen purple. lie held his guard somewhat
lower, to screen this vulnerable point, and he
danced round his opponent with a llghtness
that showed that his wind had not been Inn
paired by the body blows, while the smith
still adopted the impassiye tactics with which
he had commenced,
Many rumors had come up to us from the
west as to Crab Wilson's fine science and the