Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-05

on de stoige at five hunnered n week an 1
s'pose OATS t de punk. hey? Dat O'Fewdse
gleam got { come t me fr favors. tsee!
I'm maxim de toims. Youse kin put dat in
de pape. an tt goes, tsee, young teller!
And then a month so before the scrap.
when the inevitable purely fictitious row
over the matter of the referee Is fixed up
for the purpose of exciting interest in the
thing one of the principals Is quoted. some
thing after this fashion. with respect to the
man named by the other party for referee:
Il have not the slightest disposition to
say aught whatever that could In any sense
be construed as derogatory OF Mister Al
Breakaway In the capacity of a referee. 1
owe 1t to myself. however. and to my repu-
tation as pugilist. to maintain that there
are unduestionably moments when Mister
Breakaway has not that absolute control OF
his temper which IL essential in ons
acting arbitrator between a pair OF
pugilsts plunged In the heat of battle. He
has not. fear. what Is known the jul
dicial temperament. and I think 1t Is not
open to argument that there have been
occasions when he has evnced too distinct
a tendency to permit the crowd at the ring
side to dictate to him as to what consti-
tutes a foul and so on. have not. mind.
the remotest idea that Mister Breakaway
would Intentionally VISIT the slightest lnjus-
tice upon a fighter but 1 am bound to de-
ptore, as do. his habit of flying on at
tangent under certain conditions and his
way of yielding points to audiences when
their demands become insistent.
The Actual Manner.
The fighters actual manner OF abiding
to Mister Al Breakaway, the contemplated
referee, Is. however. more after the follow
ing fashion:
'Tsay, were do dem mugs t'ink l come
from-Elizabet', New Choisey? Al Break
away to do de refereein hey2 Fine! Fine.
On'y, bullets fr dat, Hear wot I'm tsayin?
Bullets! OATS wot I tink o. Al Break
away. Wy tsay, dat four-flush couldn't
raf 6olNt bot ~ frrvx, hi
bugs on a sunny road, youse kin take IL
from me. He don't know de difference be-
tween uppercut an a raw beef sandwich.
Any fly mug dat wanted t. paste in
punch below de belt could git away wit
1t forty times over an dat Breakaway dub
'ud never wake up to 1t. Bean-bag f'r dat
one. OATS his game. Puss-in-de-corner-
OATS his limit, or mumble-peg. An even
IL he did know de diff renee between lef'
swing an a box O. matches he's one O.
desc pin-heads dat needs toe-weights. tsee?
He goes up in de air like paper bloom.
He amt dere wit no nut on him. OATS all
FIR him. De bunch aroun' de ring could
tell him dat one of US had a tomahawk
hid in our fightn' pants, an he'd fall FIR
die O. de scrap. Ev'ryting de bunch aroun'
de ring says. he's mark for. Eighteen
an car-fare f'r dat one, He don't referee
no fight dat I'm mixed up wit. I'd RAIDER
have some kid from de Children's Pro-
tectry do de refereein' FIR me. amy oil
time. Youse kin stick dat in de pape. too.
son. an say dat 1t was me unwound II.
tsee?"
Then, as the day for the fight drifts
along, we begin to get pictures of the
fighting faces Of the puEchers. And
such mugs! They look like carved gar,
goyles of the middle ages. like chiseled
lineaments on ancient flying buttresses,
like Easter Island totems. They suggest
the simian. They make you feel like look
ing apprehensively over your shoulder
They are enough to make the most temper
ate seek forgetfulness in the fiagon.
Then. in due time. as the hour advances.
we get the respective opinions-the signed
opinions, too, If you please-of the sluggers
as to what the outcome Is going to be.
II am of the opinion" says one OF them
in his signed statement'-'that the con-
test will hardly last longer than ten rounds.
OF course, | am perfectly confident of vic
tory. That goes without saying. I have
not the slightest fear that my hackers will
be disappointed"
I'll put dat shoemaker away in a punch
dat's ALL" is what he really says
An Effort to Rally.
Then a very short time before the fight,
the press agents of the purse offerers. In
last effort to rally to the rngslde the chaps
who are hesitating about making the trip.
begin to harp on how horribly the two
pugs hate each other 1t seems that
they've hated each other most tree-men-
jously for years and years and years-a
little matter of rivalry over a girl, it is
|. is promised that when they get together
in the ring they will do everything to each
other but gnaw each others ears on. 1his
helps along the bug stories from the scene
of the coming battle" a whole lot.
On top of this come the yarns about the
difficulties the two clouters are having to
make the weight and the stories OF the
things they have to do to get an ounce
or two of the meat off are uniquely I'M
pleasant reading. except for rollicking
young medicos. The utter savageness OF
the pair of simians during the process
I known as drying out" when they are not
allowed to drink any liquids of any sort
for about twenty-four hours. are related
with the keenest gusto by the stylus push
ers at the scene of the battle" and more
pictures are printed. showing the ciouters
with all of their teeth exposed and in the
act of snarling like outcast dogs or timber
wolves.
Then, finally-and a long, long pull! 1t has
been to wait for the thing-comes the ac-
final fight Two or three days later, the
claims and counter-claims, the poignant be-
meanings of the loser. the loud and un-
generous boastings of the winner, the eX-
pletives hurled back and forth between the
managers of the sluggers. the old line OF
rot about the gate receipts having exceeded
expectations by the sum of S6S,9SI.o4. ana
the hints that the closer will have another
chance" within few months at the same
| dump.
If they'd only fight and let it go at that
and forget it!
CLARENCE L. CULLEN.
Il