The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-28

smiled on the gurgling, Growing gate
receipts, he adopted a crouching style
and got Tib over the left eye and
below the belt before | could sound
the gong
THE last drive hurt my man like
sin, and was mad clean through at
such rank play, BY rights he had lost
the joust by fouling. Waltzing over
to him / told him to eliminate that
kind of dirty work or I'd give the de-
clsion to his opponent but he grinned
sardonically and, splitting out a tooth,
made playful lunge at my chin.
Look out, old chap I warned,
scuttling back to my painting non.
pareil. He's so mad he'll do all kinds
of crooked work to down you
"'Guess II was an accident gasped
Tib. rubbing the pit of his stomach
What was that hook the Spider used p
II told him. and the third round
opened with my patron receiving a
present on the side of his jaw that
quickly puffed up to the size of a
South African diamond, but in the
rush that followed he worked the
hook. and the funny part of 1t was he
thought 1t was on the level. He had
ducked under Chuck's crouching
guard and had sent a rakng right
from jaw to ear and then, in some
outlandish way | never understood, he
gave the Seal river belt.holder the
- lie OF oil t,,gt
the ear Really, sir it would have
been more humane to have struck
Chuck with a spike.maul. He rolled
and writhed In agony in his corner
trying to corral his wind, and Tib
throwing out his painting chest, ig.
nored his opportunity to finish the
| brute, and instead walked in his cocliy
gait to the ropes and reached out a
trembling hand and patted the kid
white hair.
THAT moment OF tenderness was
near his undoing. For the youngster
grabbed his crimsoned fingers with
all his tiny strength and wouldn't let
go. And Tib, despite the fact Chuck
was now up and doing, with heart to
make him look like a minced ham,
would not yank rudely away. AS a
result they clinched and Tib got a
stinger on the side that nearly laid
him low, | called time repeatedly,
but the chief was thoroughly infamed
now, because of the elbow hook, and
would not break so long as he thought
he was winning. Then the kid took
fright, his foolish baby mind instinc.
lively telling him the two men weren't
acting polite, and he sent up a shrill
howl you could hear even above the
cultural clamor of the on-lookers.
when Tib heard this quivering
pipe he struggled like madman, and
gave Chuck the edge of his hand on
the bridge of his nose. II was one of
those rasping, irritating moves that
bring tears, and the double.crosser
had to back up,
"'Fm almost too old for this game,
growled Tib. his breath coming in
sobs And that rogue acts more un-
wholesome every round. But wait, I'll
teach him who's holding big casino.
In the next six rounds he upper.
cut his man twice, laying open both
fat lips, and then smashed In one be.
tween the eyes that you could have
heard reecho over in Greenland. The
chief let out below and began fight.
ing like an octopus, kicking, biting,
and scratching, with Tib doing moth.
ing but trying to keep clear.
Break away | yelled, trying to
dive between them with out-stretched
arms, quite like Spike McDougall In
the pictures. But II was nearly two
minutes before | could get them apart.
"He'll never fight square again. la.
mented Tib, tenderiy feeling eight
inches from his head in an effort to
locate his ear. My heart sank as
counted his bruises, and | could have
wept for the jolts he had received
Then my hand hit against the small
hammer-head in my side pocket, and,
inspired, whispered. passing 1t over
with wizard skill Nail him. 1t Just
nts the grasp ~.> o..
a.