Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-09

gymnasium room of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association building.
frlsky sandbag, was another youth, some
what older perhaps, but who was of the
blonde type, he having light hair and blue
eyes, and who was taller and more frail OF
build than the other boy.
Mark Ripley, the dark-haired boy, :. who
was SO vigorously propelling himself mo-
where, was generally pretty well liked by. his
associates, being jolly and exceedingly fond
of jokes of all kinds-provded they were on
some one besides Mark Ripley-but who was
of such an extremely nervous temperament
that ne was very easily annoyed or plagued;
The aspiring pugilist who was lodging back
and forth in an endeavor to land his right
fist square between the eyes of his enemy,
fellow and fairly well liked by the boys with
whom he associated but inclined to be a
trife vain and egotistical and somewhat
dudish in his dress and manners.
Say, Percy" said Mark, resting for mo-
ment on his "oars," "when are you going to
get that bicycle you've been talking about SO
much?"
"Oh (whack), I don't (slap, whack) know
exactly (chuck, bif, blam), perhaps (smaek)
biff)
u don't believe you're going to get one"
declared Mark.
"You Zip. chug) don't, eh? Well (smack),
/
At this moment Herb King, Ed Doty and
Will Endieott burst laughing into the room,
and Immediately spying the two fellows tor
whom they were looking, came over to the
corner of the room where Mark and Percy
"Helio, Mark Hello Percyr" they each
called out heartily as they came up.
"Hello, fellowsi' both replied.
Flows rowing this weather?" asked Herb
of Mark
Pretty good, only this old machine wants
oiling"
Flows prize-fghting, old MANI" asked Win
Endicott of Percy.
"Oh (pIump); good enough" (Chug, slap,
blam) ,
"Ah, that was beauty!" exclaimed Will,
| in tone of mock admiration. as Percy gave
the bag a vigorous thump square in the CEN
tire. Nov, smack him again square between
the eyes"
Whack, ca-splangl
"Good Now, one in the earl"
Zine! Hit him again!"
Smack flip, whackl
Excellent Nearly laid him out! Again!"
"Beautifuii x professional cut! Once
more!''
Smash, flap, ploong, bang
By this time Herb, Mark and Ed and sew
eral other BOYS had come up back of the
adroit boxer, and were watching the not very
equal contest between him and the bag with
much interest.
"Crack him one on the chin!" advised one.
"Give him left-hander under the jaw!"
said another.
"Hit him rap on the nose!" called
third.
"Come down onto him with both fists at
oncel" urged a fourth.
tion he was attracting to himself, pounded
and thumped the poor bag until he near
ly exhausted. Or, rather, he pounded and
thumped at the poor bag, for he seldom hit
In for fha hat
now had hold of one of the ropes by which
the bag could be raised or lowered to suit
the person using it,, and was slyly manipulate
ing it to Percy's disadvantage.
First it would, very mysteriously, be too
high for the blow that was aimed at it, and
Percy's arm would shoot beneath it with SO
much force that, only for the timely assistance
rendered him by the bag itself in swinging
would have lost his balance and fallen to
the hoor
Then, after allowing itself to be punched
one or two fairly good raps, the bag would,
without any apparent cause, dodge to The
right or left, and Percy's arm would again
shoot past it, and his head or shoulder receive
the force of the blow.
/, He did not detect the joke that was thus
being played on him for some time, but the
others did, and they snickered and smiled at
one another, and made motions at Herb be-
hind Percy's back to pull it harder next
time" and in other ways had considerable
fun at Percy's expense. Then some one
laughed too loudly and Percy discovered that
there was some joke on foot about which he
knew nothing, and which was evidently on
him, and he withdrew from the conspicuous
, position he was holding with the remark, as
a sort of excuse for doing SO:
"Well, there; / guess I've banged her long
enough; some Of you fellows take hand at
it now"
But no one seemed inclined to take up
with his suggestion, and, he put on his
! coat and sat down ON one of the row of
chairs that encircled the room, the crowd dis
persed, leaving the original five again alone
aSay, Mark" began VIII Endicott, sitting
| down beside Percy, and beckoning Mark to
take the chair next to Percy on the other
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