Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-04-29
sof PHILADELPHIA ?"

ing ON that score.
How long have you known herr"
Il don't know that that's any of your
business; but the fact is, met her in
the Catskills last August"
"The devil! Then it's you who are
at the bottom of this! You are the
man who has come between her and
me, | met her a whole month before
you did, aud you sit there and talk
to me of your prerogatives and prior
rights, Why, confound it all, if it were
not for you she would consent to mar
ly me. and You demand that l shall
withdraw in your favor! Well, I'll
be"
Then you will decide the matter as
| have suggested"
'What?"
4 say, then YOU are willing to fight,
to determine which of us shall retire?
The case is a simple one: Each of us
stands iii the others way. With both
in the field she will have neither of u.s.
One of us has got to withdraw, Do you
catch my meaning now?"
Yes; and, by thunder, 1 accept your
challenge, 1t shall be a fight, and a
fight to the finish; and, what's more,
We'll pull it off right here and now"
Precisely what I have arranged for.
We can settle the matter in my back
office without attracting attention.
have had the room cleared for the
purpose"
Both men We're we'll built and ath-
letic. Each was accounted a good
sparrer. In the present instance, how
ever judges would have declared that
the odds We're in favor of Cotton,
whose weight and long reach gave
him an evident advantage over Fitz-
gerald in those respects, although the
latter's reputation for strength and
quick work involved an equation not
easy to calculate.
Fitzgerald followed his adversary
into the adjoining room Each drew
off his coat and vest and neckwear
with studied elaboration and placed
them carefully on a chair.
Cotton tossed upon the window-seat
two or three pairs of lightweight
gloves. Take your choice" he said,
indifferently
Fitzgerald quickly fitted pair to
his hands; Cotton followed suit; and
a moment later the two men faced
each other in the attitude of battle,
their arms barred and their chests ex-
panied with deep breathing.
There was no handshake. All pre-
liminary conventionalities We're
waived. This was to be a fight, pure
and simple. Scarcely had each nodded
his readiness ere the contest was on,
and in vigorous earnest
For fully 10 minutes the struggle
continued. Then a loud knock at the
door brought the performance to a
sudden standstill. Both men were wet
with perspiratioa and painting hard
Fitzgerald's cheek was swollen and
Cotton was suffering With a pain in the
chest. So far each had put up a
stubborn fight. and neither was yet
ready to desist. Love and pride We're
at stake. and the aroused spirit of the
savage that comes to every man who is
struck inspired each With a yengcful
| angry determination that his opponent
must fall or cry for mercy before
| there could be a thought of giving up
The interruption from without
aroused the combatants TO a sudden
realization of the noise they had beer
making, and each ingolmtaMly glaret
at the other and remained quiet for {
u N ;,,+i ~ / !,
one on the outside to so away
Ii proved to be only the postman
who, receiving no RESPONSE after g
short wait, discharged his elrand By
dropping a number of letters through
the opening in the door
The momentary truce had made bott
men aware of their exhausted condi
ton. \ few minutes respite was Gag
lerly craved by each of them TO regain
his breath. 1t was with a feeling O.
thankful relief, therefore, that Fitzger
aid saw Cotton stoop and pick up one
of the letters from the floor
To conceal any evidence of desir,
to gain time by so doing, Cotton en-
deavored by his manner to have i
seem that his action was merely an in
stinctive response to habit In realit,
he was more nearly exhausted than h,
cared to admit, and he felt it essentia
to resort to some subterfuge to della.
the renewal of hostilities With ap
parent Observation-Disclosures he mechan
ically tore open the envelope he he'll
in his hand and passed his eyes va
cantly over the contents
Then, suddenly without uttering
sound, he fell against the wall an
sank slowly to the floor, where he re
manned motionless, his head droopin
upon his chest.
Fitzgerald smiled grimly He kney
he had landed two blows over tn
heart, and he was not surprised. Min
gled triumph and satisfaction adde
a roster glow to his burning cheeks
With his handkerchief he calmly wipe,
the perspiration from his face an
neck and sauntered over to one of tn
windows.
j