Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-09

81 want TO talk to you. he said
shortly. That fight IL did end I'm
that round"
She shrugged her shoulders
II knew IL would"
"You didn't he retorted. You
ildn't l didn't"
She turned and looked at him with
quiet affectation OF boredom.
What is the use?' she asked.
"Prizehghting Is prizehghting. and we
all know what It means. The fight
did end in the round ] told you II
would"
..It did" he agreed. "But you didn't
know II would In all the world You
and / were at least two that knew
Powers wouldn't be Knocked out in the
sixteenth"
She remained silent
II say YOU knew he wouldn't
He spoke peremptorily and. when
she still declined to speak. stepped
nearer TO her.
Answer me-" he commanded.
She nodded her head
But he was a." she insisted.
He wasn't He wasn't knocked out
at all. Do you get that? l am going
TO tell you about it and you are going
to listen. / didn't lie 10 you. Do you
get that? / didn't lie to you. l was
along with me.
you thought you saw him knocked
out Yet the blow I struck was not
heavy enough. 1t didn't hit him in
the right place either. He made be-
lieve it did. He faxed that knockout"
He paused and looked at her expect
antly. and somehow, with leap and
thrill. she knew that she believed him,
and she felt pervaded by wartA hap
piness at the reinstatement OF this
man who meant nothing TO her and
whom she had seen but twice in her
life
'.WelI?' he demanded. and she thrill
ed anew at the compellingness of him
She stood up. and her hand went out
TO his.
Il believe you" she said And
am glad. most glad
1t was a longer grip than she had
anticipated. He looked at her with !
eyes that burned and to which her /
own unconsciously answered back.
Never was there such man. was |
her thought Her eyes dropped first. |
and his followed. so that. as before. |
both gazed at the clasped hands.
He made n movement OF his whole
body toward her. impulsive and invol- |
untary, as If TO gather her to him. /
then checked himself abruptly with I
an unmistakable effort She saw it :
and felt the pull OF his hand as it
started TO draw her to him
And to her Amusement she felt the
desire to yield. the desire almost over
to be drawn into the
strong circle of those arms. And had
he compelled she knew that she would
not have refrained.
She was almost dizzy when he I
checked himself and. with a closing OF
his fingers that half crushed hers,
dropped her hand. almost flung it from
him.
God" he breathed; you were made
for me,''
He turned partly away from her,
sweeping his hand TO his forehead
she knew she would hate him forever
II be dared one stammered word OF
apology or explanation.
But he seemed TO have the way al
WAYS of doing the right thing where
she was concerned. She sank into her
chair, and he into another. first draw
ng it around so as to face her across
the corner of the desk
81 spent last night in a Turkish !
,ath.'' he said. II sent for an old bro
zen down bruiser. He was a friend
II my father in the old days. I knew
here couldn't be q thing about the
ing he didn't know. and | made him
ak.
THE funny thing was that IL was all
could do to convince him that l
lidn't know the things / asked him
bout He called me the babe in the
woods. l guess he was right l was
aised in the woods. and woods Is
bout all know.
We'll. I received an education from
hat old man last night The ring is
1ttener than you told me. 1t seems
verybody connected with il is crook
i. The very supervisors that grant
le fight permits graft of OF the pro
ioters. and the promoters. managers
nd fighters graft OF OF each other and
T the public.
Its down TO n system In one way,
nd. on the other hand, they're always
do you know what the double cross
= She nodded. We'll. they don't
.em to miss n chance to give each ,
her the double cross. ,
The stuff that old man told me took ;
v breath away. And here I've been :
the thick of it for several years and
new nothing OF IL / was a real babe ,
the woods. And yet l can see how ,
We been fooled. / was so made that
Obody could stop me. i was bound ,
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