New Britain herald., 1915-02-13
HEARTS OR KNUCKLES ],
 A BRU|SER'S CHOICE
R5d Painter Took Both and WOl
 Inc Girl Anyway.

Thee must give up the game or the girl. Thee's q good lad, Nod, and 1 l like. thee, but thy cruel sport is notI to my liking. Thou hast thy choice. for no bruiser snail have my daugh- ter"
 The old Quaker bcamed kindly on the stalwart young man to whom he addressed these words, but he spoke in tones so determined that Ned ! Painter realized that, as We moderns would put it, he was "up against it for fair
 Although it was nearly a century ago that this conversation took place, and it was then the custom for all pugilists to initiate their noble and\ wealthy patrons by indulging in all sorts of excesses and dissipations. Ned Painter was an exception. He was a clean living, intelligent young athlete, and his mode of life had already car ried him long way up the pugiliscIc ladder. By defeating the celebrhted Sambo Sutton and other valiant ringY warriors Of that period, Ned PainterI had become a top-notcher, and in a position to aspire to the proud title which Tom Cribb, the ancient vet eran, must soon relinquish.
 Now, Cupid is pictured as wee chap, but for all that he is less than hy-weight in poundage he hrs punch that can stretch giants out for the count. And Cupid had landed on Ned Painter One look into the limpid { eyes of a demure Quaker maiden of Norwich, and the big fellow felt Gu pids famous rigat hook to the heart. When Ned came to, and was again able to sit up and absorb nourish- ment. he realized that he could never 1 be happy again until he had wolf the { heart and hand of the fair Quakeress.
 The maiden proved to be not. at 7 all averse to Ned's attentions, but the infatuated youth soon realized that, while the girl loved the fighter, she had a horror of fighting. He had about decided to relinquish his pugil- istic ambitions wnen circumstancesN conspired to make it necessary that he should again enter the ring Early in ISIS he went to Deptford to bid farewell to a nephew, Joe Heap, who was about to sail on the ship North ! Pole, one of three vessels fitted out for an Arctic expedition.
 great crowd had congregated tQ/ see the vessels of and to welconLG Prince George, the regent, and- the( other notables who had honored ' Deptford with their presence A pugilistic entertainment was to be a feature of the celebration, and among | the bruisers engaged was Tom Spring, the protege of Tom Cribb and Paint CTS principal rival for championship honors.
 After witnessing the bouts betSvert the professionals a number of the tars about to sail in quest of the Pole ! added to the eclat of the occasion b engaging in q free-for-all battle. so happened that Ned Painters nep hew and Tom Springs younger broth CT a member of the crew of thd Esquimaux, were paired off in the rookus. Ned Painter came up while the youngsters were vigorously pum- meling each other and, as Ned was of a peaceful disposition when not en- gagged in the practice of his profes- sion, he endeavored to separate the com batants. In the process he( slapped Springs brother on tho check. Tom came up just in time to see1 Painters act, and after much super heated language, it seemed probable that the famous pugilists would set tie the matter then and there Friends persuaded them to postpone the settlement of their differences to ! a more appropriate and profitable | time.
 As d result Ned and Tom were matched to fight in the following ! April, and Painter, resolutely ba1leh- ing from his mind all thought of the certain disapproval of the Quaker