Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-04
THE MuCKER By n EDGAR p a. RAF1sa RIGP 3 RuRRo nsR 46aEs

What was there In this padded ring for
a man TO fear who had faced death as Biliy
had faced It, and without an instant's con-
| sciousness Of the meaning Of the word fear ?
What was wrong with him?
Then the shouts and curses and taunts
Of the crowd snote upon his ears, and he
| knew. II was the crowd
Again the heavy fist Of the coming
champion" brought Billy to the mat, and
| then, before further damage could be done
| him, the gong saved him.
II was surprised and chastened mucler
that walked with bent head TO his corner
| after the FIRST round The white hope was
srnnlng and confident and so he returned
to the center Of the ring for the second
| round
During the short interval Billy had
| thrashed the whole thing out. The crowd
| had got on his nerves. He was trying to
fight the whole crowd instead of Just one
man-he would do better In this round.
But the first thing that happened after
he faced his opponent sent the fans into
delirious ecstasles of shouting and hooting.
Billy swung his right for his foes jaw
terrible blow that would have ended the
fight had II landed but the man side
stepped II, and Billy's momentum carried
him sprawling upon his face.
When he reganed his feet the white hope
was waiting for him. and Billy went down
again to lie there, quite still, while the hand
of the referee marked the seconds.
One. Two. Three -Four. Five. Six.
Billy opened his eyes.
Seven.
Billy sat up.
Eight.
The meaning OF that monotonous count
finally percolated to the mucker's numbed
perceptive faculties. He was being counted
out
Nine
Like fash, he was on his feet. He had
forgotten the crowd. Rage-cool, calculate
ing rage possessed him--not the feverIsh,
hysterical variety that takes It's victims
brains away
They had been counting out the man whom
Barbara Harding had once loved--the man
abe had thought the bravest in tho world
they were making n monkey and a coward
of him
The white hope was waiting for him. Billy
was scarcely OF his knees before the man
rushed at him wickedly, n smile playing
about his lips
II was TO be the last of that smile, how
ever Billy met the rush with his old,
familiar crouch, and stopped his man with
a straight to the body.
Cassidy saw Il and almost smiled. He
didn't think that Billy could come back
but at least he was fighting for a minute
in his old form.
The surprised hope rushed in to punish
his presumng foe. The crowd was silent
Billy ducked beneath a vicious left swing
and put right to the side of the hopes
head that sent the man to his knees. Then
came the gong.
In the third round Billy fought carefully.
He had made up his mind that he would
show this bunch of pikers that he knew how
to box, so that none might say that he
had won with lucky punch. For Billy
meant to win
The round was one which might fli with
delight the soul OF the fan who knows the
finer points of the game. And when It was
over, while little damage had been done on
either side 1t left shadow of a doubt
in the minds of those who knew that the
unknown fighter was the more skilfui boxer.
Then came the fourth round.
OF course, there was no question in the
minds of the majority of the spectators as
to who would win the fight The stranger
had merely shown one of those sudden and
ephemeral bursts of form that are occa-
sionally witnessed in every branch of sport;
but he couldn't last against such a man as
the white hope they looked for a knockout
any minute now.
Nor did they look in vain.
Billy was quite satisfied with the work
he had done in the preceding round Now
he would show them another style Of fight
ing
And he did. From the tap of the gonR
he rushed his opponent about the ring at
will. He hit him when and where he
pleased The man was absolutely helpless
before him.
With left and right hooks Billy rocked
the coming champions" head from side to
side, He landed upon the swelling optics
Of his victim as he chose.
Thrice he rushed him to the ropes. and
once the man fell through them into the
laps Of the hooting sp6ctators-only now
they were not hooting Billy Until the
Wit
might play with mouse; yet not once had
he landed knockout blow.
why didn't you finish him?" cried Pro-
fessor Cassidy as Billy returned to his
corner after the round. you had i'm
goin, man-wy in blazes didn't yeh finish
him?"
II didn't want to-" said Billy "Not in
that round. I'm reserving the finish for
the fifth round, and II you want to win
some money you can take the hunch"
lously.
Sure" said Billy You might maks
more by laying that I'd make him take the
count in the first minute OF the round you
can place hundred OF mine on that, II
you will, please"
Cassidy took the hunch, and a moment
later, as the two men faced one another,
he regretted his act for to his surprise
the white hope came up for the fifth round
smiling and confident once more.
Some ones been handin' him an earfuIs
grumbled Cassidy, "Rn' IL might be all he
needed to take i'm through the first minute
OF the round, and maybe the whole roundt
I've seen that did lots o. times"
AS the two men met, the white hope was
The aggressor. He rushed in to close quar-
-ers. aiming stinging blow at Bllly's face,
and then, to Cassidys cnaErin and the
crowds wonder, the mucker lowered his
guard and took the wallop full on the
aw.