Evening star., 1923-09-02

WELL the milly amt on for more
w an Il minute when I'm willing
to pay Smiley nineteen hundred and
eighty-six dollars if he'll call the bet
off Steffens hits my boy with every
thing except the floor and Meehan
does that for hisself three times be-
fore the bell gives him IA chance to
drag his wobbly dogs to the corner.
Duke amt all there when the sec
ond spasm begins and the Sailor goes
right to work at the finishing touches.
but like most of them half-baked
box-fighters overdoes his stuff. He
don't take no aim and shoots Wild.
Meehan catches few of 'em but they
don't make him feel any worse than
ne Is already One of Steffens' swings
Is a clean miss and he's put SO much
behind it that he loses his balance
and fiops to the floor hitting the back
Of his head against one of the ring
nosts. When he gets up he's slowed
up considerable and Duke starts some
wild swinging on his account. He
amt got much strength but wal
him over the heart and he hits the
canvas with his nose. The referee
starts counting and if he'd kept it
up until Steffens was ready to work
again he'd a run outta numbers.
The boys luck don't leave him none
after the Steffens row. In the next
coupla months he wins two more ar
guments against boys that shoulda
beaten him to death. | don't have
hardly nothing to do to get business
for the lad.
Just ten months from the time /
takes him in hand he's matched with
Bill Dixon. the champion.
consents to the slaughter mostly
because I'm curious to find out how
long a cuckoo can run along on moth
Ign but luck, not to mention the
pluckings at the gate Dixon amt
taking no chances of having no soft
spot run out on him, and insists on
both sides putting up a forfeit big
enough to bust us.
A coupla days before the row guy
that's been working out with the
that DiXon's dootoring himself for
tonsilitis. His handlers has been try
ing to get him to call the bout, but
Bits money hugger. Besides he
figures he don't even need no good
health to knock Meehan's galluses
west.
If any of you bozos ever had ton
slitis YOU know that you don't really
feel real rotton until you're feeling
better. if you get what | mean.
The champ don't look so very bad
when he pops into the ring excepting
little tired and pale, but the crowd
figures that's just from training hard
Meehan. for once in his life, plays the
game the way | tells him and keeps
outta DiXons way, running him all
around the ring. Bill amt no sucker
and the only reason he falls for this
chase stuff is because he knows he's
got to put Duke to bed quick before
his own strength oozes out.
The champ gets over a few straight
shots, the kinda biffs that was good
for murder in other scraps. but this
time they don't even sting. BY the
end of the round Dixon's winded and
his eyes is dull and poppy. He lasts
half of the next stanza. Meehan
climbs into him. smashes a flock Of
slaps to the body and just naturally
pushes the other boy over. Bill amt
got pep enough to get up. and I'm
elected manager of the champion well
terweight of the world without no
consenting vote.
Am L there?" Duke asks me.
You am" says /. "a guy with
your luck. kid, oughta get hisself a
coated arms with a horseshoe and a
pair of tonsils on a field of four-leaf
clovers."
Biddy Gallagher, Dixon's manager,
yelIs his head off for a return row.
and pretty soon the newspapers get
into the chorus. I'm figuring out a
good stall for a comeback when n
bird busts into the Office and slaps a
documents in front of me.
Sign here?' says he.
what is it, why and who are you -
inquiries.