Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-04-13

tuS Athletic Club on Roddy'S debut
night was ending as Roddy Kent sat
| beside Justin in an empty ringside
box swathed in his bath robe and
| watched the feather-weight slapping
| match drag itself to close. Then.
| at Justin's command. he climbed up
into one of the rings newly vacated
corners. Not handicap greeted him
Noyices and unknowns and dark
horses were no novelty to that crowd.
| Instead of growing nervous at the
| wait, he fell to rehearsing Justin s
myriad wise instructions and warn
| ings. This done. his gaze roved again
| over the sprinkling of on-lookers be-
| low and above the ring, and came to
| brief and puzzled rest upon two
women VINO sat in the second row
behing the boxes. To be accurate, II
| was merely the younger of the two.
She was a girl of about his own
| age, we'll set up. neat, capable look
ing, comely with youths freshness
but with no claim to classic beauty.
She was sitting beside a woman per-
haps ten years her senior-a woman
Of evident and almost aggressive re-
spectability.
though the recognition sent no thrill
through him. She was Mary Bonnell,
who had gone to high scool with him.
The two had never been overwell ac-
quainted with each other. Indeed.
they might never have met had not
Roddy CHANGED to thrash a trackside
lad whom he caught snowballing her
on the way to school But soon
thereafter Kent had left high school
and the acquaintance had lapsed.
Nor did he waste a second thought
on her new, except to wonder vague
~ why nice girls should go to prize
lights. Their eyes met. Mary bowed
slightly without smiling. Roddy
ducked his head in response.
Then he forgot her existance, for
there arose scattered ripple of
handclapping. Coal Mine Crump was
advancing toward the ring amid his
seconds and handlers.
Crump was perhaps thirty-two
years old. Always he had been a
fighter since a handy way with his
fists had lifted him out of the mines
and into the ring. But somehow he
did not altogether qualify.
There were vague tales afioat about
Crump-rumors that he had a real
gift for unperceived fouling and for
selling fights and for laying down"
at precisely the moment when certain
heavy hackers OF his opponent had
prophesied he would. Nothing was
proved, but he seemed to be semi
perpetually in fundS-a condition not
common to a portland beaner OF his
limited chances.
Up through the ropes now Coal
Mine Crump made his lazy way.
He glanced around the house. He
caught sight of Mary Bonnel and
the woman with her. He grinned at
them. Mary waved her hand gaily in
reply. The older woman smiled ma
ternally. Crump turned from them
bobbed his head in recognition OF the
mild applause, sneered chillingly at
the interested Roddy. then sat down
on the stool his officious handlers put
in place in his corner.
The two sets of gloves were in
spected and drawn on. Ensued a mo-
ment's pause while the referee strobe
majestically to midring He signaled
the timekeeper to strike the hand
gong which should call the fighters
to him for instructions
Before the dangerous note had
chance to echo to the farthest reaches
of the building Roddy Kent was out
of his seat and darting across the
canvas with the formidable speed of
an express train Past the wonder
ing referee he flashed, just as Crump
was rising gracefully from his stool.
An instant later Kent's piston-like
left fist was crashing into the wholly
unpreparec jaw Of the newly arisen
Crump.
Roddy was obeying old Justin's or
ders to the letter. At the clang OF
the gong he had gone violently into
action. Similarly he had hit the first
blow. But he could not follow the
advice to keep on tearing in" There
was nothing left to tear into.
Crump, hands at sides, was taking
his first forward step toward the
reckoning referee Kent's first
landed. The blow was backed by
Roddy's flying momentum, and 1t had
all Roddy's 140-odd pounds and
whalebone muscle behind it,
Coal Mine Crump shot backward as
from a mule kick. Clean through the
ropes he tumbled and fell. spread
eagle, athwart the press table. The
entire audience was on its feet, yell
ing, gesticulating, milling. Seconds
and handlers piled into the ring. The
dumfounded Roddy stared about him,
wondering at the insanity caused by
his initial punch as a professional
fighter. He had fieeting glimpse OF
Mary Bonnell, standing with clenched
hands and widely incredulous eyes
and Of the older woman fairly jump
ing up and down in wrath. Then
referee and seconds and Justin had
hemmed him in and his ears were
deafened by babel Of undistinguish-
able language.
Out of the ruck of it presently he
CLEANED that he was assailed right
furiously for what he had done And
he babbled to the scandalized Justin:
You told me to! You said to sail
in at the sound Of the gong and to
land the first punch. L"
The clamor broke out afresh on his
excuse. The announcer advanced to
the ropes and waved both arms to the
racketing spectators.
Ladies and gentlemen he bawled,
kid Kent's manager told him to start
hitting as soon as he heard the gong.
He didn't say which gong. The Kid
never even saw fight before. So
when the prelim gong sounded he got
busy. That's how 1T happened"
Anger Redeemed faces twisted into
laughter. From all over the house
came q ragged guffaw OF apprecia-
ton.
X X x x