Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-04-13
The Comedy hid
BY ALBERT PAYSON TERT1UNE
With Tendency Fist Footwor Faster Than His Headork

a good gate is likely to help put him
on his feet, should think"
He sure needs itw assented Justin.
Lately there's been funny cracks
made about him and how he got some
of the cash he always used to be
flashing. Promoters have been leary
of putting him on. Now go to bed.
You're due to start training tomor-
row for Alabaster Mayo"
If 1t was something akin to chance
that made Roddy encounter Mary
Bonnell three times the next week
on her way to or from the grocery,
then the kinship belonged in the
poor-relation category. For he ar
ranged his afternoon road work to
end always In precisely the same
place and at the same time. His
luck did the rest
Not being gifted with anything ap-
preaching self-analysis, he did not
stop to consider why he was going
out OF his way to meet and walk
with n girl who had been out of
his life and out of his mind so long
time. All he knew was that he had
come upon her. by accident, that first
afternoon and at an hour when he
was troubled and ashamed and bit
terly lonely and a newspaper laugh
ingstock. and that something had
happened to his heart as he had
stood there looking confusedly down
into her grave eyes.
Mary did not encourage these fire.
quent meetings. Indeed, between
their occurrences she used to tell
herself she must find some way to avoid
the homely and stupid youth But,
somehow, 10 her own self-disgust,
she could not think of any deft or
kindly method of stopping the queer
acquaintance. Then. to her amaze
ment, she found she did not want to
stop il. So II went on.
She even departed so far from the
calm honesty which was her key
note as to have her sister persuade
Crump to take the two women to the
Mayo-Kent fight. and then to make
her sister and brother-in-law think
she herself went thither with them
right reluctantly.
RoDERICK vicAlpine Dhu was
careful to make no blunders in
the matter OF procedure at this sec
ond fight of his. With Justin he had
witnessed several Intervening bouts
during the past month. And he was
letter perfect
His opponent this second time was
a redoubtably scowling and thick-set
negro of burnt-coffee hue and mighty
muscles. The two came together at
the gong before thronged audi
torium. Kent had peered furtively
about him as he awaited the entrance
OF Mayo into the ring, and by a mira
Gle he had been able to recognize
Mary and her sister. sitting with
Coal-mine Crump, toward the rear of
the two-dollar seats. The seats. by
the way, had been complimentary
from the management, or so Crump
had thought, when they came to him,
anonymously, by mail
Following Justin's precepts. and
subconsciously aware that Mary was
watching him, Kent began the fight
with whirlwind attack.
Alabaster Mayo had looked for swift
victory from this youngster who had
been described to him as a Glowing
novice. At the formidable and un-
ceasing and scientific assault of the
despised beginner, gradually a super
stitious fear possessed him.
Surely this was no novice, this ever
attacking fighting machine whom his
own best efforts could not block or
weaken. This was a ringer-some
European or eastern champion out
for an easy victory. The negro was
nonplussed. then scared
Terror and bad training and much
high living combined to soften Ala
baster to the furious battery of the
younger man.
Twice in the third round Kent
f1oored the negro while the house
screamed itself hoarse. Cnknowing-
ly, Kent was taking chances, now and
then, from which a more seasoned
fighter would have shrunk.
In the fourth round, for example,
Alabaster let drop his arms after re-
ceiving i light blow on the side of
the head. He reeled back as If dazed
or weakened past defense. Now this
trick is so old that none but an ANA
teur is taken in by it. Instead of COW
erfnG up dancing back, Roddy
bored in, and he landed a stomach
punch a fraction of a second earlier
than Mayo's artfully prepared hay
maker could be delivered.
Down crashed Alabaster, the breath
hammered out OF him by the terrific