Evening star., 1926-11-14

aRoQ Dy green SeCOHuS, HIS IHilIlu was
not on his work, and his right hand
failed him at the very first blow! The
result was one of those tragedies of
the ring that are best left untold.
Ring generalship might have saved
him from the humiliation of a knock
out, but Johnny Mckinney lost his
head utterly.
Micky Cleaver was the Richelieu of
| the ring, q past master of intrigue,
especially skilled in the gentle art -
| goading his opponents to their own
| destruction. He crawled through the
! ropes that night aware not only of
| Kid McKinney's weak hand, but
possessed of other information which
he impaired in the clinches-wh1s-
pered arrows barbed with poison
| that maddened it's victim.
"Betty's lady, huh? What laugh
| that iS What sucker you
are! No wonder she's ashamed O. you!
|. Who's your wife out with to-
night, Kid? Who's helpin' YOU pay
her bills? She knows you're a
punched-out meal-ticket. and she's
| throWin' you down. Betty's a lady,
all right-and how we'll know it,'
| Johnny Mckinney went stark crazy.
| Covered with blood and blind with
| fury, he abandoned all caution and
plowed forward, swinging desperately
with both hands. Mickey Cleaver
| backed away calmly, chopping with
| left hand, and ripping upward with
| a savage right. All in due time, he
| set himself and delivered the coup de
grace!
Riven in body and soul, Kid Nc
| Kinney tossed all night on a cot in
hotel room, whittier he had been CON
veyed by Jockey Williams, who had
risen to the requirements of a friend
| In need. The midget, after all, loved
Johnny Mckinney. and now that the
| crash had come, it remained to he
seen what the wreckage would yield
| Apparently the ruin was complete
for in the morning, a whitefaced girl
| came hurrying into the room, and Kid
Mckinney. half rising from his bed
bandaged and broken hearted, ordered
| her out. His voice came in agoniZed
| mumbleS:
"Ye wanted dough There
'tis. Take it all. I'm
licked. I'm trough.
l done my bit f'r a lady, .
| G'way- G'way. What
tell more dye want?"
Jockey Williams proffered roll of
currency, and then pointed to the
open door. But Betty, the lady. made
no move. White to the edge of her
| small painted lips, she stood trans
| fixed. her eyes ignoring the proffered
blood-money, and fixed instead on the
| bruised battler.
Here was another ruin: Mrs. John
Aloysius Mckinney confronted for the
nrSt time with the other side of the
t2ueensberry curtain-the side that she
had never known. Never had she
seen the disillusionment Of the van.
quished. Never had defeat entered
| into her calculations. Always her hus-
| band had emerged the victor, and the
money seemed so easy. The morning
newspapers. with flashlight pictures
OF the finish, had shocked her unbe-
lievably, and now this, 1t crashed
| nome with the force of knock out,
Jockey Williams caught her as she
dropped.
(OME people contend that prizering
"come-backs' belong only in the
realm OF fiction; but courage and gen
tility go hand in hand and all things
are possible to a lady.
Kid Mckinney had laid aside the
| gloves and it remained for his wife
| 10 pick them up and prove what a
| feminine bantamweight can do. 1t
| was brilliant campaign, beginning
| with a. battle royal in a ring repre-
| sented by the family drawing room.
| Mamma and Papa Boland and Brother
| Billy figured in the proceedings, but
not for long. AS Jockey Williams
expressed it later:
| Boy. L know now what this guy
| Kipling meant. Betty didn't even
wait to shake hands. She just sailed
| In at the tap of the bell, and ban-
bam-bam:-th fight was over!"
| The midget had been present when
| Mrs. Mckinney showed the stuff of
which champions are made. One
after another she polished them off ,
not forgetting herself.
| We're going to work, the whole
outfit! Tn through bein' a lady
understand? I'm Kid McKinney's
wife and nothin' else. Pop. go dig up
your tools and hustle for job. Billy,
| you go to work or go to Jail. This
house Is for sale and everything that's
in 1t. Ma, If you want supper. you
go cook it! I've canned the servants,
and I've sold the cars, and hooked
every bit of jewelry in the joint. To-
morrow I'm goin' back to COoper's
Emporium. You needn't faint, ma,
You'll probably have To get a job
| there, toor'
| So histOry-which is supposed to
move in circles, anyway-found old
man Boland back in his plumbing
shop, Mamma Boland once more in
domestic harness and Billy Boland in
| the paths of rectitude. Destiny de-
| manded only a few improvements in
| the picture. Betty opened her own
shop, a very correct establishment. to
which members of the Serene Country
Club came to be fitted with the latest
in gloves. Thither came Jockey VIII
| liams, still bent on crowning his pUgil
istic idol with the laurel wreath of
| champion.
Hes in shape again. Mrs. McKin-
| ney," said the midget. II had an
X-ray taken. His hands as good as
ever-old Iron Mike is ready for the
| question. It's up to you, lady-and
get me right: it amt the dough I'm
after. I'm thinkin' of Johnny. He
wants you to be proud of him. He
wants to be champion for your sake.
Back him for last fight, Mrs. Nc
Kinney. Make him think your happi.
| ness depends on it-and let him bring
you home the bacon! It1l be the big
sest moment i,this life' I'll guarantee