Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-11-15

liz lCSdllcQ llOSS Qh1ht Tile pItlli1lUdr'
bouts between youngsters like himself
He had been able to lick all of them. H,
had been a conner.
The trainer, Bob Donovan, with tn,
derby on the back OF his head. where i
perched as II mi~raculously. had said K
him. Matt, there's only n thing yol
need to be an A l pug. ~ that's rage
You've got form and strength and a lonl
arm. and pretty footwork, but you're too
good natured. You never get mad
You've got to get mad in the ring. any.
way sometimes. to make good"
He had taken his boxing talent with
him into the army, and without anger he
had been able to send all challengers t.
the canvas. Top Sergeant Crowder hao
watched him lick the men. one after an.
other, inside the ropes. Then Top Ser.
geant Crowder, who also had ring as.
pirations, had challenged Matt. And that
was when all Mats troubles had begun
after he had knocked out Crowder In
the fourth round of a hard battle.
When these recollections became toe
oppressive. he left the ~stagnant atmos-
phere of the poolroom. He liked the
sun. to back in 1t. He thought 1t must
be good for him. He stood on the stoop
before the tenement, in the sun.
Out of the narrow hallway a vision
appeared. 1t vas a girl. really. but to
him it was a vision. Her face was like
the sunlight. 1t warmed him.
Hello, Daisy" he said.
Hello. Matt"
She tossed back her dark hair and
smiled at him. She had a stubby little
nose. and her mouth was a trile wide
but such a sweet mouth, at that. 1t
was her brown eyes that Matt loved
most fnr tho magic pf fhqu1 mazda hoo..fy
of all the rest. She wasn't entirely "off
him." as his mother had said she was.
Somehow, she seemed to remember what
a hne lad he had been before the war.
Yes, 1t looked at that time, to the Cos
slipping neighbors, as If they were going
to be sweethearts-what with them walk
ing together in the summer evenings,
and whispering together in the dim hall
and looking into each others faces so
smilingly-and she only turned sixteen,
and him SO straight and handsome.
But not after his return. No more
walks. No more whisperings.
Don't you be lettin' me catch you
with that loafer. Matt Kirbyl" Mrs. De
laney said. HE amt fit for a self
%respectin' girl to talk With"
Nevertheless Daisy felt, this day, like
risking the maternal anger. Though
she'll take my ear off If she sees me with
him." she said to herself. To Matt.
Walk to the grocery with me, will your"
you said 1t. I will, Daisy"
They found themselves walking far
Their than to the grocery. Beyond Ninth
AM Tenth they walked, on to-
ward the river which had been their
destination on many soft. warm evenings
in the past. But there was something
in Matt Kirby now that would not let
\ 4x~@ E~~a F-r 1rA-s.Nre ftlr~ fn@r. 1~otn
Something that had been born of the
fight with Top Sergeant Crowder. For
after the knockout, Crowder a been
after the knockout, Crowder had been
the only charge against him, Crow
der's, THAT buckle amt cleanl I don't
want slobs in my company" Or extra,
filthy jobs for Private Kirby. Unfair as
signments of listening post duty. n
Crowder's green, malignant, Jealous eyes
at his shoulder, all the time.
Better not think of tt
Been looking for a job this morning."
Daisy's voice o him out of the past.
He saw her quick, sidelong glance of
hope.
Yes. But it amt easy to get a job
these days
Matt her pleading, tender tonesi
Whats the matter with you? What's
wrong with you, Matt?"
Jobs are hard to GET
All the boys get them"
Sometimes II don't feel SO good"
he muttered.
go on with you'll You're big and
strong! You got to pull yourself together.
You don't seem to know the wal Is over.
You ought to go back into the ring. You
said you'd make 1T your profession. Re
member how we used to talk about 1T,
you becomin' a champ? o used to
tell me about the club and about Dono-
VAN"
II DON'T don't kind of think I could
get away with 1T any more. II kind
of lost my strengt', in the army"
He could never go into b ropes again.
A pair of gloves advancing on him, and
he would be paralyzed with fright. Be-
hind every such pair OF gloves he would
see Crowder's face. 1t wasn't the first
fight with the top sergeant that had
done this to him. There had been a
second bout. Crowder had challenged
him again. The company had talked
about it-when the top sergeant was out
of earshot. Hadn't Matt beaten him in
fair fight? Beaten him clean? Crow
der had no come back.
But one afternoon, when Matt was In
the guardhouse, because Crowder didn't
want slobs in my company"-though
Matt's equipment had been as neat as
.any-toward evening Crowder came into
the guardhouse, carrying Private Kirby's
food. Queer thing, the top sergeant
bringing food to a private
Here's your grub" Crowder had said.
Thought I'd bring 1T in myself. because
/ want to talk to you. Now listen. I'll
let you out of this box IL you take On a
bout with me tonight. Seer I want q
come back. What do you say?"
And Matt, glad to be released, and
furious at the top sergeant's treatment
of him, and sure OF his ability to floor
Crowder again, had taken him on for
that second bout. Though Sergeant
Quinn, his best friend in the army, had
come to him and warned him, You'd
do better to stay in the lookup a week,
Matt. than to fight Crowder again. Don't
you do it, Matt. You don't know this
bird, Crowder, like ] do. He's the mean
est man in the world. Don't take him
on again, or something will happen"
But Matt had taken him on. And
Matt had been beaten. Horribly, cruelty
beaten. They told him later that he had
been out" for over twelve minutes. He
could not understand the terrible defeat.
His confidence was gone. His nerve was
gone.
Better not think OF that. He didn't
want to think of 1t. Yet IL wa all he
could think of, had thought Of. these
past years.
1t was warm and sunny here at the
river. The sky was blue. Gulls wheeled
about. The boats sparkled. The air
sparkled. 1t was good to be so near