Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-11-22
Publianed By special arranseuent viii rh4
ChioaGo Tribune ByndiosAi
IN TWO PARTS-PART TWO
The Story So Far

Since the war Matt Kirby has been un-
able to hold a Job of any kind He is list
less and his mother who supports him. be-
leves he is lazy. In the army Matt had
been a boxer and had defeated his first
sergeant, Crowder, for the regimental heavy
weight championship. crowder BEGAN to
ride Matt, then released him from the
guard house on condition that he set a re-
turn bout. Matt agrees. and that night he
is numerically beaten by Crowder, and he
never regained his confidence. At the re-
quest of Daisy, his former sweetheart. Matt
starts to train again but finds he makes a
poor figure in the ring.
And now the story
When Crowder had pinned him against
the ropes n pummeled him, he had al
most felt relief, he was so tired. He had
wanted to lie down. In the sixth round
he had been whirling about, with that
unaccountable haze thickening his
vision. And when he had staggered
blindly. Crowder had hit him between
the eyes. A savage punch. Then. as
savagely, on the jaw. Then close to the
belt. And again. needlessly, close to. the
belt. He had thudded heavily. lain still.
He scarcely heard Donovan encourag-
ing him. You're young. I'll bring you
round. I'll try you nov with a Dutch
Donovan grinned. Remember, I
used to say you needed to get mad? A
Dutchman ought to get you mad, seeing
man, too. He won't change his name.
Wilhelm Schmurbraden. Now you clean
up Wilhelm"
A large, moon faced boy with blonde
hair met Matt in the ring. Matt was
two inches the taller, and also heavier.
They shook hands n began to fight.
Matt at once knew himself outclassed.
And with that knowledge all the cour-
age he had SO laboriously scraped up
oozed u of him. Donovan again took
MIN out of the ropes. Matt listened
with a dropped head to what he had to
say about hare training.
The next morning he had not the will
to look for a job, nor the heart to face
his mother, nor the hope that If he wait
ed for her on the street, Daisy would
speak to him. A raw wind swept through
Chelsea park. You wouldn't think it was
April. But Matt sat on a bench all day.
He was chilled when he went home, at
nightfall. An old tramp a been sit
ting opposite him, with toes sticking out
of broken shoes, no socks. a heavy beard.
filthy clothes. He was still sitting there
when Matt left. Matt kept thinking of
him That's what becomes of you if
you don't pull yourself together
Didn't you have lunch?' Mrs. Kirby
asked. he was naSBarQ ana SllVerlNg.
He shook his head.
You got to eat! I gave you fifty cents
Friday, didn't ~" Suddenly she slid an
arm over his shoulder. 'Matt-darlin'-
what is 1T that's eatin' your heart?
There's somethin', NATL Why can't you
hold on to a job? You're actin all the
time like you was afraid of somethin'.
Is there somethin' you got on your mind,
somethin' bad, somethin' you done, may
be, that you shouldn't have? Tell your
own mother, lad, won't YEP"
II aint-kind of-since I been in the
war, l don't feel SO good"
You ought to be seem a doctor, then,
I'm thinkin', If you health amt goodi'
Il just amt got no pep"
He was sick
We'll, I'll be sendin' you to a DOCTOR
said his mother, "if you're not gettin
better But maybe you're Just let
tin yourself go on the bum. There dom
seem to be anythin' real the matter with
yel-I'm thinkin' it's all a bluff, n you
not wantin' to work! Well, here's pota-
tiers, now. You got to lave q bit of some.
thin warm, even If it's entirely useless
you are!"
She hadn't heard of nerves. 1t wa:
people whose washing she took in wht
had the nerves.
The food seemed to stick in Matt.
throat. He had no right to it. His mothel
shaved to buy it. He went to bed, tx
dream about Freddie Hines, who hae
beaten him, of Wilhelm Schmurbraden
who had beaten him, Of Top Sergean'
Crowder, who had nearly killed him. O
No-man's land, and fever, and trencne.
under a red spray of shells and blood
Nevertheless he was up at seven. He wa
going to find a Job. 1t would be bette
than going to a doctor.
uo xrta n..xra-tN~ ~ aJuA.%s-N-@1~ -
with an address on Sixth avenue. AS h
drew near the place, wondering If h
would do as a grocery clerk, he saw
dimly familiar faces It had q longisi
nose, a jutting chin, and eyes somehov
humorous. 1t topped a lanky body. II
remembered. 1t was Sergeant Quinn. II
didn't want to see the SERGEANT, wh'
looked brisk and successful. Quinn
would ask him what he was doing
But Quinn had caught sight of him, wa
making toward him, wide mouth grin
ming, land pushed out. Best friend h
had had in the army.
Matt Kirbyl And how's the world beer
treatin' your"
There was a brief exchange of expert
ences. Quinn was selling a brand o
salt, had been out to Chicago only las
week. Matt made as much as he coul,
OF the jobs he had held, but Quinn
eyes told him they saw his failure.
Kind of not settled down yet, Matt
1t takes some of the boys a long time t
settle down" Tones full of excuse TO
Matt, of pity. Say Matt, listen, I got
piece of news for you. About your sec
ond fight with Crowder."
Il guess / don want to hear abou
that"
Well, you'll want to hear about this
I saw how hat fight kind f put you OF
the bum"
"On the bum is right Matt sal
hoarsely.
1t was the first time he had made sue
an admission to any one.
You recall that little squealer we hai
. in the company" Quinn went on. "Da,
Ward was his name. Teller who erie
every time we went over the top? Re
member how he licked Crowder's boots
Well, Matt, later on, he told me
Well, what do you think he told me?"
II don't feel like no guessin' games,
Matt growled.
He told me that Crowder had slippe,
some dope into your grub that day Q
the fight. Remember, he brought 70
why he was so kind as to bring it him
self, SO he could dope 1t up. Ward SAY
him do 1t, u he was afraid of the to
sergeant like he was afraid of a bayone
l n his gizzard. So Ward didn't say any
thing, the little, yeller curl And afte
Crowder left us, Ward was afraid to tel
! you.
That's how Crowder came to knoc
you out, Matt. 1t wasn't because yol
were bad, u you always said you wa
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