12 Sports Aces, January 1943 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

14 any of us get. Nobody here wants to listen to you.” “I’m no dope,” Angel snapped back. “I Was smart enough to get mine, but you guys are outa luck. But it’s not too late to smarten up and get what’s coming to you—plus. Put the pressure on Rock to sell the club. Then collect the gravy.” | Happy Holliday was wrong about them not wanting to listen to Angel. Happy started to blurt out a retort but Nails Hearne cut him short. “Wait a minute, Happy,” Nails said. “It isn’t asking Rock too much to seH instead of forfeiting the franchise. All of us got a future and families to think about.” Sweeney stood up. “You guys will ex- cuse me. I don’t like the smell around here, and it isn’t the liniment, either.” “Shut up, rook,” Angel Toland growled. “You got no mouth around here. That door you go out swings one way for you.” DOOR that led from Rock Gurn- sey’s office opened. Rock walked to the middle of the room. His jaw was set, his glance direct. But his face was white and taut. He spoke and his voice shook a little. “The Raiders will be sold,” he said. “You won’t have to put any pressure on me. I give you my word—if that means anything to you—that I’ll accept the first offer I receive.” He turned, walked out, and Sweeney felt a lump thicken in his throat. He had never seen such a hurt, stricken look in a man’s face as he had seen in Rock’s. Sweeney wanted to clear out. He wanted to get the taste of the double-cross the Raiders had dealt Rock out of his mouth. Sweeney went outside, and he wondered how it would be taking orders from Bo Madden and Angel. Across the street from the hoekey rink, Sweeney stepped into a coffee pot restaurant, He was sit- ting there, mullmg the whole nasty sit- uation over in his mind and sipping his’ eoffee when Buzzy Barnes came in, slid up on the stool next to Sweeney. “They won't get away with it,” Buzzy said grimly, “Rock will keep the team. Just you wait and see.” 12 SPORTS ACES 3 +00 BerB re Bee Gee Ger Oro Geo Borer Per Gor Gor G11 Ber Orr Gs Gre Gor Grr eeG eee Gor Gs Bre Der Por Gs Gre GHor Grr Gee Por Oro Pro Gs Qor Geo Por Ger Gre Gos Gre Gor Bor GerGerGerhee o “Who won’t get away with what, Buzzy ?” “Toland and Bo Madden and the oth- ers,” Buzzy said. “They only think they’ve got Rock sewed up. But you saved the day for him.” Sweeney was flatly puzzled. “How do you figure that, palsy?” Buzzy shook his head, laughed a little, “Never mind. But I got good eyes and I hear good. It’s just being in the right places at the right time that counts.” Sweeney saw that he was wasting his time trying to draw the guy out. Buzzy was on the slappy side anyway, and what he said couldn’t be taken seriously. “TI hope you’re right,” Sweeney said. “But it’s a tough situation to crack.” A sudden thought came to Sweeney. He looked at Buzzy, then: “You don’t care much for Toland, huh, Buzzy?” The hard, cold light that glittered in Buzzy’s eyes was its own answer. “Toland did this to me,” he said, tapping his fore- finger against his head. “There used to be cobwebs in my head all the time. But Rock looks after me good. I’m getting better. But I’ve got no chance against Tol- and—now. But I can wait. You got the stuff to push Toland outa the picture. So had a couple of other guys. But Toland put his jinx on them just like he did on me.” “Tell me,” Sweeney said, “how come Toland acts the way he does.” ' Again Buzzy shook his head, shifted to another tack. “You wanna get those ribs looked after,” he said in his halting voice. “T think you cracked a eouple of them.” Sweeney’s brows shot up. A question poised on his lips, but Buzzy’s grin wiped it away. Sweeney was convinced that Buz- zy did get around. Buzzy wasn’t as looney as he was generally thought to be. The following evening the news broke. Sweeney picked up a late edition, turned to the sports pages and the headlines hit him in the face. They read: Connie Leonard Buys Raiders. Society Heiress Startles Park Avenue and Hockey World. Rock Gurnsey Retained in Manage- rial Role. Raiders Make Debut under New Setup Against Bears Tomorrow Night. Comichbook (S@