12 Sports Aces, May 1943 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

DATE WITH THE CANVAS 89 SS De Be eee ND GAD Dor dr B= De Dende Rend Ped dabonhe RDB Pere gee Genet Bees Doerr Bs PrP O- Sr othenben ban Deeer fords Se Ber BenBondes f “I'm getting fmto the army,” said Jim. “And I’m not taking a dive for Statterty. I'm going in to win. But I was thinking im case I should lose, that five hundred covers me. Ruth Ann and the kids will need it. I’ve got to have it.” Jimmy walked eut before Buddy could answer him. Didn’t Jimmy realize he was playing both ends and that the gambling fraternity brooked no double-crosses, if that was what Jimmy really intended? Buddy was atill troubled by it when he went down to the gym. He went aione, for Jimmy hadnt yet begun serious work for his fight with Slatterty. Buddy was aurprised to find Stillman’s smaiier than Los Angeles’ Manhattan Gym. You looked eut windows and you saw tenements and wash on lines. The gym had a lunch coun- ter at one end, which was different, and an upstairs where there were heavy bags and mats. He met Mose Ryan, his manager. Ryan had preceded him to New York and got- ten him the Coney Island go. Ryan was a busy little man with a balleon waist- line. Shiny, a chocolate-coated article, also from the Ceast, acted aa trainer and bucket-boy for Moe’s menage. It made Buddy feel better just to see them. Shiny made his white teeth grin. “Y’all look kinder tired, Buddy. Like y’all been Hitting’ the big town up hard.” “it was the bus trip,” Ryan decided. “A trip like that's enough to wear the seat of an elephant.” Buddy decked out in his togs and start- eto work. About fifty others of the muf- fin-eared boys were already putting gin- ger in it. Buddy ended a round of rope- skipping with 4 cross-over turn, when he heard someone speak his name. __He turned and there was a small group standing near the side gallery. Gym fans. Buddy said, “Did I hear somebody say Jenkins?” “Yeah,” said a dapper fellow with ar after-shave look to his face. “We wae just talking about that palooka Jimmy Jen- kins.” “Jimmy Jenkins,” said another with a a laugh. “Jimmy the peach-fuzz boy.” Buddy felt blood run hot through him. A third fam said, “Jenkins always was a jerk. How'd they ever make a match like that? Tom Slatterty could lick him with tebacco juice. Just spit on him.” “It’s ruinin’ the fight game, that‘s what it is. But is Slatterty a fool? Is he gonna fight anybody but chop-meat when he’s in line for the title?” Buddy put in his chips then. He said, ‘Jimmy Jenkins is gonna take Slatterty apart. He’s gonna make little nee out of him!” “Who, phony Jenkins?” Buddy’s bandage - wrapped hand grabbed the man who said that. “Jim- my Jenkins ia my brother, see,” he ground out. “And don’t you be calling him names!” The man backed away, but the fresh- shaved fellow interceded. “Look, Cap,” he said, “this ain’t sentiment stuff we're talkin’. We’re talkin’ who's going to win the Jenkins-Slatterty tangle..When you got to lay & on the line, it’s something else again. It ain’t no relatives or broth- ers enterin’ into it, get it?” “Maybe he does want to lay it on the line,” said the man Buddy had grabbed. “Tf that’s what you mean, put up or shut up. I’ll put my cash on Slatterty. At one to three.” ~ Buddy said, “I got two hundred that'll do my talking for me.” Buddy knew he didn% have the money —yet. He wouldn’t have it until after his fight with Wyatt, But the fans crowding around worked it fast. They cafled over a hard-leoking proposition named Hollis. Hollis had Buddy put his name om am I, 0. U. He said it would be perfectly all right to wait a few days for the money, Later, when it came his turn for a couple rounds of sparring, Buddy feit dizzy. Shiny said, “Whassa matter? Y'all look kinder sick.” And Moe put in, “Maybe he better not box today. Maybe he ought to take K easy. Huh, Buddy?” EPTEMBER nights can get pretty cool around New York Buddy's fight with Al Wyatt was the ijast ouwt- door card of the season. Buddy had left behind him a week of indifferent training. com (a) IOOKS (EO)