Adventure Magazine Cover — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

The Weak Spot shortly, rising for a final rub-down from his handlers. Ward said nothing more. During the past couple of weeks he had learned to respect McCrady’s mood. From the first day of training McCrady had little to say, and as the days wore on he grew more and more reticent. And also as the-days passed that miserable, depressed look on his face deepened. Ward had a pretty fair idea of what had been going on inside his principal’s head during the thirty days of training, and at first he despaired of getting McCrady in shape for his fight. In desperation he one day telephoned Kitty McCrady at her father’s home to see if he could not affect a reconciliation, but when she learned who he was and what he wanted she quickly cut him off. -He and his two assistants therefore worked like Trojans to neutralize the effects of McCrady’s incessant brood- ing. But it was not so much what Ward and his assistants had done for McCrady as what McCrady had done for himself that finally put him in condition for his fight. During every minute of training a powerful stimulator had been at work. It was the recollection of that. evening at the Calumet Club. A hundred times during training Mc- Crady had visualized himself ripping and tearing and cutting Tommy Lynn to pieces. His every thought and act had been directed to the one end of making himself fit to exact vengeance. His first move had been to get a month’s leave of absence from his work. His next to engage Chick Ward as his manager and principal sparring partner and move into training quarters at the Calumet Club, the directors obligingly turning over to him the second floor of the club-house for that purpose. Perhaps it might seem that to engage Chick Ward as his manager and trainer McCrady was playing into the hands of the enemy. But recently Ward had been a member of the other camp, and it was possible that Trimble’s plot embraced more than had occurred at the Calumet Club | that evening. Opposed to this idea, however, it must be remembered that Ward would be-a valuable acquisition to the McCrady camp because of-the fact that Ward knew more 127 about the fighting tactics of Tommy Lynn than any other man, having had not a little to do with training Lynn. It was vastly to McCrady’s advantage to have for his principal sparring partner the man who had trained his opponent. Moreover, at the time Ward was the only competent trainer available. During the first week or so of training, therefore, McCrady kept a watchful eye upon Ward. But Chick Ward showed in many ways that he was sincere in his efforts to.put his principal in shape to beat Lynn. He taught McCrady several cun- ning little tricks of Lynn’s that he would have to guard against, tricks that out- raged the rules of decent fighting. McCrady was soon satisfied of Ward’s loyalty and the training went on harmoni- ously. Two hours every forenoon were given to general muscle building exercises and two hours in the afternoon to sparring and shadow boxing. Early mornings and late afternoons were devoted to road work, and generally McCrady had a contingent from the Calumet Club to accompany him on the eight-mile run to Bald Knob and return. His excess weight dissolved quickly and the day of the fight he tipped the scales at one hundred and thirty-one pounds. He had taken off a little more than eleven pounds without in the least weakening himself. Ward marvelled at the way he rounded into form in such a brief time. Lynn had trained at a farm some miles back of Riverton and the rival camp knew nothing about him except what came to them as rumors. But these rumors in- dicated that McCrady had his work cut out for him. THE final rubbing-down -finished, McCrady slipped into his green silk ~ trunks and put on his socks and shoes. He was a splendid physical speci- men. Strength and energy fairly radiated from him, and when he moved the spring- steel muscles came into play under the skin like so many squirming snakes. Ingepose the muscles disappeared and left his limbs smooth, round columns that were deceptive to the eye. He was indeed as “fine as silk.”’ A bell on the wall rang and the two han- dlers caught up various paraphernalia and hurried out. While Ward and McCrady EOMMIGLOOKS (E@)