Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

-A WALLOP ‘Old Dame Fortune had tipped the Kid a great hand all right, but with the same motion she had dealt me a sock right where the baby wears the beads. been tryin’ to find a real fighter and get him a fight that meant money, and now that Vd got the combination my fighter be- comes a millionaire and gives me the air. Well, you know what dough will do to a guy. The Kid had always been easy to handle, but it was a different proposish now. I stayed there almost the rest of the night arguin’ with him, but it wasn’t no use. He said he was a gentleman now, didn’t want to fight, didn’t have to, and wasn’t goin’ to. Next day I took up where I left off antl used up all the language I knew trying to get the Kid to go through with the fight, but I might as well have been talkin’ to this here King Tut. The Kid wouldn’t even talk about such a common thing as prize fightin’ and the interview ended when he left for his tailor’s. Laugh that one off! I spent the rest of the day wonderin’ what to do, then beats it over to Red’s office. Red had three thousand up on the Kid, and I wanted to tip him off so he could hedge his bet. But he said before he’d do that he’d like to take a crack at the Kid himself, so we both goes back to the hotel. | = The Kid was in the dinin’ room, but we busted right in and sat down at his table. He was keepin’ three waiters busy and he had a line-up of dazzlin’ dishes in front of him that would have croaked a coupla goats. Red didn’t waste no time. “What’s this stuff about you not goin’ through with the fight?” he says. The Kid was so busy inhalin’ the fancy food that he couldn’t speak right away. He keeps up the eatin’ business for a coupla minutes, then he turns and seems to notice us for the first time. “ Just this,” he tells Red. “I ain’t in the fightin’ game no more, and I ain’t gonna fight Dolan or nobody else.” “But you can’t quit this way,” says Red. ‘ Everything’s all set—you got to go through.” “T ain’t got to do nothing,” says the 10 A All my life Vd BY WIRE. Kid. ‘TI got lots of dough now, and ’m all through with prize fights—and guys what runs ’em.” And he gives us both a nice mean look. Then Red cuts loose and told him what he thought of him and of his layin’ down this way. When he was all through, the Kid sorta shook his head like he agreed. “Yes,” he said, “ this fill it of soul is sreat stuff.” Red was so sore he got up and walked out. I was right behind him. “ Well,” I says, “I better beat it over to the Garden and tell ’em the Kid won’t go on.” “Don’t do it,” says Red. “ They ain’t counted ten over me yet. I’ll make that bozo fight or know the reason why.” “ But it can’t be done,” I said. “TI better go spill the story and get it over with.” “Lay off and leave it to me,” says Red. Now Red was a wise old bird. I knew from experience that he was there in a pinch, but there wasn’t nothin’ he could do ‘in this case. However, I didn’t know what to do, so I didn’t do nothin’. Next day was the day of the fight, and I woke up feelin’ like a guy that’s just about to be sent up for life. I was way up in the air and didn’t know how to come down. Nobody but me and Red knew that the Kid wasn’t goin’ to fight, and Red wouldn’t let me put ’em wise. ure what was goin’ to happen to me when it was time for the Kid to step into the ring. I had sat up so late wonderin’ what to do that it was almost noon when I got up. I figured I’d better beat it over to the Kid’s hotel and make one more try to get him to go through. But when I asked for him at the desk, what do you think the clerk said? “Mr. Kennedy left word that he was not to be disturbed, sir.” | Twelve o’clock and the poor boob still sleeping. I decided to hang around and wait for him. It was two thirty before he Astorbilt must have picked out for him, spats, cane—the whole works—and i ‘must say he looked nifty. I could fig- - Doo com eS (e(6) NO) 625 came down. He had on a suit that Reggie _