Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

154 never been west of the Hudson River started calling it, and take a vacation in the East where you can play golf on the grass in- stead of through Russian thistles and where you can keep both eyes on the ball instead of on a lookout for rattlers. I didn’t get back to the Pass City until the middle of the winter. _ The first thing that caught my eye when I landed was a life size sign on the bill- board over by the station announcing that “Knockout ” Brown, Philadelphia light- weight, was going to meet Battling Tim Mulligan, of Denver, in the main event of a card to be staged at Liberty Hall that night under the direction of Ed Alwards, local promoter. As my taxi flew past I almost ruined my nose against the back window, trying to read the rest of the advertisement. “Who’s the chief of police here now?” I asked the driver. ‘“ Billy Smith; he’s been chief here for an age—and you can take it from me, he’s some popular boy! Lately he’s been put- ting this burg on the prize fight map, I’m tellin’ you.” “ But—I—I Heder he was against box- ing?” I remonstrated. “What! Chief Billy Smith against box- in’? Lord, no! If guess he did use to be at that, but he’s makin’ ’em put ’em on right now; best boys in the country is showin’ here this winter.” Before I could digest this information, I reached my hotel, where I bought a news- paper and turned to the sport page. There was a flag line across the top of the page announcing the scrap and a two- column interview with Chief of Police Billy Smith, who claimed the event promised to be the snappiest twelve round bout ever staged in the Southwest! I rushed across the international bridge and got a drink—just to make sure I was in the right town—and then streaked over to the City Hall and located the chief in his private office. “Well, I see you’ve got another prize fight booked here, chief,” I said. “ To- night, isn’t it?” “ Yea—and take it from me, Four Eyes, she’s going to be a pip. I’ve been watching ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. them pretty close, and this Knockout Brown is faster’n streaked lightning, but I tell you he really hasn’t got a wallop, any one can tell that by giving him the once over. But he'll outpoint Tim Mulligan a mile—that is, of course, if Tim doesn’t knock him for a goal; that boy can sure hit! “We just weighed ’em in,” he spouted on. “ You see, I’m head of the new city boxing commission, an’ we watched ’em weigh in and take their physical exams. Doc Foster says every boy on the card is in the pink of condition.” ““ So—ah—you haven’t been able to keep ‘em out of town—eh? I started kidding him. ‘“ Keep ’em out of town! What ’d I want to keep ’em out of town for? I tell you, Four Eyes, we’re putting this old burg on the sport map. We’ve got boxers coming here from all parts of the country.” ‘But I thought you considered them a bad element to have in the town?” “Bad element, hell!” the chief exploded. “You can’t come in here and fill me with stuff like that! I know these birds.” “V’ve known them for twenty years, but you’d never let me get you acquainted,” I shot back. “‘W hat how did you happen to get wise to yourself?” “You remember Ol’ Murph and Calamity Al, don’t your?” ““‘Yea—I remember when I left here you were making the Pass City hot for boxers and had both of ’em in jail.” “Poor devils!” the chief exclaimed. “You hadn’t been out of town a week be- fore Ol’ Murph got a letter from his wife. “He hadn’t had it a minute before he wanted to talk to me, and I had the sergeant bring him up. My two kids were here when he came; they were teasing for some- thing—say, you wouldn’t know Ellen, the way she’s grown up. I can’t imagine she’s eighteen, but—well, Ol? Murph came in and fidgeted around a minute and then handed me the letter. “That poor little crippled kid of his was dying, and not knowing Murph was in jail, his wife was wanting him to come home. ‘““* What do you want me to do about it?’ IT asked Murph. oO COMmiclhooOokKs (C@