Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

750 their corners at the finish of the second round. The third was as great an exhibition of defensive fighting as ever was seen. Dooley was in and out with every trick of the game. When the rushes of Cohen forced him into ‘A corner or against the ropes, and every man in the place was reconciled to the fm- ish, Socker would -slip through the ropes and the referee. was forced to separate the men. Thus Socker would dance free to go on with his hopeless battle against time. ‘Cut the comedy, Dooley,” the referee warned repeatedly. ‘Stand up to-it and fight.” | Through it all the half smile never left. the face of the veteran. He was playing a game against chance and meant to play it with all the skill he knew. No man ever could say that he quit. If Cohen was to get him at all it would be after Socker had exhausted everything that he knew about the game, and Cohen would have to put him down so hard that he couldn’t get up! By the fifth round Socker was exhausted. His breath came in gasps that seemed torn from the very depths of his outraged lungs, his: knees trembled under the ravages of exhaustion, and his stomach became nau- seated. Still the grin adorned the scarred features. It was part of the game to go down smiling, the only part left to Socker, and he proposed to pay the piper his full due. ~Many times he stung Cohen with-his left hand, and the younger man became enraged at the manner Socker’ used to slip out of harm’s way. If he wasn’t out, he was in, and when he was in no one on earth could get at him with a real sock. The referee spent half his’ time in yanking them apart, and the other_half in warning Socker to de- sist holding in clinches. But even money can fade by comparison with the sentiments of a stressed moment of battle. Socker’s whole mind concen- trated upon staying the limit of the fight. There were the pals back there in the fringe who were “ pulling for him.” There was even the chance of future bouts to consider—preliminaries where he might get small purses as a “trial horse.” So he can’t pull this old stuff on me, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. struggled on. Very seldom did he land a blow; his work was all defensive. At the opening of the sixth round, the referee called a halt in the fight long enough to warn Socker openly that unless he loosened up and fought he would be or- dered out of the ring. “ Be reasonable, 7 wheezed Socker. ~~“ Can’t yuh give a guy uh chanst?’ De crowd ain’t yellin’ too bad, is ut? What de hell d’yuh expect?” “ Fight,” snarled the referee. “ You T been around. too long!” “Give a guy—” began Socker. ‘Shut up and fight, or out you go!” in- terrupted the third man. “ I ain’t no sucker for down and out pugs!” | It was getting perilously close to one thing or the other for Socker. Either he took Cohen’s wallop or he pretended to, and to do the latter was to hate himself for the rest of his life. Socker was built just that way. In desperation he cast about the © depths of his throbbing mind for some for- gotten trick that might serve as a panacea for the occasion. The last words of the referee rang in his-ears.: “T ain’t no sucker for down an’ out pugs!” What a message that was Yor a man tottering on his last legs! Socker slid again into a clinch. Cohen appealed to the refree that he was “ handcuffed ” once more. The official jammed -his hands be- tween the chests of the two men and pried with all his strength. Socker clung, but a new light was in his eyes. Like Cohen’s manager, he had an idea, and showed it. ‘The referee yanked his left arm free and pushed Cohen’s shoulder to “ break ” the men. He knew that his right was still im- wisoned between the fighters, but was not aware of the fact that Socker was entirely to blame. for that. When he had ‘succéed- ed in turning Cohen enough to give atten- tion to getting his right arm out, he gave a mighty yank. At precisely the correct mo- ment Socker released the arm. The inevitable result was that the elbow of the referee flew upward with a mighty thud against the chewing furniture of Co- hen. Like a flash Socker was out and around the official, whose left hand was ca- CO Connicloool