Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

whe getting in the way of one of those terrific swings and slid under it, going into a clinch. While the two leaned fondly upon each other, he whispered in Marty’s ear: “Slow up, you fool! This is a finish fight!” “You bet, an’ I know it!” muttered Marty grimly, as he shook himself free. The audience thought the two were ex- changing compliments and yelled its ap- proval. They fairly screamed with glee as Marty, once free, settled himself and launched another fearful attack. So sud- denly did he do this that Abe, caught un- awares, had barely time to hunch a shoulder and take the buffet on that and the top of his head. It ruffled his hair, and when his face reappeared it was flushed and angry. Marty gave him no rest. He ran wildly in, thrashing out with right and left. Abe, with caution startled out of him, tried to run into another clinch and got a blow fair in the side, though so high that it did no real damage except to jar him. It swung him around, however, and Marty was quick to seize his advantage. He leaped in, swinging, and rushed Abe, who covered up as best he could, right across the ring, smashing away tirelessly. The ropes stopped the retreat, and Abe shifted his feet for a glide out of danger. But he had let Marty come too close, and instead of slipping past the flying fists he walked square into a right-hand jolt which connected solidly with his ear. . The shrieking crowd went mad as the welterweight champion toppled to the floor under the blow of the great Murdering Marty. Abe raised himself on an elbow and look- ed at McGuire as the referee rushed to his side and, with one hand holding back the lightweight, tolled off the seconds. “One—two—three,” he counted slowly, and the bell rang. Certainly Abe was not much hurt. He leaped at once to his feet, smiled disdain- fully at the crowd and sat down, exchanging a laughing and confident remark with one of his seconds. But the audience thought that it was all over. Men leaped to their feet and offered to bet round dollars against plugged cents on McGuire. Across the ring Marty glow- ered, while Crabbe remonstrated with him. The champion shook his head sullenly to all his manager had to say, and the latter turn- Adventure ed away, directing a look at Abe and shrug- ging his shoulders. The Hebrew frowned as he noticed this. The third round was to be for blood. Not one had a doubt of this. Bets were freely made that the affair would be over in ten rounds or less. But, to everybody’s sur- prise, it was Abe who rushed from his chair at the bell and hastened to the clash, while Marty rather hung back and proceeded with caution. It may have been well that he did, for Abe swept down on him, skilful and dan- gerous. ‘There were to be no more light blows struck while going away. Instead, he danced into range, poised, while McGuire crouched, swung his fist back and forth a few times as though measuring the length of its reach, and then jabbed swiftly and viciously. The blow landed flush on Marty’s jaw and rocked his head backward. He broke ground, straightening partially and wiping the air with a futile, awkward swing which was blocked a foot from Abe’s head. The counter flashed at once and reached Marty’s body, driving him further backward. He went on until the ropes stopped him in his turn. But he evidently knew little about how to avoid the danger. All he could do was to lower his head and rush frantically at his antagonist. Abe slid gracefully around the catapult rush, and uppercut viciously at the stooped face that went past him. Marty turned and rushed again, groping with his arms, getting another straight and stinging left in the face as Bernstein stooped into the clinch. The referee rushed between them, and Abe smiled unpleasantly as he stepped back. The crowd was silent, astonished that their idol should have so suddenly been made to look like an amateur. There were no more offers of bets. the round was over Abe walked lightly back to his place while McGuire shuffled sullenly to his own. : In the fourth round and in the fifth the affair took the same course. Now and then a wild swing of the lightweight found a mark and jarred the Hebrew, but never seriously enough to place him in jeopardy, while his own wicked jabs were mercilessly cutting the champion to ribbons. The lat- ter plodded on grimly, taking his punish- ment and boring in for more, but he seem- CoOMmichoooks When © (©