Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

748 Upon being .told, he turned to Socker. ‘“ Dooley, I didn’t think you carried enough of the old ‘ sock’ to do it!” It was meant as a tribute, but it carried a sting. _ Socker showed the sting in his response. “Tf dat chinless monster you manage had even see de punch, he’d uh fainted!” he snapped. “You mean Cohen?” “Well, yuh ain't managin’ Dempsey, are Now, most people who hear fight man- agers talk become convinced at once that they never have an idea. This is wrong. Cohen’s manager got one on the spur of that fateful moment. I am willing to concede that the thing was unusual, as was easily seen by the fact that his eyes bulged, his cheeks puffed, words came haltingly. He Jooked and acted like a traffic cop who has balled up his. signals and cannot readily light upon some one’to blame for it. But he really had the idea and the sense not to waste time trying to explain it need-— lessly. He grabbed the promoter. by .the arm and led him into a corner. After a brief moment of expostulation théy called Socker Dooley into the conference. Witnesses saw the old light again flare into Socker’s eyes; they saw him nod his head vigorously and dart to the side of Dink Murphy. His-ac- tions there. convinced them that the as- tounding was about to happen. Even be- fore the announcement was made from the ring, they knew that Socker was to take ‘the place of Murphy and that Cohen’s man- ager had talked. a purse out of a situation that a moment before seemed hopeless. ..’ Don’t think that Socker lacked friendly advice; that willing hands were not ready to, perform almost forgotten duties. : The whole fringe was about. to see force of cir- cumstance defeat the centrifugal push which had made them has-beens. If ‘Socker happened to make good, every one of them .would spend the next day talking ‘about a come-back. They wrapped his hands, the put Dink Murphy’s shoes on his feet, piled his worn clothes on the table, and helped him into the flaring green tights that had adorned ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Dink. Then, with a flourish and a mut- tered word of encouragement, they threw the bathrobe about his shoulders and start- ed him on the walk back to the center of things. And you should have seen the look in the eyes of him as he swung through the | fringe! ! Any fight is better than no fight on fight — night, and the fans were vociferous in their greeting of the knight of a day long gone. Socker . felt himself impelled to do his ut- most © by the cheers that his appearance brought. What an ineffable joy it was to kick the little stool in ‘his corner into a different- if no better place! And there never was a sensation to equal the thrill that came from rubbing his—or Dink’s— ‘shoes. in the resin. The referee called them to the center of the ring. His words were ‘music to the ears of the veteran; music he had thought never again to hear and all the sweeter therefore. “ Hit with one arm. free,” the referee was saying, “ but break clean at the word. And remember this ain’t a parade, and you are getting paid for a fight, not a dance!” They returned to their corners. Some one pulled the robe from the shoulders of Socker. He -looked .over the heads of the ringsiders, the two dollar gents, ’way back to the fifty centers, then past them to the very fringe whence he had come. A flicker of a smile played over his battered face; for him the hand of fate had turned. Two hundred dollars was his end as a loser. He hadn’t even figured out what the winner’s end was. The bell rang, and he whirled as of old: to meet. the man from “‘ across the canvas.’ There were kinks in Socker’s élbows, quiv- _erings in‘ his knees, and his knuckles had turned to ‘‘ chalk,” but there was nothing ~ lacking. in the head that would direct the - superannuated physical machine. | Cohen was across the ring like an infu- riated bull. He -wanted to get Dooley be- fore the latter was out of his chair-.and upset any battle plan the latter might have formulated. What he failed:to realize was that Socker Dooley was in there for one purpose only—two hundred dollars. He was (C©) (C NOOK CO ae