Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

SOCKER DOOLEY LEAVES THE FRINGE. perfectly willing to take a beating to get it, but had no intention of taking it any sooner than necessary. With a grin of experience he sidestepped the rush and let Cohen crash ‘Into the ropes. Incidentally Socker stuck a snappy right onto the younger man’s ear ‘and grinned broader than ever at the rous- ing yells that came from the crowd. ‘‘ Better learn somethin’ about dis game, kid,” he chuckled audibly. Cohen let prudence replace valor in his attack. He sparred a moment, then led with his left. Socker took the punch on the _ shoulder and countered with a right that hurt. | . Again came the grin, also the yells of approval and encouragement. Cohen took it upon himself to indulge in a little repar- tee by way of showing the contempt in which he held his aged opponent. “‘ Ain’t you surprised ter git in here—an old guy like you?” ‘‘ Damned if I ain’t,” agreed Socker ge- nially. “ Only after dat wallop comin’ back ter me like dat yuh can’t blame ’em for wantin’? me!” . | ‘“T ain’t felt no wallop yet.” “JT ain’t sent none—yet. I wouldn’t ‘uh hit a,kid like Murphy if I wasn’t sore. It’s too bad; w’en dey picked him up dey found de wallop on de chin shook him so it busted his shoestrings.” ‘“ Huh,” grunted Cohen. “Come on there,” admonished the referee; ‘‘ this ain’t a debate!” But before the warning could produce results the bell rang, and “the veterail had won the first round on points. Came a session of violent towel swinging, a general drenching of the ringsiders by the enthu- Siastic “seconds” who deem it their especial privilege to desecrate. all the prerogatives of a water bucket, and endless words of counsel. In the minute of rest Socker saw a police officer approach the side of the ring. When the bell rang he called Cohen’s attention to the fact and assured him, during the first clinch, that more complete returns had shown that most of Murphy’s hair had fall- en out as a result of the blow Socker had so thoughtlessly delivered and that there was little hope that his neck was not broken. following the impact; through his forearm. He watched Cohen Dooley. 749 This accounted for the presence of the po- lice. They were there to see that Socker did not escape. Z “Can de chatter, ” “ Come in an’ fight— And right there Socker knew that he had accomplished the thing he had been after. growled Cohen. _ There was a relaxing of vigilance on the part of Cohen. An enlarged sense of se- curity born in the ‘intentionally light blows Socker had delivered and the willingness of the veteran to “ talk it out,” thus avoid- ing fast and hard fighting. Socker knew more about the game in one minute than Cohen ever was destined to imagine. With -a quick shift and a feint with his left hand Socker started the right that had made him famous, It wasn’t a swing, not even a hook. It was a blow that traveled straight from the shoulder. It slid inside the left arm which Cohen hastily threw up. as a guard, and the clenched glove thudded against the youngster’s jaw. | “ Follow ’im up!” bellowed Socker’s sec- onds. “ Keep after *im—you got ’im!” And there wouldn’t have been the slightest doubt of it in the old days. The blow had spun Cohen halfway across the ring; his eyes were glazed as he straightened totter- ingly. But Socker failed to-follow. Not _aman there knew how much more that blow had hurt Socker than it had Cohen. The knuckles of his right hand refused to move dull pains leaped take the blow and keep up. The referee could have told you that Cohen’s ability to take that punch and stay up did more to beat Dooley than ten punches would have. It meant for Doolev that his whole campaign had hinged upon the trickery that would get that punch over. Everything had been successful but the punch. Now the veteran was faced with the problem of going eight more rounds with his right hand a mere jumble of bat- tered knuckles. Cohen returned to the fray with a bitter rally that sent more than one agonizing blow against the aged frame of Socker It was just a question of how long the old timer could stave off the rushes of youth when the two men took cCOmiclbooks