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Show rr I Garritys Champion l bv & vanii "j Ki- ( ! RTIX GARRITT flood in front p'f Tim Shaushnessy's place, of business and watched the .driver of the brewery wagon maneuver-i maneuver-i ins that unwieldy vehicle Into Proper position for the discharge of Ht T'ne street was narrow and j i and the cobblestones were slip-: slip-: ther driver might have cursed 1 ,nned the horses. The blond slant '; ,e high seat did neither, speaking '. and then In a soothing tone, and ir'(C the team with rare patience and '.'lall amount of skill. en at last the hind wheels of the raped against the curb, the big - wun? dwn from tlla seat w,th a s g-aceful movement of his powerful " ar.d nonchalantly began discharging He JugsM the heavy barrels as r ifan micht have handled soap : ! and Martin Garrity. whose busi-' busi-' had made him something of an au-" au-" v on the human animal, looked on "'interest and appreciation. ro'lv'" he thought, "but there's a i of "a man for you, Martin! He tf them barrels as if they were ' 'tn'W completed, the young Hercules ' out of Shaughnessy's place and, : Ine upon the sidewalk, stretched '; i' jiy He did not know it at the ' and lie never knew it afterward, t was that spreading abroad of his -ful arms that chan?ed the whole ..(.xlon of nls career. Had the driver ,' e ' lyvwerv wagon been gifted with "'"d-"isht, the chances are that he " i have' scrambled upon the wagon r'ven atvav as rapidly as possible. ' 'ritv at the edge of the sidewalk. ! In the picture at a glance six feet -fiches of bone, muscle and sinew; "sloping shoulders, and. under the s'i a tremendous chest outlined. ', ar(j ieep, and. as Garrity afterward fjj'id "as thick through as a barrel." arm' was bare to the elbow, arid ctji noted with a pleasurable thrill u'j'ng muscles of the forearm. Then -1nt raised his arms, crooked them "vi'jn'iv toward his shoulders, and t tli'm out. f"ll stretch. . l-o-o-a-a-ahl" he grunted . r)v.ers o' mercy!" thought Martin jty. "What a reach! What a fh the unspoken words came the - Idea, and whenever Martin Garrity V an i3ea he did not allow dust to , upon It. He stepped forward at ?-y, hut you're the big lad!" he said 'rf; .fT,r,lv Thi'nnh the tt-atherinff ftlnnm the WTHt-pe TTi "Pwftti Wem "PTainlv vieiVilft smart fella hos to know 'em all. This was a good game to work on a Dutchman, Dutch-man, but it wouldn't do to try in on an Irishman." "And why not?" asked Bud. "An Irishman has got a go;it to bo got the same as anybody else." "Because," said Pete, "an Irishman would have loaded up a scatter-gun with slugs and shot old 'Sad -face' plum off that hearse! A little more of the grape. ! Bud?" (Copyright, 1919. the Bell Syndicate, Inc.) i After three days Bud'McManus made his first report to Oilman. ''This fellow is no boub." said he. "You'll make a mistake if you think so. I saw him poke thai bi sparrin' partner of his in t'ne stomach and double him up like a knife, and he's got a right crop's for the Jaw that would knock a mule off his feet. SeUcr tell Dan to get used to hunching his left shoulder pretty high or this bird w ill cop him on the- Jaw, and the dinge ain't exactly made of iron, you know. You remember how he hollered when McLaughlin Mc-Laughlin nailed him on the point that time? He don't like 'ein any too well, you know, and you oughtn't to take chances." "Then vou think he's dangerous?" "Any guy." said McManuti. "with a kick like this Dutchman is dangerous. And it's a funny thing about him. too, if you taw him loafing around the place you wouldn't take him for a fighter. He's one of those melancholy Dutchmen: give him a week of cloudy weather and there's no te.'lin' what he'd do. Me never laugns. and he ncer talks much, and, when lie's through with ins work, he goes out and sits on the porch alone and looks at ibe scenery. JHe was out there two hours yesierday, and he never opened his mouth oiu-e.'' "Hm-m-iii." said Oilman. "Melancholy, iK he? Well, we'll give him something to be melancholy about!" "All the same," persisted McManus, "you better tell that coon to keep his shoulder up aver his left ear if he. don't want to get his black block tore off. I'm toiling you'." Oilman- sat for ten minutes, fingering his watch charm and smiling to himself. him-self. "When he spoke, it was not of fighters. "Bud," said he, suddenly, "do you remember re-member that awful tall, thin coon who was around here the first day?" "You mean old fcad-lace Sam?" Oilman nodded. "Bud," said he. "I want you to find him and send him down here. I think I've got a job for him." Castles in the Air. The date of the grand elimination contest con-test drew near. Another week and the matter would be decided one way or the other. Martin Garrity was as sanguine of victory as if the long end of the purse had aireadv been paid into his hands. He had heard that Churchill was a wide-open wide-open sort of a fighter, and rumor had not credited the black man with a brass-bound brass-bound jaw. "One wallop. Owgust, my son." Martin would say, "and-, after that, the match with the Big Feller." "And then we go traveling," said August, Au-gust, dreamily. "Vienna and Berlin and Dresden " "Huh!" sairl Garrity. "What's the matter with Cork and Dublin?" "Oh, well," said August, with resignation. resigna-tion. "I suppose we see them. Loo, eh?" "See that!" bragged Martin proudly. "He a in' t worrying about this coon. He a in' t even worrying about fighting the champion. Oh, I tell you, this boy ain't got a nerve in his body!" That evening, just at dusk, August sat alone on the front porch of the cottage, inhaling the fragrance of the roses and drinking In the quiet beauty of the scene. From the dining room at the rear of the house came faint m urnnirs; the camp followers were engaged in their nightly game of crans, but the cries for "Big Dick. the. bartender." and "lighter from Decatur" seemed very far away. August's Au-gust's feet were on the porch railing, but, in reality. August was miles and miles away from anything which savored of fighting and violence. Tn fancy, he was where the blue of the distant mountains moun-tains was beginning to turn purple and the long shadows were creeping over the canyons and ravines. Out of the stillness of the evening there came a creaking, whining sound, a false note in the symphony of the dying dy-ing day. It sharpened to a squeal of protest, pro-test, and August turned his head. Alone the yellow, dusty road came a queer-looking queer-looking vehicle. At first, August thought it was only a heavily loaded wagon, but as it came nearer he made out the lines of a hearse a rusty, black hearse, Its curtains drawn and its shabby plumes jerking stiffly as the creaking wheels jolted in and out of the ruts in the roadway. August was conscious of a sense of resentment. re-sentment. What business had a hearse to be out at this time in the evening, and on this quiet country road? But, to save his life, he could not have taken his eyes off the thing. The somber equipage drew abreast of the house, and then, for the first time, August noticed the driver an immensely tall, cadaverous-looking man in a black frock coat and an old-fashioned stovepipe stove-pipe hat. As "if in answer to August's scrutiny, the tall driver turned his head, and August Au-gust saw. with a vague and unidentified tremor, that the driver was a negro, as black as the hearse upon which he rode and of which he seemed so much a part. Through the gathering gloom the whites of his eyes were plainly visible, and, turning his long neck, the negro continued contin-ued to stare at August until the hearse was fifty feet down the road, the wheels keeping up their constant, whining song. August rose, shook himself, and went into the ' cottage. where he played pinochle with Martin. but, try as he might, he could not efface the haunting memory of the black hearse and the black driver. The next night the same thing happened hap-pened again. Once more the creaking hearse came out of the dusk, and the same negro driver favored August with a long, deliberate stare. That night August, Au-gust, could not keep his mind on the cards. August Grows Melancholy. On the third night August found himself him-self listening lor the first faint whine of the wheels. Another man might have gone inside; but not August Lembach. The thing had taken hold of his imagination, imagi-nation, and he found himself thinking over 'and over again; "What docs it mean ? What does It mean?" That was his first sleepless night. Garrity, Gar-rity, in the next room, heard the giant thrashing abou t in his bed, and aunb-uted aunb-uted it to nervousness. He rose and tiptoed tip-toed to the door. August was sitting by the side of his bed, looking out of the window upon the road. "G' wan back to bed !" said Garrity roughly. "What's the matter with you, anyway ? Are- you worry in about that coon ?" "What coon?" asked August, with an undeniable start. "Why, this Churchill." "No," answered August, honestly, "I wasn't thinking about ium aL all.'' "Well, 1 hen," demanded Garrity, "what's eating you? Are you wurryin' alut anything?" "I don't know. Martin," said August, heavily. "I don' t know. 1 just can't suHiii to get to sleep." - "Aw, forget it ! ' scolded Garrity. "Get back 1:1 the liiiy and go to sk-r-p!" Obediently, August roilrd himself In h.s blarU.U". but sit op would n-t come, and iii t h; morning ho refused to touch h;s breakia.'U. "They're all 1'Ke t'n :s befnre a big fichi," said Martin to the starring partner. part-ner. "I uj.c-J to v, orrv ,r:y n.-ad off toward the erd of my training. But that wns v-hn I'd been ewne i;mn in the game. We'll hae to kid thi3 feller along land keep him cheerful." I "A swell fhniKT !" paid the sparring I partner, moodily. "Ye 'terday he rammed ire w:h that r:-h t hand and loosened three teeth, and all the sucker would say was that he thought I was going to du'-'c it " 'T-a;.-e br." t: id Msrtm, "he's sti!! cot t- wa!i"P. He'll b all right when hs r'.r m the r:ng." T.-:l :he :vt n:eh?. and n10 re.t, the hkiok l.e.irse rnovr-d si'.wiv past the t ra. I'.ii": g f ua ers. a: ,d a. va vs w h "n A ".: -guct W as ;. '.'-. r-n t !: a porch. T'n e teg f fji.fr- ci.-rr 'o-v. n-'-- ihl''i ! .-. r r d w h 11 m h ci;d h? re.;t wns ci ur ik d by creams of a tall, cadaverous negro, whose white eyes bored through and through him like hot gimlets. On the night before the battle there was a pale moon, and at 2 o'clock in the morning, August, lying wide-eyed on his bed, Willi every muscle set and tense, heard a sound which drew him creeping to the window, with cold shivers playing up and down his backbone. Out of the dark to the south came the unmistakable whining of wheels and the soft, muffled thud of shod hoofs. A black shape loomed against the yellow ribbon of the roadway, seemed to hang for an instant motionless, and then moved forward at a snail's pace. Hardly daring to breathe. August watched every detail of the loathed vehicle ve-hicle emerge from the darkness, complete com-plete to the last tattered plume. There, on the box. was the tall negro driver, his upturned face ghastly in the moonlight moon-light and bis white yes fixed steadily upon August's window. August shrank back behind the curtain, but he felt those eyes even in the dark. When he dared to look again, there was the hearse, standing in front of the house, the driver's driv-er's face still upturned to the window. Martin Garrity, asleep in the next room and dreaming of money, leaped out of his bed at the sound of a strangled cry, and an instant later he was shaking August by the shoulder. "For the love of heaven, Owgust. don't take on like tha t. You're w orse than a woman with the hysterics. What's the matter?" It was five minutes before August could tell him, and Martin strode to the window and drew the curtain aside. "Come and look" said the manager sternly. "There's nothing there. A .hearse? T tell you, you dreamed it. j You've had a nightmare, Owgust, that's what ails you." After a time Martin believed that he had convinced August Lembach of the unreality of the nocturnal vision. "Just to think," muttered the manager, man-ager, as he again sought his repose, "to think a big slob like that bavin nerves! And seein things, too. I'll be glad when this fight is over." Garrity's Good Advice. Sledgehammer Garrity sat on a rub-down rub-down table In the dressing room of the fight pavilion. He seemed almost cheerful. cheer-ful. "It's the fight that will divert him," said Martin eagerly. "Y'ou see how much J better he is already. Listen, now, Owgust. : Waste no time with this coon. Go right after him. He's got a jaw like a piecrust. pie-crust. Give him the old one-tw-o: the left to the belly and the right to the jaw. Oh, man, but it's a fine house they have out there!" "That's good," said August. "And don't you want mo to mix this coon?' "Divvle the bit!" said Martin emphatically. emphat-ically. "Hang it on him the first round if you can. Come on, now, we're goin' out. Gather up them buckets and things." August strode down the aisle to the ring w ith the manner and bearing of a ! real champion. After all, here was some- j thing to keep his mind off hearses and i such unpleasant subjects. The crowd j gave him a hearty welcome, for he was the favorite, save in a portion of the gallery set apart for the persons of color. , Churchill, a chunky, coal-black Ethiopian, Ethio-pian, with an Immense mop of woolly hair, was already in his corner. He ; leaped across the ring and showed every tooth in his head as he offered his im- i mense black paw to August. f j "All I says," chuckled Churchill, '"Is may de bes' man" win, white or black!" i "The winner will be white!" snapped ' Martin Garrity. "You bet your spare ' wool on that,- coon." "That." said Churchill, who seemed to be a jovial soul, with a sense of humor, 'is a matteh which we two gen'lenicn am about to deeclrie, an' not with ouah mouths, eitheh !" He pranced back to hi? corner im- ' mensely pleased with himself. "Seem lak to me," he remarked to Pete Gilman, "as if that Dutch boy ain't happy this evenin'. He shook hands all right, but his hand was as cole as a lizard's liz-ard's tail. Pete, you reckon he's nu'vous?" "Shouldn't wonder," said Oilman. "Hurry up and get these gloves on!" Martin Garrity watched his ; rot ego with the eye of a hawk, and foujid nothing noth-ing amiss with his bearing. "He's forgotten all about his scare last night," thought Martin. "I used to be the the same way; all right when I got into the ring." Almost before August realized it, he was standing in the angle of the ropes, listening to the final announcement of the referee: "These men have agreed twenty rounds straight Quccnsberry rules winner to be matched " "Remember now, Owgust!" Martin was saying as he leaned over from behind. "Remember! Get in ono on his jaw as soon as you can. Tliis coon ain't game, and he won't stand ihe gaff. If he won't mix it with you, fetd him out for awhile, but get in that good s'-am at his jaw as soon as ho loaves an opening." "Sure!" said August. "Sure !" "Are you ail reudy. down there?" whispered whis-pered Fete Oilman. "As soon as the bell rings, up with you on that chair!" There was an ir.ctai.i. of silence. The referee glanced at the timekeepers and then swung nis righ; hand into tne air. "Bet her go !" he cried. As the be.! clanged August took a step out of his comer toward Oie middle of the ring, but what was that commotion in tho other angle of the roper? Suddeniy from behind Churchill's corner t here i ose a terrifying shape a tall, cadaverous negro in a rusty black frock ccat, wof.h white cotton gloves on Ins hern's, and horror of horrors ! an ancient .-lovepipe hat Opon his head ! And : he" i es of this .ip ") in -t ion the large, white eyes were I .xej upon August in a stare tl at every r.ervc of his u'hIv i eni-.'.n .(: t.-tl. A Cold Awakening. Some time aft'.1 t hr. August u A'oko with a shudder. In his nostrils there wa s a strange, penetrating odor, which caused him to gasp and move hie head fi'fro side to tide, as if to escape from it. "There, now," mid a voice, which he dimly recognized as belongi ng to Martin Garrity. "Thc;v, now, you're coming out of it, all right. Kasy." Martin was pressing press-ing a fat. green bottle of smelling salts to August's nose. August blinked a few times and looked about him. He wan back in the dressing room, which seemed overfull of strange lacts in which, despite his dazed condi t ion, Aug us t read sympathy sym-pathy or reproach. "O-o-h!" grunted August. "Did you see it. Martin?" 'Tid 1 see what?" Martin's voice rose almost to a yell. "L saw you walk right up to that coon and drop your hands at your sides, that's wiiat i saw! And you let that coon cop you with the first punch ! Did I see it :" "Yes, sir," said one of the reporters, "it seemed to me that ho stuck out his jaw to be hit!" 'To you think he was doped?" chimed in another earnest searcher for information. informa-tion. "Yfs!" said Vartin, bitterly. "He was doped with what, dopes most, nf 'em; r go1(d wallop on the chin, the bg Dutch pig!" But August mindrri rrnne of there things. He went quietly back to sleep, and it took two doctors an hour to bring him to consciousness a ga in. "He's had a shock of some kind," pntd ono of t'ne medical rm-n, "something beside? be-side? tho blow." "That's tt '." paid M art m. vagely. "Grt h'm an aPbi of some kind, becaune he r.oods one had." At ths fa-e moment "Bud" McManus and P-'-te Gilo an were fitting down to a t "i i -V. b'-cfr-tcak in the back room of an aJ-ivgh restaurant, with a cold quart on thy flow beside them. "You're a. marvel !" said Bud, lifting "We 1." !-vd Gilman. modo-t'v. "there'n a lot of anc r:j to th:;i fight gam, and a 2' j blond giant opened his eyes a bit and blinked at Martin sleepily, t-.ace was the face of a happy, con-v.J con-v.J child, Hp had the brow of a stu- the eyes of a dreamer and the of a popt, but these were not the f tea which had interested Martin a'- ty. it 1? What's that?" said the giant r-'. Hi9 voice was soft and low, and a faoint trace of his Teutonic ; laid that you was a fine, big lad," ! '-ired Martin, "and, by golly, you How much do you weigh?" i ?:w much?" repeated the giant, p-ly puzzled by the question. "Oh, rvr't know. Two hundred and forty, IT: j)tialions Are Opened. Un Garrity put out his hand and , down the giant's arm from shoul- t Plbow. and then he whistled. lat's your name?" he asked. '7 pust Lemhnch." fci'd your age?" d ::'pnty-tvo." Tt lever occurred to August Lembach 0E:,ie mipht tell this inquisitive Irish-, Irish-, 'to hence with his questions and npertinpnt fingerings. August was : 'n of peace. ok here!" said Garrity. "I think ras: put you in the way of making m;.' money. Anyway, I want to talk . rU about it. Where do you live?" s;.".-ust answered truthfully. w about you taking dinner with 0I-mght at that big German place 'Oi.-fth street? Say, at 7 o'clock. If r T.ould make some money honestly. mow you'd be for that, wouldn't I .list Lembach reflected for fully 1 minute. a m;tyhe." he said at last. Banned Into the street and hoist-iftf-nstlf to his high seat. Once again , v,.t noted the ease with which he bis tremendous bulk the catlike U1' of his movements. J'"' cried Martin. "You won't for- o'clock tonight, you know?" ill maybe." answered August, ff,!t? "P the reins. "Git ap!" ny watched lihn drive awav down .j IJjrrow Rtrnfit, his blond head nod-'l nod-'l til r yel,ow chrysanthemum above irjeer barrels. Then he rubbed his II IB tf,ffether, find swore softly. I1 1 saw n teHor." thought Mar- i Swtn till tho niakins of a heavv-champion, heavv-champion, he's the bov! And, U tolly, in i,et he's got a kick that UJ Knock a Ftmot car off the track!" jllity disappeared Indoors. Tim jjjiinefpy Wa5 sitting in his tiny of-KAarufnmg of-KAarufnmg his monthlv bills. '''. Martin," he said, "thought I ' ffi'l" J',Rt outside," said Martin. ft',ni. I ve found a fortune." I 8 1 pa':" exclaimed Shaugh-H Shaugh-H 111 front of niy place? Then !''JfH h?longs to mo." jj- Bd Martin. "I've found some-!$ some-!$ He tho Big Feller!" i&lV.VV1; y:" doffed Shaugh-m Shaugh-m lnl "hy ye want to H ? Feller licked. Martin? He's 1,1 01 your3. ain't he?" a friend of rninp!" nald i - nut there's little friendship in A. Timmy."' fJMorjT," shaiisrhnessy. ey- Ing; his bills ruefully. "And who is this unknown champion ye have found?" "His name is Owgust Limbock, or some such a noise." "A Dutchman?" demanded Shaugh-nessy. Shaugh-nessy. "Sure. Martin, ye know a Dutchman Dutch-man can't fight!" "Well," said Martin, "this one can be taught. He's got all the tools of the trade, and wit' me to coach him say, we'll be challengin' the Big Feller this time a year from now!" This was before the day when the heavyweight situation called for the discovery dis-covery of a white hope, a quest which has given many an unscrupulous manager man-ager an excuse for pernicious activity. In these days the heavyweight champion was white considerably whiter than some of the gentlemen who have held that distinguished title. He was honest, loyal to his friends, and, in certain localities, lo-calities, quite popular,- but that had not kept many aspiring managers from trying try-ing to find a man to beat him. The followers of the fighting game have ma Ay peculiarities. No sooner have they set up one idol than they cast about to find a man to knick it down. No sooner has a fighter demonstrated demon-strated that he is the best man in his cless. when lo! he is beset' with challenges chal-lenges of all sorts, and there are always al-ways those who wish to see a champion cham-pion whipped. The Big Fellow, so called because of his great bulk, had worn the crown for three years, and none had been found who could so much as tip the bauble over his ears, much less knock it off. The discovery of a successful challenger for the title meant a fortune for-tune for finder and fin dee, hence Martin Mar-tin Garrlty's excitement. Fame Appealed to Him. That night he sat long over a round table with August Lembach. At first, the giant absolutely refused to listen, and Garrity was hard put lo it to keep hi ii from making an abrupt departure. In vain Garrity bought stein after stein of the finest imported brew; but the Irish have tongues, and, by playing skillfully upon many strings, in the end Martin found the right one. Money failed to Interest August, easy living proved no attraction, but when Martin Garrity began to talk about fame, August's Au-gust's eyes brightened. "You'd be the biggest man in America, Amer-ica, Owgust," he urged. "Your pitcure would be in nil the papers and hanging up, framed, in all the saloons. People would come miles to look at you and shake you by the hand." "So?" said August, bending forward. "You keep on driving that brewery wagon." said Martin, "and what does it get you? Fifteen dollars a week. That's all. Nobody will ever hear of you. Owgust Dim bock! Who's he? Nobody will know. But if you stick to me and do as I t ell you, I'll make you known pvon In the old country. And then you can travel and see things go around the world, if you want to!" Well, that was The argument which landed Lembach. Money and the things which money would buy he did not seem to care for; easy living loft him cold. But fame? That was another matter, nnd tho sleepy eyes awoke. For every Achilles there is a tendon, and it takes an Irishman to find it. Mat I ers wore speedily arra nrred. Au- gust was to quit his job at the brewery ; and go into training. Garrity guaran-j guaran-j teed him fifteen dollars a week during , the period of preparation. When the i giant had been sufficiently Instructed, j matches were to be made, and not for nothing had Martin Garrity been an ornament to the welterweight division in a day when real, welters were going about the country. He knew how to make matches none better and he was thoroughly conversant with the best methods of nursing along a "comer." By a spectacular string of victories over his opponents of little worth, Martin knew that he would be able to bring his protege pro-tege to the point where the top-flight heavyweights could not overlook him. A month after the original conversation conversa-tion between Shaughnessy and Garrity a second confab took place. "Well." said Tim. "an' how does he shape up now, this Dutch slob of yours?" "You'll call him no names if you wish to be friendly with me!" said Martin heatedly. "August Is no slob, I'll have you know, Shaughnessy. He's a fine boy, and that simple and obedient you wouldn't believe it at all. I've had no trouble with him, and the way he picks up boxin' is amazing. And work? Owgust Ow-gust would work all day if I didn't make him lay off!" "Yes," said Tim skeptically, "the Dutch are good workers. and they're honest and decent, and all that, my son, , but how about timperamlnt? Has this feller got the timperamint of a real fighter?" "What's that?" snorted Martin. "Well, I'll tell ye," said Tim, "some calls it "by one name' and some by another, an-other, but I think in the end its just natural inclination. Some people are plain divilish mean because they want to ; be, an' if we run them into a corner they'll start squallin' about 'timpera-; 'timpera-; mint.' I think its on'y the way a man is built. Now, ye have the fighter's I timperamint. Martin, because, from yer l kid days, ye'd sooner fight than eat. Ye fought because ye liked it, an' if ye J hadn't been in the prize-figh tin' game, ! ye'd have been snillin' yer talents about some bar-room flu re. Your timperamint was all for th' bat in the nose an' the wallop in the slats, bu t is yer Owgust the same way? Would he fight, think ye, for the love of the thing?" Wanted, Some Temperament. I "He would not," said Martin. "He's ; that tender-hearted he hates trouble, but 1 he can be taught to love it. Why, look! When I first got him, he didn't know his right hand from his left, as the sayin' is, an' he'd never had tho gloves 011 in his life. I began at the bottom with : him, showing him every punch an' ham-, ham-, me ring it Into him, and now he'll open 1 your eyes when you see him box. In a way, it's mechanical with him now, but it will come more natural as he goes along, and, man, you have no idea of the ; way he can punch! Yosterday he rams ! me" In the ribs with a short riuht jolt that didn't travel six inches, and It set me down as if I'd been hit with a beer mallet! Only six inches, mind you,, and tho kick of "a mule would have hurt no worse. I hollered about it, and he near shed tears. Said he had no idea he was hit tin' hard. 'I'm always goin' easy with you, Martin, he says, 'If that's j easy,' I says, 'I hope to see you hit somebody some-body hard one of those days!' Man, man, what will he do when lie really slams one over for keeps?" "And ye think he has the male in' s of a champion in him?" demanded Shaugh-ne.y. Shaugh-ne.y. "Tim." said Garrity solemnly, "I've never lied to you, have 1? Well, now, Owgust 'will bo the next heavyweight champion of the world. If 1 don't believe be-lieve it, mfly I never get off this chair alive!" "Ye should know," said Tim. "Ye've seen enough of them, but 'tis a pity he hasn't more of the real fight in' timper-atmnt!" timper-atmnt!" Three w-eeks later Martin Garrity called on his friend McGoe. the owner of the Queensbury club, where boxing encounters en-counters were staged weekly, "Patrick." said Martin, "I have a heavyweight that I think is a comer. Do you reach out and got me some bum for him to fight next Friday evening." "How much do yc want?" "Anvthing you like, to begin with," said Garrity, "but he sure to pe: me 'a soft ' one." I "Very well." paid MG-'o. "How would j Snndow Mulligan do? He's th softest big man in these p a rt s , nnd h r-' s got a .glass Jaw. By the way. what's the name I : of your man, so T can tell the newspaper j 1 boys?" I Garrity hesitated. Lembach '.s no name for a fighter, arid Martin knew it. "Call him "f ledirehammn'-" Oa.rritv'" 1 f!d Martin. "Tt's a good fic-htin' name." Thus August received his ncm de guerre. ; ar.d protested bitterly. It denied that1 he had a fancv for making the name of. Lembach famous. "No. no," argued, Martin. "The'' wou'd hs call in' you " Li ir. burger' an' 'The Pi' Cheese.' an' all nar.r.'-r C namc kk? that. Put they will not tr'-.'Ie w-.-.h 'Gar-r:tv.' 'Gar-r:tv.' and sure a roe by ar.y ct;-er name would smell as sweet. b':t nr;. thing wrh a cb.er se fla or to :t would snu ;i bad. - ;vv. .;c?" MxGee was as good as h.s word. Fan- dow Mulligan was, indeed, a very soft one. "Waste no time on the likes of him," advised Garrity. "Walk right over to hlin as soon as the bell rings, belt him once in the belly wdth the left and then give him the right to the jaw. The sooner the better." When the ball rang, August walked to the middle of the ring, ducked a left lead for the face, sent his own left crashing into the pit of Mulligan's stomach, anil, as Sandow bent forward, whipped the right across to the jaw. That was all there was to August's first fight that and the doctor's bill, for Sandow Mulligan's Mulli-gan's glass jaw was broken. "A knockout in twenty-one seconds'" said the ringside reporters. "That's going go-ing some. Who is this Sledgehammer Garrity, anyway?" Thus launched Into the pugilistic arena, August advanced by lea ps arid hounds. He stopped Timothy McTurk, Andrew McMillen, "Tex" Morrissey and "Beef" Hogan all in a round apiece, and always it was the crushing right-hand slam to the jaw which ended the fight. "Gravy" Gavigan, who was clever, managed 1 0 stay two rounds, and the town went wild over Martin Garrlty's protege. . A New Hero. "A new heavyweight star looms on the horizon wrote one eminent sport i ng authority, and the sporting pphlic hailed Sledgehammer Garrity with joy. "Here is the man." they said, "to lick the Big Feller. Here is a heavyweight with the punch. " Martin Garrity sharpened his scythe to reap the rewards of wisdom and experience. ex-perience. August became a drawing card, and, from fighting preliminaries, leaped into the main-event class. Martin skillfully skill-fully maneuvered the price until August's end amounted to a thousand dollars per performance, of which the fighter re-ceived re-ceived his fair half. "Five hundred for you." said Martin, "and five hundred for me. Didn't 1 tell you that if you stuck to me you'd wear diamonds? And that ain't a marker to what we'll be raking in one of these fine day." Sporting men all over the country began be-gan speculating upon the future of this new heavyweight. Tho Big Fellow was interviewed through his secretary. "Wc'rp willing," said that bright young man. "We never ducked a fight in 'our Ifves. The more the merrier, that's us. But wdio has this Garrity ever licked ? Nobody but a lot of tramp fighters. Let him go and get a reputation, and then we'll talk business maybe." Now, about the same time that August Lembach began to attract a t tent ion. a giant negro won his first fight in a neighboring neigh-boring state, and followed it with a string of victories over pork-and -beans heavyweights. heavy-weights. The negro's name was Dan Churchill, and he bad been discovered, sweeping out saloons, by an exceedingly era fly young man named Gilman Pete Gilman. The, name of Dan Churchill began be-gan to go abroad, and Pete Gilman, being be-ing something of a press agent, at once introduced t lie question of the color Hup. "Would the Big Fellow- fight a negro?" 1 The Big Fellow maintained silence. Of j all the new material in the heavyweight , clatss there were only two men to be con-, con-, sidered Sledgehammer Garrit y, with his r: ring of speedy knockouts, and Dan Churchill, with the sea Ips of yet ot hor 1 pork-and-branors at his belt. The clamor grew: snorting editors began to agitate the question of an elimination match between be-tween the men. Martin Garrity made a trln of rO0 miles to Interview no !e,q a personage than the Big Fellow himself. August's Task. "Will you give us a fight If we win?" he demanded. "Lick the coon, and then come a nd talk to m-" .said the Big Fellow, speaking speak-ing out of the side of his month. "That's good enough for me," said Martin. Mar-tin. Tho r.owcpa pers continued to scream and the fight fans to rave. August Lembach. Lem-bach. with a fii'SL-claPS heavyweight as a starring partner, worked behind clo.-d doors until such time ns Garritv was p;it-jc;pd. p;it-jc;pd. Suddenly he issued a rha!rc to Church!:', x'r match, to take place bcfo-P the clno offering th bc't inducement. K've ci-ics contested for that" bonnr. and. afTfr the usual hacking ad filling, the paoers were s:g."d. ar.d the nv-i went inin training for t-e eent. Pete Gilman. who was vorv much present at every conference, con-ference, st ud ied S.'ledpe hammer Garrit v narrowjv before re imburd ended himseif I to his black fighter. "Here, bo." h a;d to Churchill the , nay the n rti-los w-e surned. ";hi fe'low is a Dutchman. Never let it be said thnt 1 you can't lick a Dutchman. An Irishman Irish-man ar. i a coon that's a battle, but a ceon and a I u ich m a n th at ' s murder!" Nevertheless. v;th ve thoroughness of a real gene-ah Pete Gi'man employed a furtive youth "anied "Pud" McManus to h"ger a'cut t'-e rival rarcp ard rcrn-r. d:s -.jver;''S. M::rtin '"Jarrity h;-:d sele'-ted a rof,a--e naif a mile l"-"ord the ,-e:n..-t'-ry for his training o ".ai'te-c. Tlie v. ere r,rd Aueusu c-ru'ed wi-.n he |