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Show " 'So, you're fighter, eh?' Pete says. " 'Yeah, and good one,' says the kid. . . ." "Come on, Biff, get on with it," interrupted Walsh impatiently. "As I was sayin'," Biff continued, "the kid says, 'I gotta get a fight right away. We gotta eat.' "Pete says, 'We, who's we?' " 'Me and Sally.' the kid says, and goes on talkin' about him and his wife comin' up to New York to pick up some of the big fightin' sugar they been readin' about. They come up in a old jalopy, the kid says, and now the dough's run out. Pete says to the kid what's his full name and the kid says, without bat-tin' bat-tin' a eye, 'Spottingham T. Mathers,' Math-ers,' and looks at the both of us like darin' us to laugh. Pete kinda grins but he aint laughin' out loud. I could see Pete's takin' a likin' to good. Him and Sally is livin' on their own now because Pete's been pull-in' pull-in' down some good pots for him and I know personal that Pete ain't takin' any cut, leastwise not much. He likes them Kids, specially Sally, like everybody does. But let me tell yon this Sally ain't no eye-waver. She's stuck on Spot and don't make no bones about it. But that Spot, now, he's got a bit of a rovin' eye, and like I told you, he's a cocky punk and he ain't against steppin' once in a while, now the dough's comin' in. But I guess when a kid's 21 he gets to thinkin' he's really somethin' special. "Well, them once-in-a-while step-pin's step-pin's begin to get quite frequent and many's the night I find myself keep-in' keep-in' Sally company on lonely nights when that milk-sop is sowin' a few oats. I feel sorry for Sally, and I tell her it's just like a case of the mumps or the gallopin' measles, a pilllinf III ipsiBffs F: li P: s ISillill ill ; pffi&i 3 -f$f-x- - '-i " v.iIp 1 THE Tells a I i FICTION! Love Story I PICKING his way slowly through the massed humanity crowding toward the exits. Matt Walsh, sports writer, pondered the sensational ending of the ring battle he had just witnessed. He was blase about quick knockouts; he had seen many of them and undoubtedly would see many more. But he still thrilled to the brilliant if boxing skill could be called that and masterful job turned in by Spot Mathers. Well, here was a new champion and Walsh felt he should know more about the boy. Something of his persona per-sona life. It was after midnight when he reached the hotel at which the new champion and his entourage were stopping. At the door of the Mathers' Math-ers' suite he was halted by a blast of noise the victory celebration. The big living room was a bedlam. Walsh glanced about the room but saw no sign of Mathers. He sought out the boy's manager, Pete Miley, busy in the role of lavish host. "Mathers? Jflst went down the hall to room 1117," Miley answered his question. "Go on down and see him." Walsh did. The door was slightly ajar. He tapped lightly, waited, then tapped again. When there was no response re-sponse he opened the door and peered in. He stepped back, closing the door softly. Mmm-m, that tableau was something unexpected and unusual on victory night In the fight racket. Young Mathers, his arm around a dark-haired girl a sleeping baby tucked In carefully between pillows at the head of the bed. This was no time to break in for an interview, so Walsh returned to the other room. He managed j there to corral Biff Jones, old-timer ! in the ring business and Mathers' trainer. i "Biff," said Walsh, "how about some dope on the new champion? And what about that gal and baby ' I down the hall? Let's go some place 1 where we can talk." i "Okay. This party's slowing down i ' anyways." ! 1 They went down to the hotel grill ! J and found a table in the corner of 1 ' i the room. Vf "Now, tell me about Mathers. ' What kind of a guy is he?" ! 1 "Sure, I can tell you lots about , that kid and about his wife and 1 baby, too. I like 'em, all three of i 'em, and I'd like to tell their story. ! ' But I gotta tell it my way." Biff J j blinked at Walsh. j "All right, tell it." ; "Well, it begins some two years J ago," Biff began. "Me and Pete ! Miley is sittin' in Pete's office gab-i gab-i bing about nothin' much when in t ' walks a cocky, good lookin' kid. He's S got a letter for Pete from some guy i down south. He walks up to Pete, 5 ignorin' me, and says: 'You Pete 3 j Miley? This Is for you.' Pete takes ' the letter, reads it and looks up at the kid. f Young Mathers, his arm around a dark-haired girl a sleeping baby tucked In carefully between pillows at the head of the bed. the kid and soon he hands him a flnif. "Pete tells the kid to go out and buy him and Sally a big steak and to come around tomorrow with his fightin' togs and he'll see what the kid's got. I go to the gym with them next day and Pete sticks the kid in there with a old warhorse named Batalia. The kid, considerin' he ain't been eatin' so good, does okay and Pete holds him. "We get our first peek at Sally when Pete moves her and the kid over to Pete's hotel. Pete tells the kid to go to the gym a few days and for me to work with him. "Well, as I says, we get our first peek at Sally, and boy, she's some-thin' some-thin' 1 She ain't got only looks but she's got somethin' else I don't know what. Anyways, I go for Sally big don't get me wrong, mister, my courtin' days is long gone she's a nice kid. Well, them two kids, eatin' regular again with Pete payin', bloom like a coupla hot house flowers put out in the sun. Soon Pete spots the kid in a four-round four-round prelim at St. Nicks and the kid comes through with a quick kayo. O' course he knocks over a bum, but we like the way he does it. "It ain't long before the kid's moved up to semi-finals and then final spots, because, as I says, he's little while sick and you're good as new again.' But that Sally can take it, she's no plater, and she keeps smilin'." Biff reached for his glass. "Well," he resumed, "the kid starts going around with a show gaL I talk to him. " 'Listen, knob-ears,' he says, 'you're keepin' outta this.' He tells me a lot more about him and this show gal gettin" married after he wins the title and gives Sally the air. "XT EXT day I tell Pete all and we head over for the gym where Spot's workin' out. Pete quizzes him and all he gets for his trouble is abuse. "I go around to see Sally next day to see if she knows anythin' about this marriage business. I poke around kinda subtle like and then quiz her if she's heard anything about Spot and this show gal. Well, she starts cryin' and I feel like a four-star dope. I don't know what to do and just stand there sayin', 'there, there,' like I heard a mother once with a cryin' baby. It don't do much good. Sally keeps cryin' soft like. That kinda cryin' don't need no sound effects, it goes deep. Pretty Pret-ty soon she says she's goin' back home. And she does, leavin' a note for the punk. "He goes around a coupla days sour-pussed. I don't hear a word from Sally for weeks and I don't think the punk has neither, but Pete is goin' around with a wise look and I get a hunch he knows somethin'. The kid has changed some. He ain't so cocky no more and he seldom goes out at night. One night, just before we're leavin' for the trainin' camp where the kid's gonna get ready for the final 'limination bout, I'm in his room helpin' him pack. "It ain't long and the phone buzzes. The kid's near it and picks It up. He says, 'I ain't here,' and hangs up. Pretty soon comes a knock on the door and dummy me opens It. A dame is there. I figure it's the show gal and I'm right. She steps over to the kid. 'Honey,' she says, 'you ain't seen me lately?' late-ly?' The kid keeps on packin'. Then he says he ain't gonna see her no more. "Then the fireworks begin. That dame gives him the trimmin's and when she's in high gear she heaves a water bottle at the kid's head and stalks out. He ducks and the bottle whams against the wall. During the ruckus I duck into a corner. I see mad dames work before. "It's two or three days later when I see Pete at the camp. I tell him about the show and he looks at me kinda funny and says now's the time to tell him and maybe he's all over it. I don't catch the drift, but I tag along over to the house with Pete. The kid's restin' when me and Pete come into the room. Pete says, 'Spot, I got some news for you, news from Sally.' The kid sits up sudden like and he gets kinda white. He don't say nothin', just keeps look-In' look-In' at Pete. 'Sally,' Pete says, 'is gonna have a baby.' Just like that. "The kid jumps up outta the bed and he starts to cry. I think I kinda like him then, even though he's actin' sissy. 'Pete,' he says, 'I gotta go to her! I gotta!' "Pete says okay and take a coupla days off. So the kid goes home to see Sally. You never see such a changed guy when he comes back. He's talk-in' talk-in' again and he's happy and he even gets friendly with me and I kinda like it, too, seem' he aint the smart-alex smart-alex no more. "So you see, like I once say to Sally, it's like the mumps, a little while sick and you're okay again and so'g them kids, all three of m' now." ' |
