Show ZI THE PADDED ATHLETE by EDWARD E BARKER copyright ly by W 0 chap Clip clipman m maa AM RORIE FERGUSON bad ARCHIE greatness thrust upon him J coad not avoid it and it spoiled him ne he wait wa a fair looking fellow rather awkward la in his shape but bulky and strong when ho he graduated from redfern academy he had just made a hll bit it was in a football game at i a critical juncture he was wag the human key hey to a human wedge where by sheer bodily bulk ho he blocked the finesse of the rival team md and woo won a famous game A natural born athlete the newspapers put it A big fat conceited champl chum pl his big enemies declared the school elwool trainer saw easy money in view and earned a fifty dollar fee putting tin archie through a course of mus inua cle building everywhere archie played the athlete card strong with his newspaper publicity nod and quite some ome money looney he faced a two mouths months vacation he determined to enjoy when he be went to haven ibaven springs lie soon made it known who ho lie was ile he waa stuck on hla his shape as the saying goes Us he set bet at work to tore tone down various of tits his figure by artificially building up contiguous fleshy territory one day an old friend cob bob traver Tri vcr ran across him they had been close cloe churns chums at school I 1 1 I any ay archie observed rob bob 1 se sw i all you have to do Is to strut up tip und down the promenade to win all hludik I 1 oi of admiring opinions front from the ladles Is that so sol said archie dra drawing draining iving himself up to his fits full height sure thing I 1 want you to show how yourself with me for or about a week disengaged oil oh yes I 1 answered archie im just putting on en tile the vacation before I 1 start into business governor going to stake me and all that well you can help me out archie and I 1 want you to do it the facts are these I 1 dote on in a girl living in wadham ashes a great friend of my cousin I 1 sort 0 if shone about her until a new fellow came upon the scene ills name naine is jones dick jones iles hes a fellow half your size quiet week meek I 1 cull call it pretty swart smart though fou for lie just jua graduated from a big college you want him sidetracked side tracked do you asked archie it I 1 want him scared away you can du do it As liow how no nov v for instance well hurt hang around with me work up to a quarrel with him deew see and knitli him eh eb smiled archie with a confident conlu lent glatice e ai at the bulging muscles it if his right arm im agreeable so it was that dick jones jenoa and nina alft swift enjoying a mutually har harmonious mont companionship hd their pa pleasant amant L lives intruded upon by the two new als archie ferguson showed up in wadham in tits ills best possible trim ile he wore a sporty costume and tight clothing purposely this enabled a full showing off of ills his great shoulders his bohle chest hla his bulging arm muscles muscle sl the of the lintel hotel where he and travers stopped were duly daz aed by his overpowering appearance archie thought it clever to scare underlings fl der lings erlings ile he knocked down a waiter who spilled borne bome water on him ue he chaget iowa down and castigated a poor li eddler blu fell against him on a tippery sidewalk in fact archie enjoyed building up it u dubious reputation as a modern hercules cules and indicating to travers that lie was anxious to lo meet a foeman worthy of his steel tracers introduced him to his cousin then to silas swift and this brought him in contact with dick they met to together zether each day adi ada treated tn uiel travers as a friend and was courteous to archie young jones was every inch a gentleman but lie 11 not warm up to either travers or ii ills his friend there were strained relations under the hie surface and dick began to under ta t aind ind them once when archie was somewhat incapacitated he was openly insulting to dick but the latter refused to be provoked realizing his condition 1 I dont seem able to work that fellow jones up to any sense of manly spirit LAM observed archie one day to travers 1 I dont like that steady took look in tits ills eyes and lie he dont look a coward but why dont he come to the debt afraid of getting mussed up I 1 suppose replied travers iles hes got nerve though for he won wont t flinch front from his position lies hes utter after ada and hes no mean rival it was the second afternoon after that hat when travers came to the hotel with will a gloomy niclous melons say archie lie he spoke wrathfully 1 I cant stand this much longer st stand tid ahat hat inquired archie jones hes with ada most moet of tile the time she treats me friendly enough but seems to avold being with no me alone im afraid that fellow will get ahead of me pop the question and then my cake will be all dough yon yen want rue me to act I 1 Bup suppose pose intimated archie 1 I 11 want that fellow driven out ut of tho the t field fiela 11 or laid up for a spell so you yon can avo your chance of courting that chii ky pretty aichle sa all elgh s1 leave it to me aw rt ur MO right ov ho he do de alred for or arah ie it wn wai two mor mornings rings later inter lie he and travers opre walking tilling when archie descried beauty a pet dog belonI belonging nl to ada coming down th street lit in advance ot of dick who held the little an aa final as it a great favorite its my chance whispered archie to 0 TrAv baveri tra and as beauty neared him lie pretended to trip over the dog he raised his foot and gave beauty a ilick that sent ent it to the curb then the poor little tin allm limped ped awai abuy tn in pitiable pain imin I 1 you yon brutal coward 1 burst forth dick his blood ou on tire lire at the act that demanded archie advancing upon him with scowling brows and set teeth now archie had bad never engaged in a real fi flat q battle outside of the gymnasium ue Ile had however got to think himself an expert prize fighter ile he eai envied led dick because lie was a gentleman he was glad of the present circumstance cum stance because miss swift had always treated him distantly in her clear womanly way tracing the coarseness and artificiality beneath the surface anc dick stood hla his ground archie swung bonard him film as if afraid tits hla prey lirey would escape hint him lie he swooped as it might be confident in the su u of weight to science A little later he learned that the quiet un nn dick had been first oar ot of si champion colle college e crew and the best allaround all around man in general gymnasium practice ill make you swallow your words gritted gritter out archie trying to appear terrible one blow and hall hah V 1 the breath ans nearly squeezed out of tits his body ue he had aimed a cruel blow at his fits adversary adver bary it was dexterously terou sly evaded ills his foe had clinched with him A rapid manipulation of alu jitsu tactics baffled him made him a mere child in the hands hand of no in expert ito he was flung back his head struck the pavement and he lay iny there insensible A crowd soon gathered one person brought some water a second drew away the clothing of the unconscious braggart dellol Uel Ilet lol tol exclaimed this tatter latter as his probing hand met a bunch of massed cloth across the shoulders padded and his fits arm muscles too say heres a fraud for youl the padded athlete sneaked out oat of town that night travers followed suit gulf the next day it was as well for when dick tenderly carried poor crippled beauty back to its mistress there were tears gratitude and to la that sentimental moment he told his love |