Biddy Cline took the long count for the first
time in his life, and a dapper gentleman in a
box seat smiled through his nose glasses and
played with a bit of horsehair in his pocket.
Such a trivial thing had changed the pugilistic
map.
According to custom, the conqueror offered
his hand to the conquered before he left the
ring. Biddy would have taken it, but Mike
Badger restrained him.
" Don 't shake with him ! ' ' said Mike. ' ' You 've
been licked, but by a welter-weight."

"You think anybody will believe that?"'
cackled Healy.
"I'll make 'em before I'm through," said
iVlike grimly.
IV

The new champion ceased in the midst of the
pleasant duty of inscribing his name and title
upon photographs.
"Badger!" he said. "What does he want,
Billy?"

"Don't know. He's coming right up."

Mike Badger entered and helped himself ta
a chair. "You're a nice pair of burglars, ain't
you?" he demanded.
[89]



TAKING THE COUNT



''You're a sorehead," said the new champion
cheerfully. "Are you still harping on that
weight business ? Everybody in the country is
giving you the laugh ! "

"Oh, you think so, do you?" said Mike.
"I've been doing a little detective work lately.
That fellow — that Darling— I've been on his
trail, and I know all "

"I didn't have a thing to do with him," pro-
tested Avery quickly. ' ' Goldstein wrote a let-
ter to a hardware firm and "

"And you posted it," said Mike. "Eemem-
ber that ? I happened to keep his business card,
so yesterday I wired his firm asking for in-
formation. Here's the answer." He tossed a
telegram across to Avery.
