fight Barney McCoy,â he said to Connors.
The shriveled little promoter looked at Shane. âJust why McCoy?â
âWell, weâd draw some moneyâ I licked him once, and he licked me, and itâs not too far from Omaha.â
âAre them the only reasons?â
âNoâhe put the double-o on me.â
âHeâs goinâ like a house afire now, you know,â said the manager shrewdly.
âAll rightâall I wantâs expenses if I donât lick himâhis managerâll think Iâm a cinch nowâand you can slip the word along Iâm a set-upâ Look hereââ Shane handed a package of newspaper clippings to Connors.
âThatâs all rightâI know youâre a fighter,â said Connors.
âThanksâyou donât know nothinâ if you ainât seen me go. I carried that guy like a sap. My second kept sayinâ that he was edginâ up on meâand I went clear screwy when the referee raises his handâbelieve me, from now on I wouldnât even trust Jesus on a white horse.â
âHow long you been fightinâ?â asked Connors.
âOh, I donât knowâthree years maybe.â
âI used to battle some myself.â
âI know thatâand you were goodâyou licked Willy Forbes, didnât you?â
âYeapâgot him in fourâa good man, Willy.â
âHe musta beenâgot killed later, didnât he?â
âYeapâOne Round Riley got himâit was bad luckâcanvas wasnât padded where he went down. He died from concussion of the brain.â
âGee,â from Shane.
âThe racket ainât what it used to be,â the one-time bantamweight commented.
âNo, I guess not,â returned Shane, âBut do I get this fightâ Iâm right here, you knowâyou donât have to bring a guy inâyou can tell the papers you sent for me from Chicagoâyou knowâsmoke it upâa grudge fightâthen sneak it over to McCoyâs gang Iâm all throughâyou know howââ
The wrinkled promoter chuckled.
âYouâre tellinâ me howâwhy, I was throwinâ leather before you could crawl.â
âI know that, and you were good, I know, but I can fight some. I wanta square things up with Buck Logan.â
âHeâs dead,â said Connors.
âNot for me he ainât deadâheâs just as alive as I am.â Shane patted his heart. âI can feel his eyes on meââYou get McCoyââand Buck Loganâs ghost can strangle me if I donât win.â
âAll right.â The weazened promoter looked Shane up and down, âIâm goinâ to put you on with McCoy-Pioneer Dayâs a month offâ Iâll fix you upâleave it to meâyou might even get a grand out of itâbut you knowâMcCoyâs better than he wasâhe beat Slippery Markowitz.â
âSoâd Iââ
âAll right, BuddyâIâll take you over to the Good Luck Restaurant so you kin scoff.â
âThat suits me.â
Shane kept pace with Connors, who said, âThereâs a little dame over there. Sheâs kinda sweet on meââhe looked at Shaneâs physiqueâ âSheâs nuts about fighters, and she may go for youâbut thatâs okey. I play the fieldâtheyâre doinâ me a favor when they donât marry me. I wouldnât hold her if I was big as John L. Sullivan.â
âWhatâs her name?â
âInterested, huh,â Connors grimaced crookedly. âItâs a funny nameâDilly Dallyâlast nameâs real, so her mother called her Dilly.â
âKind of cute.â Shane stepped faster.
âWaitâll you see her.â Connors kept pace. âTell her youâve been in Hollywood. Sheâll go for thatâsheâs crazy to get in the
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