ducked beneath a vicious left swing and put a right to
the side of the "hope's" head that sent the man to his knees. Then came
the gong.

In the third round Billy fought carefully. He had made up his mind that
he would show this bunch of pikers that he knew how to box, so that none
might say that he had won with a lucky punch, for Billy intended to win.

The round was one which might fill with delight the soul of the fan who
knows the finer points of the game. And when it was over, while little
damage had been done on either side, it left no shadow of a doubt in the
minds of those who knew that the unknown fighter was the more skilful
boxer.

Then came the fourth round. Of course there was no question in the minds
of the majority of the spectators as to who would win the fight. The
stranger had merely shown one of those sudden and ephemeral bursts of
form that occasionally are witnessed in every branch of sport; but he
couldn't last against such a man as the "white hope"!--they looked for a
knock-out any minute now. Nor did they look in vain.

Billy was quite satisfied with the work he had done in the preceding
round. Now he would show them another style of fighting! And he did.
From the tap of the gong he rushed his opponent about the ring at will.
He hit him when and where he pleased. The man was absolutely helpless
before him. With left and right hooks Billy rocked the "coming
champion's" head from side to side. He landed upon the swelling optics
of his victim as he listed.

Thrice he rushed him to the ropes, and once the man fell through them
into the laps of the hooting spectators--only now they were not hooting
Billy. Until the gong Billy played with his man as a cat might play with
a mouse; yet not once had he landed a knock-out blow.

"Why didn't you finish him?" cried Professor Cassidy, as Billy returned
to his corner after the round. "You had 'im goin' man--why in the world
didn't yeh finish him?"

"I didn't want to," said Billy; "not in that round. I'm reserving the
finish for the fifth round, and if you want to win some money you can
take the hunch!"

"Do you mean it?" asked Cassidy.

"Sure," said Billy. "You might make more by laying that I'd make him
take the count in the first minute of the round--you can place a hundred
of mine on that, if you will, please."

Cassidy took the hunch, and a moment later as the two men faced each
other he regretted his act, for to his surprise the "white hope" c