gooda as he."

"Oh, not so good as Ben Duffy? I know all about him. I went once with my
city uncle to see him fight. He's a crackerjack, sure."

"But he not poka me more as you do," argued Tony.

"Well, I've been studying your defense longer--it's mine too, you know.
That's the reason." The generous Gus smiled. "Anyway, let's go to the
gym to-morrow. I want to see how you mix it up now with Sadler."

Tony did "mix it up" much to Sadler's discomfort. Siebold stepped up:

"Say, Italy, where did you get it?" And Tony, proud, ever eager to give
credit to a friend, nodded toward Gus.

"To him I do owe it. He one granda master with the feest."

"So? Expert electrician, mechanic, sport spoiler and bruiser, eh? Some
combination." And Siebold turned away with something too much like a
sneer on his fine face. Gus was hurt, but smiled, as usual. Tony
resented the slur.

"For all which," he said, "the cervel--the brain, is required, eh?
Maybe, Soph, if you brain ancora had you could beata heem--but no so
now."

"No? I'll bet a sardine that you could put it all over him," Siebold
said, desiring to mollify an upper classman. Tony laughed.

"No; not coulda you ancora, nor any other one in this school."

Siebold turned away, as he added: "You won't have a chance to prove
that. I pick my company. But you will get another go at Sadler after I
give him some more pointers." It was evident that the leader among the
sophomores was something of a snob. A little later his prediction came
true regarding Sadler and Tony.

Gus was again a witness to the bout. It had become noised around and the
gym held a goodly crowd of students. At such times the instructor,
though interested and often a witness, dodged participation because of
the slugging tendency and its possible effect on the school if he
encouraged such a thing.

Tony went into the game with a smile. Sadler, though generally
good-natured, was serious and determined from the start. He got a number
of stinging cracks on his ribs and in the stomach, Tony hardly being
able to reach his head. Beaten again at points, landed on five times as
often as he landed, he began to resort to a waiting game, for there was
no doubt he could stand punishment. Stand it he did until Tony got
enough confidence for infighting, though he should never have attempted
to swap punches with such a big fellow.

Suddenly Sadler caught the smaller man starting a short arm upper cut
for the jaw and he too