And then, like a panther, the mucker sprang in with a
vicious left hook to the jaw, followed, with lightning rapidity,
by a right upper cut to the chin that lifted Battling Dago Pete
a foot from the floor to drop him, unconscious, against the
foot of the further wall.
It was a clean knock-out, and when Cassidy and Hurricane
got through ministering to the fallen man, and indications of
returning consciousness were apparent, the professor turned to
Billy.
"Got any more 'hopes' lyin' around loose?" asked the
mucker with a grin. "I guess the big dinge's safe for a while
yet."
"Not if you'll keep on stayin' away from the booze, kid,"
said Professor Cassidy, "an' let me handle you."
"I gotcha Steve," said Billy; "go to it; but first, stake me to
a feed. The front side of my stomach's wrapped around my
back bone."
CHAPTER XVIII
THE GULF BETWEEN
FOR three months Billy met has-beens, and third- and fourth-rate
fighters from New York and its environs. He thrashed
them all--usually by the knockout route and finally local
sports commenced talking about him a bit, and he was
matched up with second-raters from other cities.
These men he cleaned up as handily as he had the others,
so that it was apparent to fight fandom that the big, quiet
"unknown" was a comer; and pretty soon Professor Cassidy
received an offer from another trainer-manager to match Billy
against a real "hope" who stood in the forefront of hopedom.
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