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Abysmal Brute
By JACK LONDON
SYNOPSIS
Bam Stubener. manager of boxers, hears
about a wonderful unknown boxer called
Young Pat Glendon lie finds the boy in
the wilderness.
Glendon, Innocent of the world's ways,
goes to San Francisco and Is matched
with "Roughhouse Kelly.”
He whips Kelly and other boxers so eas
ily that he Is called "One Punch Glendon.
He meets the Flying Dutchman.
Glendon wins again He nears the top
in pugilism His manager, Stubener, en
gages in crooked ring practices, unknown
to Glendon.
think and he anxious Weil, you'll j
never need to worry about me that
way. You ought to be glad I can go
off to a lecture.”
And later that night, in the course
of watching fifteen splendid rounds, |
Stubener chuckled to himself more |
than once at the idea of what that
audience of sports would think, did it
know that tills magnificent young |
prizefighter had come to the ring di- !
rectly from a Browning lecture.
The Flying Dutchman was a young
Swede, who possessed an unwonted
willingness to fight and who was
blessed with phenomenal endurance.
He never rested, was always on the
offensive and rushed and fought from
gong to gong. In the outfighting his
arms whirled about like flails; in the
infighting he was forever shouldering
or half wrestling and starting blows
whenever he could get a hand free.
From start to finish he was a whirl
wind. hence his name. His failing was
lack of judgment in time and distance.
Nevertheless he had won many fights
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the business world to-day is neat, 1
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tion, durability and eff.ciency.^^^"
by virtue of landing one in each
en or so of tile unending fusillades
punches he delivered
Pat. with strong upon him the cau
tion that he must not put his opponent
out, was kept busy. Nor. though lie
escaped vital damage, could he avoid
entirely those eternal flying gloves.
But it was good training, and in a
mild way tie enjoyed ttie contest
"Coukl you get him now?" Stubener
whispered in his ear during the min
uate rest at the end of the fifth round.
"Sure.” was Pat’s answer.
“You know he's never yet been
knocked out by any one.” Stubener
warned a couple of rounds later.
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to break
iny knuckles." Pat smiled “I know
the punch I've got in ine. and when 1
land it something lias got to go. If he
Won't my knuckles will."
“Do you think you could get him
now?" Stubener asked at the end of
the thirteenth round
“Any time. I tell you "
"Well. then. Pat. let him run to the
fi fteentlt "
In the fourteenth round the Flying :
Dutchman exceeded himself. At the,
stroke of tlie gong he rushed clear- 1
across the ring to tin* opposite cornel* ;
where Pat was leisurely getting to 1 1 is ,
feet
Tin* house cheered, for it knew the'
| Flying Dutchman had cut loose Pat .
| catching tlie fun of it. whimsically de
' elded i" meet the terrific onslaught
1 with a wholly passive defense and not
1 to strike a blow. Nor did he strike a
i blow nor feint a blow during tin* three
minutes of whirlwind that followed.
He gave n rare exhibition of stall
ing. sometimes bugging his bowed face
with iiis left ;trn. his abdomen with
his right, at other times < hanging as
tlie point of attack changed, so Win:
both gloves were held on either side
his face or both elbows
guarded bis mid section, and all tin*
time moving about, clumsily shoulder
ing or half falling forward againstfjtiP
opponent and dogging liis efforts, him
self never striking nor threatening tej
strike, the while rocking with the ini*
pacts of the storming blows that beaV
upon bis various guards the devil's
own tattoo
Those close at the ringside saw and
appreciated, but the rest of tlie au
dience. fooled, arose to its feet and
roared its applause in the mistaken no
tion that Pat. helpless, was receiving
a terrible beating.
With the end of the round tlie au
dience. dumfounded. sank back into
its seats as Pat walked steadily to
his corner. It was not understandable
He should have been beaten to a pulp,
and yet nothing had happened to him.
“Now. are you going to get him?"
Stubener queried anxiously.
"Inside ten seconds." was Pat's con
fident assertion. "Watch me.”
There was no trick about it. When
the gong struck and Pat bounded to
his feet lie advertised it unmistakably
that for tlie first time in the fight he
was starting after his man. Not one
onlooker misunderstood.
The Flying Dutchman read the ad
vertisement. too. and for the first time
in liis career as they met in the center
of tlie ring visibly hesitated. For the
fraction of a second they faced each
other in position.
Then the Flying Dutchman leaped
forward upon iiis man. and Pat, with
a timed right cross, dropped him cold
as he leaped.
It was after this battle that Pat
Glendon started on his upward rush to
COFFEE COUNTY PROGRESS, DOUGLAS, GEORGIA.
fame The sports and the sporting
writers took him up. I*or the first
time the Flying Dutchman had been
knocked out.
His conqueror had proved a wizard
of defense. His previous victories had
not been tlukes. Tie had a kick in
both bis hands. Giant that he was. he
would go far. V t
'fhe time was already past, the writ
ers asserted, for him to waste himself
on, the third raters and chopping
blocks. Where were Ben Menzies.
Itege Bode. Bill Tarwater and Ernest
Lawson?
It was time for them to meet this
young cub that had .suddenly shown
himself a fighter of quality. Where
was Ids manager anyway, that he was
not issuing the challenges?
And then fame came in a day, for
Stubeiier divulged the secret that his
man was none other than the sou of
Pat Glendon.. old Pat. the old time
ring hero Young Pat Glendon. he
was promptly christened, and sports
and writers flocked about him to ad
mire him and back him and write
him up.
Beginning with Ben Menzies and fin
ishing with Bill Tarwater. he challeng
ed. fought and knocked out the four
second raters To do this lie was com
pel led to travel, the battles taking
place in Goldfield. Denver. Texas and
New York. To accomplish it required
months, for the bigger fights were not
easily arranged, and the men them
selves demanded more time for train
ffig.
The second year saw him running to
(.•over and-disposing of the half dozen
big fighters that clustered just beneath
the top of the heavyweight ladder.
On this top. firmly planted, stood
i "Big” Jim Hanford, the undefeated
world champion. Here on the top
rungs progress was slower, though
Stubener was indefatigable in issuing
challenges and in promoting sporting
Uppinion to force the man to fight.
i Will King was disposed of in Eng
land. and Glendon pursued Tom Har
rison halfway around the world to de
feat him on boxing day in Australia.
CHAPTER V.
BUT the purses grew larger and
larger. In place of SIOO, such
as his first battles had earned
him. he was now receiving
from $20,000 to $30,000 a fight, as well
ns equally large sums from the mov
ing picture men.
Stubener took bis manager’s percent
age of all this according to the terms
of the contract old Pat had drawn up.
and both he and Glendon. despite their
heavy expenses, were waxing rich.
This was due more than anything
else to the clean lives they lived. They
were not wasters.
Stubener was attracted to real estate,
and his holdings in San Francisco, con
sisting of building fiats and apartment
houses, were bigger than Glendon ever
dreamed.
There was a secret syndicate of bet
ters. however, which could have made
an accurate guess at the size of Stube
ner’s holdings, while heavy bonus after
heavy bonus, of which Glendon never
heard, was paid over to his manager
by the 'Sieving picture men.
Stubener's most serious task was in
maintaining the innocence of.his young
gladiator Nor did lie find it difficult.
Glendon. who had nothing to do with
the business end. was little interested
Besides, wherever his travels took him.
he spent his spare time In hunting and
fishing. lie rarely mingled with those
: of the sporting world, was notorious
| iy shy and secluded and preferred nrt
galleries and books of verse to sport
ing gossip.
Also, his trainers and sparring part
ners were rigorously instructed by the
manager to keep their tongues away
from the slightest hints of ring rotten
ness.
In every way Stubener intervened
between (Hendon and the world. He
was never even interviewed save in
Stubener’s presence.
Onlv once was Glendon approached.
!t was just- prior to his battle with
Henderson, and an offer of $l(i(MX)0
was made to him to throw the tight.
It was made hurriedly, ill r.wift
whispers, in a hotel corridor, and it
was fortunate for the man that Pat
controlled his temper and shouldered
past him without reply. He brought
the tale of it to Stubener, who said:
"It's only con. I’at They were fry
ing to josh you." He noted The blue
eyes blaze. “And maybe worse than
that. If they could have got you to
fall for it there might have been a big
sensation in the papers that would
have finished you But 1 doubt it.
"Such things don't happen any more
It's a myth, that's what it Is. that has
come down from the middle history of
the ring. There has been rottenness
in the past, but no fighter or manager
of reputation would dare anything of
the sort today.
“Why. I’at. the men in the game ar«
as clean and straight as those in pro
fessional baseball, than which there
is nothing cleaner nr straighte-."
And all the while he talked stubener
knew in his heart that the forthcom
ing tight with Henderson was not to
be shorter than twelve rounds this
for the moving pictures—and not long
er than the fourteenth round.
And he knew, furthermore, so big
were the stakes involved, that Hender
son himself was pledged not to iast tie
yond the fourteenth.
And Glendon. never approached
again, dismissed the matter from his
mind and went out to spend the alter
noou in taking color photographs. The
camera had become his latest hobby.
Loving pictures, yet unable to paint,
he had compromised by taking up pho
tography. In his hand baggage was
one grip packed with books on the
subject, and he spent long hours in the
dark room, realizing for himself the
various processes.
Never had there been a great fighter
who was as aloof from the fighting
world as he. Because he had little to
say with those he encountered lie was
called sullen and unsocial, and out of
this a newspaper reputation took form
that was not an exaggeration so much
ns it was an entire misconception.
Boiled down, his character in print
was that of an ox muscled and dumb
ly stupid brute, and one callow sport
ing writer dubbed him the “abysmal
brute.”
»
The name stuck. The rest of the
fraternity hailed it with delight, and
thereafter (Hendon's name never ap
peared in print unconnected with it.
Often, in a headline or under a photo
graph. “The Abysmal Brute.” capital
ized and without quotation marks, ap
peared alone.
AH the world knew who was this
brute. This made him draw into him
self closer than ever, while it devel
oped a bitter prejudice against news
paper folk
Regarding fighting itself. h : s easier
mild interest grew stronger. The men
f
If e ITS
1
& ft 0 • C.VSI
“It’s only con. Pat.”
he now fought were anything but
dubs, and victory did not come so
easily. They were picked men. expe
rienced ring generals, and each battle
was a problem
There were occasions when he found
it impossible to put them out in any
designated later round of a fight.
Thus with Sulzberger, the gisantic
German, try as he would in the eight
eenth round, he failed to get him. In
the nineteenth it was the same story,
and not rill the twentieth did he man
age to break through the baffling guard
and drop b-im.
Glendon's increasing enjoyment of
the game was accompanied by severer
and prolonged training. Never dissi
pating. spending much of his time on
l hunting trips in the hills, he was prac
tically always in the pink of condition,
and. unlike his father, no unfortunate
accidents marred Ms career He nev
er broke a lame, nor injured so much
Good Paint
Badly Applied
Won’t Give Satisfaction
It Takes the Know
How to Make
It
Stick and Look Right
That’s Why We Succeed
We Have the Know How
C. A. Furney
Progressive Painter and
Paper Placer.
DOUGLAS, GA.
as a knuckle.
One tiling that Stubener noted with
secret glee was that his young tighter
no longer talked of going permanently
back to his mountains when he had
won the championship away from Jim
Hanford.
The consummation of hi*, career was
rapidly approaching The great cham
pion had even publicly intimated his
readiness to take on Glendon as soon
as the latter had disposed of the three
or four aspirants for the champion
ship who intervened.
In six months Pat managed to put
away Kid McGrath and Philadelphia
Jack Mcßride, and there remained
only Nat Powers and Tom Cannam.
And nil would have been well had not
a certain society girl gone adventuring
into journalism, and had not Stube
ner agreed to an interview with the
woman reporter of the San Francisco
Courier-Journal.
Her work was always published over
the name of Maud Saugster. which, by
the way, was her own name. The
Sangsters were a notoriously wealthy
family.
The founder, old Jacob Saugster. had
packed his blankets and worked as a
farm band in the west. He had dis
covered an inexhaustible borax depos
it in Nevada, and. from hauling it out
by mule teams, bad built a railroad to
do the freighting. Following that he
had poured the profits of borax into
tlie purchase of hundreds and thou
sands of square miles of timber lands
in California. Oregon and Washington
Still later he had combined politics
with business, had bought statesmen,
judges and machines and become a
captain of complicated industry. And
after that he had died, full of honor
and pessimism, leaving his name a
muddy blot for future historians to
smudge, and also leaving a matter of
a couple of hundreds of millions for
his four sons to squabble over.
The legal, industrial and political
battles that followed vexed and amus
ed California fora generation and cul
minated in deadly hatred and unspeak
ing terms between the four sons.
The youngest. Theodore, in middle
life experienced a change of heart,
sold out his stock farms and racing
stables and plunged into a fight with
all tlie corrupt powers of his native
state, including most of its million
aires. in a quixotic attempt to purge it
of the infamy which had been im
planted by old Jacoti Saugster.
Maud Saugster was Theodore's old
est daughter. The Sangster stock uni
formly bred fighters among the men
and beauties among tlie women, nor
was Maud an exception: also sbe must
have inherited some of the virus of
adventure from the Sangster breed,
for she had come to womanhood and
done a multitude of tilings of which
no woman in her position should have
been guilty.
A match in ten thousand, she re
mained unmarried. She had sojourn
ed in Europe without bringing home a
nobleman for spouse and bad dec-lined
a goodly portion of her own set at
home •
She had gone in for outdoor sports,
won the tennis championship of the
state, kept the society weeklies agog
with her iinconventionalities. walked
from San Mateo to Santa Cruz against
time on a wager and once caused a
sensation by playing polo in a men's
team at a private Burlingame practice
game. Incidentally sbe bad gone in
for art and maintained a studio in San
Francisco's Latin quarter.
All this had been of little moment
until her father's reform attack became
acute. Passionately independent, never
yet having met the man to whom she
could gladly submit and bored by
those who bad aspired, she resented
her father’s interference with her way
of life and put the climax on all her
social misdeeds by leaving home and
going to work on the Courier-Journal.
Beginning at S2O a week, her salary
had swiftly risen to $"»0. Her work
was principally musical, dramatic
and art criticism -though she was not
above mere journalistic- stunts if they
promised to be sufficiently interesting.
Thus she scooped the big interview
with Morgan at a time when he was
being futilely trailed by a dozen New
York star journalists, went down to
the bottom of tlie Golden Gate in a
diver's suit and flew with Rood, the
“What do they want to come butting
into the game for?”
bird man. when he broke all records of
continuous flight by reaching as far
as Riverside.
Now. it must not be imagined that
Maud Sangster was a hard bitten
amazon. Ou the contrary, she was a
gray eyed, slender young woman of
three or four and twenty, of medium
stature and possessing uncommonly
small hands and feet for an outdoor
woman or any other kind of a woman.
Also, far in excess of most outdoor
women, she knew how to be daintily
feminine.
it was on her own suggestion that
she received the editor's commission
to interview I’at Glendon. With the
exception of having caught <1 glimpse
once of Bob Fitzsimmons in evening
dress at the Palace grill, she had ue'e-r
seen a prizefighter in her life.
Nor was she curious to see one— at
least, sfie had not been curious until
young Pat Glendon came to San Fran
cisco to train for his fight with Nat
Powers. Then his newspaper reputa
tion had aroused her.
CHAPTER VI.
THE abysmal brute! It certainly
must lie worth seeing. From
what she read of him she
gieuued that lie was a man
monster, profoundly stupid and "
the sullenness and ferocity of a j ,ln <- t
Least. ...
True, his published photographs Oiu
not s*how all that, but they did show
tlie hugeness of brawn that might
expected to go with it.
And so. aeompauied by a staff P 10
tographer. she went out to tlie fra
iug quarters at the Cliff House at t
hour appointed by Stubener.
That real estate owner was bav'-b,
trouble, i’at was rebellious. He 1
one big leg dangling over fhe side « *
tbe armchair and Shakespeare s
nets” face downward on his knee
orating against tlie new woman.
“What do they want to come buttni
into the game for':" he demau "
“It's not their place. What do >
know about it anywayV The men a
bud enough as it is. Itn not a - •
show. This woman's coming bei >’
make me one. I never have
women around tlie truiuin" U 1
and I don't cure if s'le is a report*’ l
(To be Conbrwtd.)