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intention to keep him so while he and his backers quietly placed all their money
on the other man.
One of the sparring partners who seemed to harbor a petty grudge against
Brophy finally explained the whole plan to Jimmy. Everything was to be done to
carry the impression to the public through the newspapers, who were usually
well represented at the training quarters, that Brophy was in the pink of
condition; that he was training hard; that it was impossible to find men who
could stand up to him on account of the terrific punishment he inflicted upon his
sparring partners; and that the result of the fight was already a foregone
conclusion; and then in the third round Young Brophy was to lie down and by
reclining peacefully on his stomach for ten seconds make more money than
several years of hard and conscientious work earnestly performed could ever net
him.
It was all very, very simple; but how easily public opinion might be changed
should one of the sparring partners really make a good stand against Brophy in
the presence of members of the newspaper fraternity!
"I see," said Jimmy, running his fingers through his hair. "Oh, well, it's none of
my business, and if the suckers want to bet their money on a prize-fight they're
about due to lose it anyway."
And so he continued permitting himself to be battered up four or five times a
week at the hands of the pussy Mr. Brophy. He paid back the twenty the Lizard
had loaned him, got his watch out of pawn, and was even figuring on a new suit
of clothes. Never before in his life had Jimmy realized what it meant to be
prosperous, since for obvious reasons Young Brophy's manager was extremely
liberal in the matter of salaries with all those connected with the training-camp.
At first it had been rather humiliating to Jimmy to take the drubbings he did at
the hands of Young Brophy in the presence of the audience which usually filled
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