Page:Fighting blood (IA fightingblood00witw).pdf/256

 little time trying to get Judy to see me defend my title. She's never saw me work, and the mere thought of watching a prize fight makes her shudder. "Beastly, inhuman, and degrading," is the way she sizes up the manly art of assault and art and it seems nothing can change her.

"But they's plenty of girls goes to box fights, Judy," I says, "and they seem to get quite a kick out of it too!"

"Everyone to their taste," says Judy scornfully; "and don't say 'theys,' Gale; say  ' there are. '  Do you know your grammar is growing more atrocious every day? And you are getting a hard, sophisticated expression in your eyes too." She lays her hand on my arm. "Oh, Gale, it's terrible to have to just sit and watch you being coarsened by this constant contact with your rough associates of the ring. It's horrible! You were so nice and clean and—and delightfully naive when you first came to Drew City. Now"

"Now, I'm just a roughneck, I suppose?" I cut in, a bit sore.

"You will certainly be one if you remain in your present profession," she says coldly.

"Well," I says, as cold as her, "I don't guess you want to have nothing to do with a roughneck, so I'll take the air!" I blowed out of the office, fit to be tied.

That afternoon was a eventful one for my sparring partners, it was for a fact!

The next day Nate sees I'm brooding over something, and being too wise to ask questions he just says to knock off training for the day and we'll go to a show