From ordinary rage, Mallow fell into a frenzy; and frenzy never won a
ring-battle. Time after time he endeavored to grapple, but always that
left stopped him. Warrington played for his face, and to each jab he
added a taunt. "That for the little Cingalese!" "Count that one for
Wheedon's broken knees!" "And wouldn't San admire that? Remember her?
The little Japanese girl whose thumbs you broke?" "Here's one for me!"
It was not dignified; but Warrington stubbornly refused to look back
upon this day either with shame or regret. Jab-jab, cut and slash!
went the left. There was no more mercy in the mind back of it than
might be found in the sleek felines who stalked the jungles north.
Doggedly Mallow fought on, hoping for his chance. He tried every trick
he knew, but he could only get so near. The ring was as wide as the
world; there were no corners to make grappling a possibility.
Some of his desperate blows got through. The bezel of his ring laid
open Warrington's forehead. He was brave enough; but he began to
realize that this was not the same man he had turned out into the
night, four years ago. And the pain and ignominy he had forced upon
others was now being returned to him. Warrington would have prolonged
the battle had he not seen Craig getting dizzily to his feet. It was
time to end it. He feinted swiftly. Mallow, expecting a body-blow,
dropped his guard. Warrington, as he struck, felt the bones in his
hand crack. Mallow went over upon his back, fairly lifted off his
feet. He was tough; an ordinary man would have died.
[Illustration: The Battle.]
"I believe that squares accounts," said Warrington, speaking to Craig.
"If you hear of me in America, in Europe, anywhere, keep away from the
places I'm likely to go. Tell him," with an indifferent jerk of his
head toward the insensible Mallow, "tell him that I give him that fifty
pounds with the greatest good pleasure. Sorry I can't wait."
He trotted back to his rickshaw, wiped the blood from his face, put on
his hat and coat, and ordered the respectful coolie to hurry back to
town. He never saw Mallow or Craig again. The battle itself became a
hazy incident. In life affairs of this order generally have abrupt
endings.
And all that day Elsa had been waiting patiently to hear sounds of him
in the next room. Never could she recall such long weary hours. Time
and again she changed a piece of ribbon, a bit of lace, and twice she
changed her dress, all for the purpose of making the hours pass more
quickly. She had gone down to luncheon, but Warrington had not come
in. After luncheon she had sent out for half a dozen magazines.
Beyond the illustrations she never knew what they contained. Over and
over she conned the set phrases she was going to say when finally he
came. Whenever Martha approached, Elsa told her that she wanted
nothing, that she was head-achy, and wanted to be left alone.
Discreetly Martha vanished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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