—even less! As the matter of fact, I got quite the few doubts as to whether I'll ever win a fight in a ring in my life!"
"That's the first intelligent remark you ever made in your entire career!" I says, heartily, "And there's nobody more tickled than me to hear that you're through with the glove racket for all eternity!"
"Who says anything about bein' through with the glove racket?" he asks, indignantly, "Don't be silly! I'll be in there tryin' as long as I can dig up another guy to go in there with me. What I mean is I'm through with the idea 'at I'm a world beater. I know I'm never goin' to set the lake ablaze with the way I win fights, but what I'm going to do now is dumfound Europe with the way I lose 'em!"
"What the Kansas City are you talkin' about?" I ask him, as astonished as you are.
"You're just like a baby" he says, "Even the simplest things has got to be carefully explained to you! I'm goin' out and get myself a reputation as the gamest loser which ever laid blinkin' up at a countin' referee. I'm goin' to be known as a boy which can take more beatin' than any other scrapper in the wide, wide world! I won't quit, not even if the timekeeper steps in and hits me over the head with the bell. They won't be nothin' can stop me till I'm just a gory wreck and even then it'll take the militia to end the bout. Now go and get me some good, tough, murderous puncher which can bring out my hidden gameness and I'll show you the way a fight should be lost!"
