This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

could testify, he give a perfect account of himself whilst he was in action.

The theatre crew told the sailors to take the air and what the sailors told the theatre crew I'm forced to leave to your imagination. The peace-lovin' landsmen looked the jolly tars over and decided there was no use arguin' over a little matter like that and went back to their posts. Well, these able seamen had me good and leary. Honest to Turkey, I felt as weak as a moonshiner's alibi! Whilst our unhappy band's tryin' to appease 'em with "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep", I called Kid Roberts aside.

"Kid," I whisper, "let's forget about the offer to meet all corners, for if we don't, all corners is exactly what you'll have to meet, you will for a fact! Them mock-turtles out there will prob'ly rush the stage the minute I make the announcement and——"

"No, Joe!" interrupted the Kid, firmly. "We'll omit no part of the act. The way to meet these issues is head on! Besides, those fellows are in a mood now to tear down the house if anything advertised is cut out. Undoubtedly, the only reason they are here at all is to see me box and if I don't, we're in for trouble!"

We was in for trouble anyways!

My offer of five hundred smackers to any human bein' which can keep erect for four rounds with the world's champion is no more than out of my shapely mouth, when there's a thunderin' roar from our little pals, the sailors. The Kid was right—that's what them guys had been waitin' for! A great big mass