THE RISE OF GINGER GILLETT
And Keeley replied, 'I was just goin' to ask you the same. How surprisin'.' And they circled about each other like dogs, and us umpires retired a few paces and stood. And all of a sudden they grabbed each other, and the dust flew violent. You may hev noticed that the dust in the plaza is mighty thick and red and light. For a whole minute we could hardly see these two gladiators circusing round like a teetotum; and then there was a bigger cloud and a thud, and when the dust laid a bit the two was on the ground with Keeley on top. And the Gingerites groaned, and the Keeleyites yelled, and I felt some sick myself. But of course this was no more than the openin' of the drayma; and how was Keeley to take Ginger unless he could get up? That's what I said to Smith when he let on that my hundred dollars was as good as in his pocket. I said 'As good as in hell.' And then the dust flew again, and when it settled Ginger was on top, and the crowd yelled again. And now I could see that all Ginger wanted was to get up while Keeley was down. But Keeley was a tolerable hold-fast, and it took Ginger
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