CROOKED WORK
"Yes, me byes, there's nothin' in this wide world much worse, to me
manner o' thinkin', than a 'ringer.'" It was Reddy who spoke, following
up a conversation in which most of the athletes had joined. "Crookedness
is a bad thing in any line of business or amusement, but it's specially
bad in anythin' like sport, that in its very nature ought to be kept
clean and wholesome. It's a queer thing, though, but true none the less,
that there's nothin' much worse than some branches o' sport. Look at
prize fightin', fer instance. O' course, I'm not sayin' that some fights
aren't on the level, an' all that, but take them as a rule and the
scraps and scrappers are so crooked they could hide behind a corkscrew."
"Yes, and there are lots of other things the same way," observed Bert,
who was one of the group. "I've been told that wrestling is as crooked,
if not more so, than boxing. Do you think it is, Reddy?"
"Well, that's a hard question, m' son," returned the veteran trainer,
thoughtfully. "When you get right down to it, there's not much to choose
between them. I've seen many a boxin' an' wrestlin' bout in my time, but
there's very few that I thought was straight from start to finish. It's
a wonder to me how the fight promoters manage to keep on fooling the
public. It looks to me as though a babe in arms would get wise to their
game. But nix! The poor ginks will file out of a hall after a rotten go,
swearing they'll never spend a cent to see another fight, and the next
week they're back again, same as ever."
"I guess there's not as much underhand work in other lines of sport as
in that, though, is there, Reddy?" questioned Tom.
"No, I don't think there is," answered Reddy, speculatively. "Of course,
among amateurs, there generally isn't the money incentive that the
professionals have, and that makes a big difference. The hard thing,
when you're dealing with amateur meets, is to keep professionals out.
Some club will want specially to win a race, and like as not they'll
look around for some professional, who's not too well known, to help
them out. It's a dirty, low-down trick, o' course, but it's tried many a
time, just the same."
"Huh," said Tom, "why doesn't the amateur up and beat the professional
at his own game? There's nothing very wonderful about a man, just
because he runs for money, instead of the honor."
"Thrue fer you, me bye," returned Reddy, smiling, "but that's sometimes
easier said than done. A man who's running to earn his bread is usually
going to run faster than the man who's simply out fer glory. That may
not sound very noble, and all that, but it's the truth, nine times out
o' ten."
"Yes, but how about the tenth time?" asked Bert, who had been listening
attentively to all the trainer said.
"Well, once in a great while the 'ringer' gets tripped up, o' course. I
remember one time, many a long year ago, when I saw jist the thing you
mentioned happen," and a reminiscent smile spread over the veteran's
face.
The listening group of young athletes sensed a story at once, and
assailed Reddy with requests to "fire away, and tell them about it."
The trainer seemed in a talkative mood, and without much urging, began.
"'Twas whin I was but a young lad," he said, "but even thin I was always
interested in sport of any kind, and used to attend ivery track event
for miles around the little town where I lived. I used to help around
the club houses, carryin' water and such things, and got to know, by
sight at any rate, a good many well-known runners and sich.
"Well, one day there was a big college meet not far from our town, and
o' course nothin' would do me but what I must see it.
"Accordin'ly, I was hangin' around the club house long before the time
for the race, and had plenty o' time to size up the contestants. They
were as fine lookin' a set o' byes as you could wish to see, and they
was all jokin' and rough-housin' as though they had never a care on
their minds. I knew they'd be in dead enough earnest in a little while,
though.
"Well, the time come for them to get dressed in their runnin' togs, and
suddenly I began to sit up an' take notice, as you might say. As one
big, sthrappin' feller, that I hadn't noticed much before, on account o'
his havin' kept apart a little from the others, and havin' been so
quiet-like, stood up in his runnin' suit, it flashed across me mind that
I'd seen him run some place before. At first I couldn't place him, think
as hard as I might, but suddenly I remembered where I'd seen him. It was
at a race held about a year ago, and then he had run in the hundred-yard
dash with professionals and had come in third.
"'Well, what do ye know about that,' thinks I to myself, 'the good fer
nothin' crook is goin' to run against these young fellers, and it's a
cinch he'll cop off the prize.' And, believe me, I felt sorry for the
other boys that was goin' to race against him, fer I knew he was fast,
although not among the first-raters, and I figured that none o' the
others would have a show in his company.
"However, there was nothin' I could do, for nobody would have taken my
word for it, an' I'd a' got laughed at fer my trouble. So I kept me own
council, and sat tight, but all interest in the big race was lost fer
me, for I hated crooked work about as much then as I do now, I guess.
"There was a young feller from C---- that I'd picked to win the
hundred-yard dash, before I recognized this ringer chap. (His name was
Smith, by the way, but he was known now, I found out, as Castle.) Young
Sidney was a game kid, all right, from his toes up. He wasn't very tall,
and at first glance you wouldn't think he'd be any great shakes as a
runner. But he could get away at the crack o' the pistol about as fast
as any man I ever saw, barrin' none, and he could certainly burn up the
track fer a short distance. He was never much on the long distances, but
he was sure class on everythin' up to three hundred yards.
"I'd seen him run several times, and once or twice when I'd brought him
a drink o' water, or somethin' like that, he'd grin at me an' give me a
pleasant word or two. So I had a likin' for him, and was minded to put
him wise.
"So the first chance I got I sidled up to him and tipped him off that
this Castle feller was a 'profesh.' He gives a long whistle, and looks
pretty much surprised, naturally. But he was game, clear through, and he
says to me, 'Well, kid, I don't care if he is a professional. I'm as
good a man as he is, and I think I can beat him, anyway. It's the only
chance I have, because I'm not going to squeal to the officials.'
"Well, I liked him all the more for that, and o' course wished him all
kinds o' luck. Me heart was heavy fer him, though, for I didn't think he
would get a look-in.
"By now the time had come fer the lads to line up, and they all filed
out o' the club house, as sober as so many deacons. The starter got them
in position, and everythin' was ready fer the event. There were five
starters, and each one looked to have a chance to the finish.
"'Get on your mark! Get set!' yelled the starter, and pointed his little
pistol up in the air. Crack! she went, and the lads were off in a bunch,
runnin' as though the old Nick were after thim.
"This 'ringer' chap was up to all the tricks of the trade, howiver, and
had 'beat this pistol' by the shade of an eyelash. He had a five-foot
lead on young Sidney before they'd gone eight yards, and that's an
awful lot in a hundred-yard sprint. 'Good-night,' thinks I to meself,
'the ringer's won the race already,' and the thought made me far from
happy, as ye may aisily imagine.
"But the old boy himself seemed to be in young Sidney, and before I knew
it my heart was in me mouth and I was almost yelling me lungs out
rootin' for him.
"He raced along in great bounds, and it seemed to me as though each
stride covered ten feet. By the time they'd made half the distance he
was right up to the 'ringer's' shoulder, and seemed to be goin' faster
each second.
"Smith (or Castle, whichever you choose to call him) gave a glance back,
and let out every bit o' speed in him. For a second he drew away from
the kid, and I was almost ready to cry, I was so disappointed.
"But Sidney was not the bye to be left behind, and he put on full steam,
so to speak. By now everybody that was watchin' the race was standin' on
their ears with excitement, and when at the seventy-five-yard mark
Sidney drew right abreast of this Smith chap I thought the whole field
would go wild. Pretty women an' girls waved their parasols and shrieked
at the top o' their lungs, and as fer the men--well, they just went
plumb batty.
"The other entries were practically out of the race now, and were
plugging along far in the rear. The two leaders hit it up faster an'
faster, till they were fairly flying. For all he was a 'ringer,' the
Smith chap was game, and did his best, I'll say that for him. But young
Sidney was a regular cyclone that day, and on the last ten yards jumped
ahead as though the other fellow were standing still. It seemed to me he
cleared the last fifteen feet in one jump, and I'll swear he was in the
air when his breast broke the ribbon.
"He'd won the race, all right, but he didn't hear the applause that
pretty nearly split the sky in two. He just crumpled up like a wet rag,
and it was pretty near ten minutes before we could bring him to.
"When he did finally open his eyes, he happened to look at me first, and
he grinned weakly, 'Well, Red, we trimmed the "ringer" good and plenty,
you and I, didn't we?' and he actually shook hands with me.
"Believe me, boys, I was the happiest kid in the State that day, bar
none."
Here Reddy stopped speaking, and gazed ruminatively out over the ocean,
with what looked like a mist in his blue eyes.
After the athletes had discussed this story in all its details, Bert
asked, "But what became of the 'ringer,' Reddy? What did they do to
him?"
"Oh, there was nothing much we could do," replied the trainer, "but,
believe me, it was an awful knock to the college that put him up to it,
and I don't think they tried that trick for many a long day afterward.
Believe me, lads, crookedness doesn't pay, in sport or in anything
else."