St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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Begin. said 1. Iilipps straightened out his left in Wier's direction g the latter walked around it and planted one on Flipps' right eye. lilipps' jaw dropped. He looked surprised, and straightened out his right. Ike gave him a right- hand upper-cut which closed up his mouth with a sound like a mouse trap prematurely set off. lflipps swung around as if he were on a pivot, and with a sweeping. scythe-like motion tried to mow Ike's head offf Ike ducked and hit him in the pit of the stomach, which doubled my man up. Time ! Halt ! ! Foul ! l ! I yelled, excitedly. and the round came to an end. VVhere's that book ? said Flipps, as he got his breath in the seclusion of his own corner. Left it in my roomfl I replied. Then I may as well surrender at once, said he, as I've forgotten everything there was in it. Well, never mind the book, said I, mildly 3 he's got the advantage of you on the reach. You'll have to try close fighting. Get in close and get him in chanccryf' Chancery? O, yes, I had forgotten, said Flipps, hopefully. So up they stood for the second round. Begin, said I. . With the word Flipps ran in under Ike's guard,butt him below the belt and then reached wildly for his neck. Ike jumped aside, got Flipps' head under his left arm and 161 began pounding him with his right, just exactly as I had told Flipps he was to do to him. Stop ! I yelled, but Ike didn't mind me a bit. Help ! I-Ielp ! yelled Flipps. .Police l I cried. At that Ike dropped Flipps and started for his coat. Now. that's not rightf, I said. You've got no right to catch a man around the neck and hit him : let's bar that out. All right,', said VVier and his second, and the oppo- nents stepped forward for the third round. This time it looked like Flipps' round. I-Ie tried the threshing machine tactics which he had tried on me in practice, and backed Ike all over the ground, the only open spot for Ike being the top of Iflipps' head. Finally Ike dodged behind a tree and Iilipps stopped the machine after rapping the tree two or three healthy body blows. For the fourth round I advised Flipps to try the same tactics, but to look out for trees. .lzlut this time Ike was ready for him. As lfilipps came down on him he jumped to one side and gave him one on his right ear. Iilipps turned toward his opponent, the latter dodged back and gave him one on his left ear. Iflipps turned again and got one on the jaw, followed by another Hat on the nose, and two more, one on each eye. I-lis eyes had been shut before. since he had given up science, so those last blows didn't make much difference

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taught him what l considered the finest thing in the book- getting a man in chancery. Now, l'lipps, I said, when he ducks and gets in close, catch him around the neck with your left arm and pound his face with your right fist. I'll holler at you to quit, as it's against the rules, but don't you mind me. The more I holler the more you pummel him. Then Torbert will pull you off, but don't stop pounding him until you have to.', Flipps thought that was a Fine scheme, but as I would not give him a chance to practice it, we turned in for the night to dream over our early victory of the morrow. Morning came and it was cold and drizzly. I carefully rubbed Flipps down with vaseline, to make him supple, I told him 5 put the Parson's sweater on him, bundled him. up, and then we started off as had been agreed before- hand. Arriving at the scene of the hostilities to come, we waited for Ike and Vic. Pretty latef, I said, looking at my watch, which was about two minutes after six. Maybe they won't come, said Flipps. Ten minutes went by, while I questioned Flipps on all the mysteries of left-hand leads at the head, left-hand body blows. right-hand upper-cuts, etc., and their various defenses. Still they didn't come. Believe they're afraid, said Flipps, sarcastically. Iiive minutes more. Sorry I took the trouble to come all the way out 160 here, said lilipps. 'I'hey'1'e afraid to come, scared off. Five minutes more. I wish he would come. .l.'d give him the worst licking he ever had in his life, continued Iflipps. 'lust then I spied our opponents sneaking along between the evergreens and trees so as to escape the eyes of the vigilant police of Annapolis, then about two miles off and presumably asleep. I pointed them out to Iflipps. lVonder if he'll apologize F 5' said Flipps. i Naw ! said I . VVonder if he'd accept an apology P he continued. Naw ! said I again. Wfier and his second arriving, both having overslept themselves, we tossed up a button for position, and Iilipps got the advantage, which would have been considerable had he kept it. In point of weight and height, when standing in sweat- ers and trousers, Flipps seemed to have much the better of it. Wie1', while well built, didn't look particularly tough or muscular, while Flipps looked like a rugged oak. If Torbert had been game, I would have lost my allowance for the next six months then and there, but he wasn't. Facing each other, VVier held a nondescript sort of a guard, easily and loosely, while Iflipps could have been taken for the man who wrote I-Iow to Box. The rounds were to be three minutes each, and I was time- keeper.

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except in the matter of re- covery, b u t the one on the nose was cal- culated in its e f f e c t s to make Malvi- na, the Par- son's W a sh- woman, b e - lieve the rev- erend gentle- man had been indulging in a bull - fight. Flipps did get one or two in on Ike, but t h e y w e r e spent b l o w s and didn't do m u ch dam- age. Time being called, I surveyed my principal, and then silently led him out into the arena, where the other side could see him. The fight was plainly at an end. Both Flipps' eyes were fast closing, his nose was twice its nor- mal size and made him look as though he had been I silently led my principal out into the arena. 162 habitually intemperate all his life. His lower lip was cut, and his ears were ringing, so that he couldn't hear my instructions for the next round. Ike made the amanda honorable by apologizing. Flipps asked me whether he should accept it. I said I couldn't see anything else to do, and he said he couldn't see anything else either. I-le was game enough, but a very poor fighter. Had I had a week with him I think we could have won the iight, as How to Box is a splendid primer 011 the art of self-defense, and the only trouble with it is that it takes it for granted that the other man is not doing anything while you are fighting him. lflipps stayed with us several days and wasn't hazed. The class paid the bill for raw meat, and his eyes and nose gradually got back to their normal hue and shape. The only thing that worried him was that all through his convalescence Ike was practicing some new high- sounding tune down at the other end of the hall. I didn't tell Flipps what it was, but I had recognized it at once as a hymn of victory. Every time I heard it tl1e whole fight came up before me. First, there was a deep rum- bling of low notes, sometimes short and quick, but usually like the growl of a dog. That was the challenge and the angry thoughts which followed its acceptance. Then there was a light, slow, stealthy sort of a tune. That was the march to the field of battle. Then there was the sound of drums and bugles. That was me calling time. Then there was a slow sort of music, like the orchestra plays while the villain is stealing up to murder the inno-