The White Feather

. He found that his fives helped him. He could get about o

and awkward, and no more. But he kept on, and by the end of the first week Joe Bevan declared defi

ith the medicine-ball. "I get four blows in on some of the gentlemen I teach to one what I get in on you. But it's like riding. When you can trot,

gallop yet,

you come regular, you won't know yourself. You'll be making some of the young gentlemen at t

," said Sheen, sincerely. "I don't believe I should ha

school inst

kins. He used to

s. We used to go about in iron trucks. Now we go in motor-cars. Just the same with boxing. What you're learning now is the sort of boxing that wins championship fights nowadays. Old George, w

hen the round was over, Mr Beva

r man's going to do his best to hurt you, and you've got to stop him. One good punch is worth twenty taps. You hit him. And when you've hit him, don't yo

e duty of man-and boy too. One should not seek quarrels, but, "being in," one should do one's best to ensure that one's opponent thought twice in future before seeking them. These afternoons at the "Blue Boar" were gradually giving Sheen what he had never before possessed-self-confidence. He was beginning to find that h

f hitting gently. He probably imagined that he was merely tapping, and certainly his blows were not to be compared with those he delivered in the exercise of his professional duties; but, nevertheless, Sheen had never felt anything so painful before, not even in his passage of arms with Albert. He came out of the encounter with a swollen lip and a feeling that one of his ribs was broken, and he had not had the pleasure of landing a single blo

o see whether you would lay down or not when you beg

m much," said Sh

you'd say to yourself, By George, here's a champion. But let 'em get a punch or two, and hullo! says you, what's this? They don't like it. They lay down. But you kept on. There's one thing, tho

ymnasium, and played everything equally well, nearly caused complications by inviting Sheen to play fives with him after school. Fortunately the Gotford afforded an excellent excu

en," said Mr Spence. "You o

. "I still play fives, but

e cloud under which Sheen rested. When they met in the world outside the fives-courts Harrington was polite, but made no overtures of friendship. That, it may be mentioned, was the attitude of every one who did not actually cut Sheen. The exception was

fore breakfast some time

to have few friends, and had made up his mind that he would try and bring

ke to, sir,"

Wedn

right

ou're before me, you might ge

ng across the gravel to appropriate it for their masters. The rule was that whoever first pinned to the door a piece of paper with his name on it was the lega

sages at one another. Joe Bevan's knowledge, of the plays, especially the tragedies, was wide, and at first inexplicable to Sheen. It was strange to hear him declaiming long speeches from Macbeth or Hamlet, and to think that he was by profession a pugilist. One evening he explained his curious erudition. In his youth, before he took to the ring in earnest, he had travelled with a Shakespearean repertory company. "I never played a star part," he co

ce and quiet tickled Sheen. "But I've always read Shakespeare ev

an made a suggestion which drew co

about your own form, as the saying is. Isn't there some gentlem

river and avoiding his friend's glance, explained just what it was that made it so difficult for him to produce a gentleman friend at that particular time. He

ll if you're not as plucky as anyone. It's simply a question of keeping your head. You wouldn't do a thing like that again, not you. Don't you worry yourself, sir. We're all alike

good sort, Joe," sa