the night-born-第31节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



His　next　fight　after　this　will　be　for　the　championship。　And

you're　unknown。　Nobody　ever　heard　of　you　out　of　Los　Angeles。〃



〃They　will；〃　Rivera　answered　with　a　shrug；　〃after　this　fight。〃



〃You　think　for　a　second　you　can　lick　me？〃　Danny　blurted　in。　



Rivera　nodded。



〃Oh；　come；　listen　to　reason；〃　Kelly　pleaded。　〃Think　of　the

advertising。〃



〃I　want　the　money；〃　was　Rivera's　answer。



〃You　couldn't　win　from　me　in　a　thousand　years；〃　Danny　assured

him。



〃Then　what　are　you　holdin'　out　for？〃　Rivera　countered。　〃If　the

money's　that　easy；　why　don't　you　go　after　it？〃



〃I　will；　so　help　me！〃　Danny　cried　with　abrupt　conviction。　〃I'Il

beat　you　to　death　in　the　ring；　my　boyyou　monkeyin'　with　me

this　way。　Make　out　the　articles；　Kelly。　Winner　take　all。　Play

it　up　in　the　sportin'　columns。　Tell　'em　it's　a　grudge　fight。

I'll　show　this　fresh　kid　a　few。〃



Kelly's　secretary　had　begun　to　write；　when　Danny　interrupted。



〃Hold　on！〃　He　turned　to　Rivera。



〃Weights？〃



〃Ringside；〃　came　the　answer。



〃Not　on　your　life；　Fresh　Kid。　If　winner　takes　all；　we　weigh　in

at　ten　A。M。〃



〃And　winner　takes　all？〃　Rivera　queried。



Danny　nodded。　That　settled　it。　He　would　enter　the　ring　in　his

full　ripeness　of　strength。



〃Weigh　in　at　ten；〃　Rivera　said。



The　secretary's　pen　went　on　scratching。



〃It　means　five　pounds；〃　Roberts　complained　to　Rivera。



〃You've　given　too　much　away。　You've　thrown　the　fight　right

there。　Danny'll　lick　you　sure。　He'll　be　as　strong　as　a　bull。

You're　a　fool。　You　ain't　got　the　chance　of　a　dewdrop　in　hell。〃



Rivera's　answer　was　a　calculated　look　of　hatred。　Even　this

Gringo　he　despised；　and　him　had　he　found　the　whitest　Gringo　of

them　all。



IV



Barely　noticed　was　Rivera　as　he　entered　the　ring。　Only　a　very

slight　and　very　scattering　ripple　of　half…hearted　hand…clapping

greeted　him。　The　house　did　not　believe　in　him。　He　was　the　lamb

led　to　slaughter　at　the　hands　of　the　great　Danny。　Besides；　the

house　was　disappointed。　It　had　expected　a　rushing　battle

between　Danny　Ward　and　Billy　Carthey；　and　here　it　must　put　up

with　this　poor　little　tyro。　Still　further；　it　had　manifested

its　disapproval　of　the　change　by　betting　two；　and　even　three；

to　one　on　Danny。　And　where　a　betting　audience's　money　is；　there

is　its　heart。



The　Mexican　boy　sat　down　in　his　corner　and　waited。　The　slow

minutes　lagged　by。　Danny　was　making　him　wait。　It　was　an　old

trick；　but　ever　it　worked　on　the　young；　new　fighters。　They　grew

frightened；　sitting　thus　and　facing　their　own　apprehensions　and

a　callous；　tobacco…smoking　audience。　But　for　once　the　trick

failed。　Roberts　was　right。　Rivera　had　no　goat。　He；　who　was　more

delicately　coordinated；　more　finely　nerved　and　strung　than　any

of　them；　had　no　nerves　of　this　sort。　The　atmosphere　of

foredoomed　defeat　in　his　own　corner　had　no　effect　on　him。　His

handlers　were　Gringos　and　strangers。　Also　they　were　scrubsthe

dirty　driftage　of　the　fight　game；　without　honor；　without

efficiency。　And　they　were　chilled；　as　well；　with　certitude　that

theirs　was　the　losing　corner。



〃Now　you　gotta　be　careful；〃　Spider　Hagerty　warned　him。　Spider

was　his　chief　second。　〃Make　it　last　as　long　as　you　canthem's

my　instructions　from　Kelly。　If　you　don't；　the　papers'll　call　it

another　bum　fight　and　give　the　game　a　bigger　black　eye　in　Los

Angeles。〃



All　of　which　was　not　encouraging。　But　Rivera　took　no　notice。　He

despised　prize　fighting。　It　was　the　hated　game　of　the　hated

Gringo。　He　had　taken　up　with　it；　as　a　chopping　block　for　others

in　the　training　quarters；　solely　because　he　was　starving。　The

fact　that　he　was　marvelously　made　for　it　had　meant　nothing。　He

hated　it。　Not　until　he　had　come　in　to　the　Junta；　had　he　fought

for　money；　and　he　had　found　the　money　easy。　Not　first　among　the

sons　of　men　had　he　been　to　find　himself　successful　at　a

despised　vocation。



He　did　not　analyze。　He　merely　knew　that　he　must　win　this　fight。

There　could　be　no　other　outcome。　For　behind　him；　nerving　him　to

this　belief；　were　profounder　forces　than　any　the　crowded　house

dreamed。　Danny　Ward　fought　for　money；　and　for　the　easy　ways　of

life　that　money　would　bring。　But　the　things　Rivera　fought　for

burned　in　his　brainblazing　and　terrible　visions；　that；　with

eyes　wide　open；　sitting　lonely　in　the　corner　of　the　ring　and

waiting　for　his　tricky　antagonist；　he　saw　as　clearly　as　he　had

lived　them。



He　saw　the　white…walled；　water…power　factories　of　Rio　Blanco。

He　saw　the　six　thousand　workers；　starved　and　wan；　and　the

little　children；　seven　and　eight　years　of　age；　who　toiled　long

shifts　for　ten　cents　a　day。　He　saw　the　perambulating　corpses；

the　ghastly　death's　heads　of　men　who　labored　in　the　dye…rooms。

He　remembered　that　he　had　heard　his　father　call　the　dye…rooms

the　〃suicide…holes；〃　where　a　year　was　death。　He　saw　the　little

patio；　and　his　mother　cooking　and　moiling　at　crude　housekeeping

and　finding　time　to　caress　and　love　him。　And　his　father　he　saw；

large；　big…moustached　and　deep…chested；　kindly　above　all　men；

who　loved　all　men　and　whose　heart　was　so　large　that　there　was

love　to　overflowing　still　left　for　the　mother　and　the　little

muchacho　playing　in　the　corner　of　the　patio。　In　those　days　his

name　had　not　been　Felipe　Rivera。　It　had　been　Fernandez；　his

father's　and　mother's　name。　Him　had　they　called　Juan。　Later；　he

had　changed　it　himself；　for　he　had　found　the　name　of　Fernandez

hated　by　prefects　of　police；　jefes　politicos；　and　rurales。



Big；　hearty　Joaquin　Fernandez！　A　large　place　he　occupied　in

Rivera's　visions。　He　had　not　understood　at　the　time；　but

looking　back　he　could　understand。　He　could　see　him　setting　type

in　the　little　printery；　or　scribbling　endless　hasty；　nervous

lines　on　the　much…cluttered　desk。　And　he　could　see　the　strange

evenings；　when　workmen；　coming　secretly　in　the　dark　like　men

who　did　ill　deeds；　met　with　his　father　and　talked　long　hours

where　he；　the　muchacho；　lay　not　always　asleep　in　the　corner。



As　from　a　remote　distance　he　could　hear　Spider　Hagerty　saying

to　him：　〃No　layin'　down　at　the　start。　Them's　instructions。　Take

a　beatin'　and　earn　your　dough。〃



Ten　minutes　had　passed；　and　he　still　sat　in　his　comer。　There

were　no　signs　of　Danny；　who　was　evidently　playing　the　trick　to

the　limit。



But　more　visions　burned　before　the　eye　of　Rivera's　memory。　The

strike；　or；　rather；　the　lockout；　because　the　workers　of　Rio

Blanco　had　helped　their　striking　brothers　of　Puebla。　The

hunger；　the　expeditions　in　the　hills　for　berries；　the　roots　and

herbs　that　all　ate　and　that　twisted　and　pained　the　stomachs　of

all　of　them。　And　then；　the　nightmare；　the　waste　of　ground

before　the　company's　store；　the　thousands　of　starving　workers；

General　Rosalio　Martinez　and　the　soldiers　of　Porfirio　Diaz；　and

the　death…spitting　rifles　that　seemed　never　to　cease　spitting；

while　the　workers'　wrongs　were　washed　and　washed　again　in　their

own　blood。　And　that　night！　He　saw　the　flat　cars；　piled　high

with　the　bodies　of　the　slain；　consigned　to　Vera　Cruz；　food　for

the　sharks　of　the　bay。　Again　he　crawled　over　the　grisly　heaps；

seeking　and　finding；　stripped　and　mangled；　his　father　and　his

mother。　His　mother　he　especially　rememberedonly　her　face

projecting；　her　body　burdened　by　the　weight　of　dozens　of

bodies。　Again　the　rifles　of　the　soldiers　of　Porfirio　Diaz

cracked；　and　again　he　dropped　to　the　ground　and　slunk　away　like

some　hunted　coyote　of　the　hills。



To　his　ears　came　a　great　roar；　as　of　the　sea；　and　he　saw　Danny

Ward；　leading　his　retinue　of　trainers　and　seconds；　coming　down

the　center　aisle。　The　house　was　in　wild　uproar　for　the　popular

hero　who　was　bound　to　win。　Everybody　proclaimed　him。　Everybody

was　for　him。　Even　Rivera's　own　seconds　warmed　to　something　akin

to　cheerfulness　when　Danny　ducked　jauntily　through　the　ropes

and　entered　the　ring。　His　face　continually　spread　to　an

unending　succession　of　smiles；　and　when　Danny　smiled　he　smiled

in　every　feature；　even　to　the　laughter…wrinkles　of　the　corners

of　the　eyes　and　into　the　depths　of　the　eyes　themselves。　Never

was　there　so　genial　a　fighter。　His　face　was　a　running

advertisement　of　good　feeling；　of　good　fellowship。　He　knew

everybody。　He　joked；　and　laughed；　and　greeted　his　friends

through　the　ropes。　Those　farther　away；　unable　to　suppress　their

admiration；　cried　loudly：　〃Oh；　you　Danny！〃　It　was　a　joyous

ovation　of　affection　that　lasted　a　full　five　minutes。



Rivera　was　disregarded。　For　all　that　the　audience　noticed；　he

did　not　exist。　Spider　Lagerty's　bloated　face　bent　down　close　to

his。



〃No　gettin'　scared；〃　the　Spider　warned。



〃An'　remember　instructions。　You　gotta　last。　No　layin'　down。　If

you　lay　down；　we　got　instructions　to　beat　you　up　in　the

dressing　rooms。　Savve？　You　just　gotta　fight。〃



The　house　began　to　applaud。　Danny　was　crossing　the　ring　to　him。

Danny　bent　over；　caught　Rivera's　right　hand　in　both　his　own　and

shook　it　with　impulsive　heartiness。　Danny's　smile…wreathe