Tom suspected, and he put forth the utmost cunning of which he was
capable.

They twisted, swayed back and forth, and once Tom came within a hair of
falling, owing to a slight slip of one foot. But he was on his mettle,
and, putting forth his whole might and ability, he flung his antagonist on
his back with a violence that almost drove the breath from his body.

"Fudge!" remarked Tom, turning away in disgust; "I'll give you a few
lessons if you wish to learn how to wrestle. Any way, you had better take
lessons of some person before you bother _me_ again."

The other two clerks had dropped upon the nearest stools, and were holding
their sides with mirth.

"Zeigler," said one, when he recovered speech, "that's too big a contract
for you; you can't deliver the goods."

"You'll have to pay for those window-panes you shook out," added the
other.

"I've got a set of boxing-gloves here," growled Zeigler, who tried to
assume an indifference, as he brushed off his clothes and looked up with
flaming face. "I'd like to try you with them."

"I'm agreeable," replied Tom, who had seen Zeigler bang the other clerks
around with the gloves as he pleased. "I learned something of the business
when I was a newsboy. I hope you are better at it than you are at
wrestling."

While Tom was speaking he was drawing on a pair of gloves and fixing the
strings at the wrist. Zeigler was a little uneasy at the coolness of his
opponent, and his readiness in accepting his challenge. Then, too, when he
took his position, with his left foot advanced, his right glove in front
of his chest, his left arm extended, the pose was so like a professional,
that Zeigler's misgivings increased. Still he felt great confidence in
his own skill, and there was no criticism to be made upon his position
when he faced the youth, for whose vanquishment he would have given half
his year's salary.

"Now," said Tom, with his exasperating coolness, "I propose that _each do
his best_. I don't suppose you want any baby play. I don't. I invite you
to hit me as often and as hard as you can. I'm going to do the same with
you. _Time_!"

They began dancing about a common center, sawing their arms back and
forth, each looking sharply in the other's eye and on the alert for an
opening.

Tom meant to make the other lead; for, before assuming the aggressive, he
wished to know more about Zeigler. It might be he possessed greater skill
than Tom believed. He meant to learn som