a
sudden Jarvis misses a swing, and I throws all I had into an upper cut.
It connected with his chin dimple like a hammer on a nut. The next thing
I knows Swifty has the elbow-lock on me from behind, and Mike is
standin' over Mr. Jarvis makin' the count.

Well, there wa'n't any cheerin' and shoutin'. I didn't have to shake
hands with any crazy bunch, or be toted off to the dressin'-room on
their shoulders. When I gets so I can look straight I sees mother keeled
over in her chair, and sister fannin' her with the chocolate box. And
say, I felt like a lead quarter. Next I takes a squint at Lady Evelyn.
She was standin' up as stiff as a tin soldier on parade, with her eyes
snappin' and her fingers clinched.

Just one of them looks was enough for me. I gets busy with a pail, and
goes to work on Jarvis. He was clean out, of course, but restin' as easy
as a baby. We was bringin' him round all right, when I feels a push that
shoves me to one side, and in rushes Lady Evelyn. She gets one arm under
his neck just as he opens his eyes with that kind of a "What's the
matter now?" way they has of comin' back.

Course, it don't last long, that wizzy feelin' and there ain't any hurt
to speak of afterward; but I reckon Lady Evelyn don't know much about
knock-outs. The way she hugs him up you'd thought he'd been half
killed. We was all lookin' foolish and useless, I guess, when the lady
turns to me and snaps out:

"Brute! I hope you're satisfied!"

Say, it wouldn't have been worse if I'd been caught robbin' a poor box.
"Thank you, ma'am," says I, and fades into the background.

"Go away, all of you!" says she.

So Swifty and the other two comes taggin' along behind, and we had a
little reunion in the dressin'-room.

"On the dead, now," says Slattery, "what was the foul?"

"Who's claimin' foul?" says Swifty, bristlin'.

"Why the lady gives it to Shorty straight," says he.

"Ah, go dream about it!" says Swifty. "She don't know a foul from a body
wallop."

"See here," says I, "you can talk all that over while you're hoofin' it
back to the station; and you're due to be on your way in just four
minutes by the clock; so chuck it!"

"I ain't heard no step-lively call," says Slattery. "Besides, I likes
the place."

"Well, it don't like you," says I. "Mr. Jarvis and me have had enough of
your rough-house society to last us a time and a half. Now
bunky-doodle!"

They was a sore-head trio for fair, after that; but when I'd paid