o don't pay no attention to me, but
kisses his hand at a tree. "Fiftha reel," he says, "she'sa great! Get
everybody excite! You get throw from sheep in ocean, fella shoot at
you when you try sweem, bada fella come along in motorboat, he'sa run
you down! Then you swim five, six, seven mile to land and there dozen
feller beat you with club--so you no fighta the champ!"

The Kid has sunk down on a chair and he's fannin' himself. His face
was the color of skim milk.

"What you think?" asks Genaro. "She's a maka fine picture, what?"

"Great!" I says. "If that guy that wants to fix the Kid so he no
fighta the champ loses out, they can't say he wasn't tryin' anyhow!
Why don't you throw in another reel, showin' the lions devourin' the
Kid--so he no fighta the champ?"

"That's a good!" Genaro shakes his head. "I spika to Van Aylstyne!"

He took us up to his office and when we get inside the door they's a
dame sittin' there which would make Venus look like a small-town
soubrette. She looked like these other movie queens would like to!
Whilst we're givin' her the up and down, she smiles at the Kid and he
immediately drops his hat on the floor and knocks over a inkwell.

"Miss Vincent," says Genaro, "this Mr. Kid Scanlan. He'sa work with
you nex' week. This Mr. Green, hisa fr'en'."

We shake hands all around and the Kid elbows me to one side.

"Where are you goin' this afternoon?" he asks the dame. "Anywheres?"

Genaro raps on the desk.

"Joosta one minoote!" he calls out. "Mr. Kid Scanlan, I would like--"

"Joosta wait!" pipes the Kid. "Writa me the letta! I'm ver' busy
joosta now!" He puts one hand on the mantelpiece and drapes himself in
front of the dame. "And you haven't been here long, eh?" he says.

Genaro frowns for a minute and then he grins and winks at me.

"Miss Vincent!" he butts in. "You show Mr. Kid Scanlan all around this
afternoon, what? Explain him everything about nex' week we maka his
picture. What you think, no?"

"Yes!" pipes the Kid grabbin' his hat. "I never been nowheres. Lets
go!"

The dame smiles some more, and, well, Scanlan must have been born with
a horseshoe in each hand because she takes his arm and they blow.

Just as they were goin' out the door, in comes Gloomy Gus which brought
us up from the station. He looks at the Kid and this dame goin' out
and he sneers after 'em.

"Champion!" he mutters, curlin' his lip. "Huh!"

The next mornin' we meet this guy