The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Gerald Vance

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Vital Ingredient

Author: Gerald Vance

Illustrator: Llewellyn

Release Date: January 21, 2009 [EBook #27797]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VITAL INGREDIENT ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: Pop's lightning brain reacted. He sent in the haymaker.]

_Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world
title. He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning
brain to direct every feint and punch. This left only one thing in
doubt, the----_

VITAL INGREDIENT

By GERALD VANCE

"Champ, what's with ya lately?" Benny asked the question as they lay on
the beach.

"Nothing," Frankie answered. "Just fight-nite miseries, I guess."

"No it ain't, Frankie. It's something else. You losin' confidence in
Milt? That it? Can't you hold it one more time? You guys only need
tonite and you got it. One more to make Ten-Time Defenders--the first
in the game, Frankie."

"We won the last two on points, Benny. Points--and I'm better than that.
I keep waiting, and waiting, for my heels to set; for Milt to send it up
my legs and back and let fly. But he won't do it, Benny."

"Look, Champ, Milt knows what he's doing. He's sending you right. You
think maybe you know as much as Milt?"

"Maybe I just do, Benny. Maybe I do."

Benny didn't have the answer to this heresy. By law this was Frankie's
last fight--as a fighter. If he won this one and became a Ten-Time
Defender he would have his pick of the youngsters at the Boxing College,
just as Milt had chosen him fifteen years before. For fifteen years he'd
never thrown a punch of his own in a fight ring.

Maybe because it was his last fight in the ring he felt the way he did
today. He understood, of course, why fighters were mentally controlled
by proved veterans. By the time a fighter had any real experience and
know-how in the old days, his body was shot. Now the best bodies and
the best brains were teamed by mental control.

Benny ha