"What I don't know," he soliloquized, "won't hurt me any." But he had
not been there many days before the piecing together of chance remarks
and the gossip of the hangers-on and other sparring partners made it
very apparent why Brophy should not be badly man-handled. As it finally
revealed itself to Jimmy it was very simple indeed. Brophy was to be
pitted against a man whom he had already out-pointed in a former bout.
He was the ruling favorite in the betting, and it was the intention to
keep him so while he and his backers quietly placed all their money on
the other man.

One of the sparring partners who seemed to harbor a petty grudge against
Brophy finally explained the whole plan to Jimmy. Everything was to be
done to carry the impression to the public through the newspapers, who
were usually well represented at the training quarters, that Brophy was
in the pink of condition; that he was training hard; that it was
impossible to find men who could stand up to him on account of the
terrific punishment he inflicted upon his sparring partners; and that
the result of the fight was already a foregone conclusion; and then in
the third round Young Brophy was to lie down and by reclining peacefully
on his stomach for ten seconds make more money than several years of
hard and conscientious work earnestly performed could ever net him.

It was all very, very simple; but how easily public opinion might be
changed should one of the sparring partners really make a good stand
against Brophy in the presence of members of the newspaper fraternity!

"I see," said Jimmy, running his fingers through his hair. "Oh, well,
it's none of my business, and if the suckers want to bet their money on
a prize-fight they're about due to lose it anyway."