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The little doctor roared with laughter; the buzz and hum of conversation increased around us--bits of banter, jests tossed from friend to friend

"Who dubs your birds for you Sir Peter?" cried Helsing--"the Bridewell barber?"

"Ten guineas to eight with you on the first battle," retorted Sir Peter, courteously; and, "Done with you, sir!" said Helsing, noting the bet, while Sir Peter booked his memorandum and turned to meet a perfect shower of offers, all of which he accepted sly And I--oh, I was sick to sit there without a penny laid to show my loyalty to Sir Peter But it must be so, and I bit my lip and strove to smile and parry with a jest the well- ht loyally, cautioned by Sir Peter, who begged that they wait; but they would not--and one was Irish--so nothing would do but a bold front and an officer snapped with, "Done, sir!"

The judges and the referee had been chosen, the color-writers selected, and Sir Peter had won the draw, choosing, of course, to weigh first, the iinian, partly New York custom Matches had beena stag four ounces; round heels were to be used; all cutters, twists, and slashers barred; the metal was steel, not silver

And now the pitters had taken station, Horrock and a wall-eyed Bat-man of the Train, and the birds had billed three times and had been fairly delivered on the score--a black brass-back of ours against a black-red of the Fifty-fourth Scarcely a second did they eye one another when crack! slap! they were at it, wing and gaffle Suddenly the black-red closed and held, struck like lightning five or six times, and it was all over with Sir Peter's Flatbush brass-back, done for in a single heat

"Fast work," observed Sir Peter cal snuff, with a pleasant nod to the ene, all taken by Sir Peter and O'Neil and a few others of ours, and I bitingmy eyes on the roof Had I not dreaded to hurt Sir Peter I should never, never have coain showed a brass-back and let hi a feather, whereupon Sir Peter rashly laid ten to five and few takers, too, for the Fifty-fourth showed a pyle of five-pounds-three--a shuffler which few fancied But Lord! the shuffler druh two ounces light, took just eight minutes to crow for victory