“Well, I don’t mind sayin’ dat it’ll break his wrist.  Yer can do it de first crack arter I shows yer how, but it’ll cost twenty-five plunks ter learn der trick.”

After a few moments of hesitation Browning drew forth his pocketbook and counted out twenty-five dollars.

CHAPTER XVI.

To break an enemy’s wrist.

Buster Kelley was a character.  Professor Kelley he called himself.  He claimed to be a great pugilist, and he was forever telling of the men he had put to sleep.  But he couldn’t produce the papers to show for it.  The public had to take his word, if they took anything.

In fact, he had never fought a battle in his life, unless it was with a boy half his size.  He made a bluff, and it went.  The youngsters who came to Yale and desired to be instructed in the manly art were always recommended to Kelley.

To give Kelley his due, he was really a fairly good boxer, and he might have made a decent sort of a fight if he had possessed the courage to accept a match and the self denial and energy to go through a regular course of training.

But Kelley was making an easy living “catching suckers,” and there was no real reason why he should go through the hardships of training and actually fighting so long as he could fool the youngsters who regarded him as a one-time great and shining light of the prize ring.

He was too shrewd to stand up with any pupil who might get the best of him and permit that pupil to hammer away at him.  He kept them at work on certain kinds of blows, so he always knew exactly what was coming.  In this manner of training them he never betrayed just how much he really knew about fighting.

Some of the young fellows who became Kelley’s pupils were the sons of wealthy parents, and then it happened that the professor worked his little game for all there was in it.  He sold them “secrets,” and they paid dearly for what they learned.  Some of the secrets were of no value at all, and some were actually worth knowing.

It happened that he did know how to break a man’s wrist in a very simple manner, providing he could find just the right opportunity.  It was a simple trick, but the opportunity to practice it could seldom be found in a fight.

Kelley’s eyes, which were somewhat bleary, bulged with greed as he saw Browning count out the money.

“It’s givin’ yer der trick dirt cheap—­see?” said the professor.  “I never sold it less dan twice dat ermount before.  Dat’s straight.  I’ll have ter make yer promise not ter tell it ter der odder chaps before I instructs yer.”

“If I buy it it is mine,” said Bruce.

“Come off der roof!  You enters inter an’ agreement wid me dat yer don’t blow dis t’ing, ur I don’t tell yer.”

“What if I want to tell a particular friend?”