Mississippi Raider by J.T. Edson

began to give
suggestions of how they should continue the action for the benefit
of the audience.
    Considering that the girl had
never indulged in anything of the kind, although the redhead
admitted later that the majority of her bouts against the other
female members of the establishment were carried out in such a
fashion, they contrived to put on what appeared to be a vigorously
conducted struggle that the audience clearly never suspected was
other than genuine. viii Nevertheless, there was one aspect of
the supposed conflict that Belle found disconcerting, since she had
not been warned by de-Farge that it might happen. In the course of
the mill on the floor, without letting it be seen she was doing so,
Roxanne had contrived to rip open the front of her flimsy bodice so
her big and firmly jutting bosom was brought into view.
    When asked in the same
surreptitious fashion whether she wanted to call off the struggling
until the damage could be corrected, she replied that having it
occur was an accepted part of the action and that its subsequent
removal was all the loss of attire that would take place. Realizing
that the perspiration she was already shedding freely must have
rendered her own garments as sodden as and even more revealing than
the redhead ’s attire, and having no feelings of false modesty in
consideration of the way she was already behaving, Belle said she
was willing to be stripped to the waist if this too would be
accepted, and this was done in a suitably realistic and supposedly
unexpected fashion.
    Although Belle would be forced
into physical conflict against other women more than once, there would be
only two occasions in the future when she was compelled by
circumstances to indulge in such less-than-serious conflict. ix However, despite this being the first
time she had done anything of the kind and there having been no
suggestion of it happening before the bout commenced, given support
by the much more experienced redhead—who was not averse to carrying
out the usual kind of simulated fighting after the effective way in
which the opening moves were made against her—the girl was able to
put on a most convincing performance. Putting to use the latent
histrionic ability that would serve her so well in her future
career, Belle was able to simulate all the emotions that were
required, whether suggesting delight at success, frustration when
some move she was making was thwarted, or the appropriate response
when she was subjected to some form of gently applied suffering.
The latter was shown to good advantage when, having whispered that
such was expected by the spectators, Roxanne grabbed and appeared
to be subjecting her bare breasts to a grinding and twisting that
looked much more painful than was the case. The kick she sent
between the redhead’s thighs to bring about the release from the
hold appeared equally hurtful without being so.
    Continuing to be guided by
Roxanne without any of the spectators realizing this was taking
place, Belle put all her best efforts into helping produce a
clearly well-enjoyed simulation of fighting. Having learned that
such was always considered amusing by the audience, the redhead was
pretending to remove the girl ’s mask without having attained the requisite
victory. On the referee trying to stop this happening, they turned
upon him and, taking him to the floor with them, appeared to be
subjecting him to a mauling instead of each other.
    Leaving Hislop behind after a
few seconds, which was greeted by amused comments from the
onlookers, the combatants rolled away in their still well-simulated
basic feminine conflict. Doing so inadvertently took them under the
lowest rope, so they carried on their supposed fighting outside
the ring.
This lasted for a few seconds before the nearest spectators, one of
whom was an acquaintance of Belle but gave not the slightest
suggestion of recognizing her—which was not surprising due to the
mask, the change made to the color of her hair