Joy now realizes she risked her life for chump change.

A thief tried to steal a cash purse from the Peoria saloon where Joy works. But she fought him off in a melee that involved threats, knives, punches, kicks, choke holds, guns-drawn police and a thrice-fired Taser.

All over 60 bucks.

"I didn't know what was in (the cash purse) ..." Joy says "I'm not some Billy Bad-Ass. I don't fight."

Tell that to the guy she knocked around.

Joy, 38, got hired a couple of weeks ago at the Dome Tap, an old neighborhood joint.

"I've been a bartender and waitress all my life," says Joy, who wants to keep her last name out of the paper. "It's all I know."

But after serving countless drinks over endless nights, she'd never been attacked - until Sept. 30. About midnight, with Joy alone in the place, in walked two ragged guys she'd not seen come in before.

"The first one had a hairy face, like he hadn't shaved in a week," Joy says. "The other had stringy hair, like he hadn't showered in a month."

Stringy ordered a Jim Beam and Coke, then sat on a stool and laid his head on the bar. As Hairy asked for a Captain Morgan and Coke, Joy recognized the two from way back.

"I went to church with (Hairy) when I was a little girl," she says. "The other guy's dad dated my step-mom years ago."

After getting his drink, Hairy started walking toward Joy, behind the bar.

"I need a couple bucks," he said. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

She replied, "You ain't getting anything any (expletive) way."

Hairy stands 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 180 pounds. Joy goes 5 feet 4 inches and 100 pounds.

From under the back bar, Hairy grabbed a butcher knife and another blade, laying them atop the bar as if to intimidate Joy. She snatched up both and put them back.

She locked the register with the key and pushed the silent alarm, which alerts police. Then she grabbed the cash purse and jammed it down the front of her pants.

"Buddy," she told him, "you ain't getting (expletive)."

Irate, Hairy told her, "I guess we'll do this hard way."

He shoved her against the draft box. Then he put her in a choke hold before throwing her to the floor. She got back up, and the two began wrestling. Fists and feet began flying.

"I kicked the crap out of him," Joy says. "I had my heavy Harley boots on."

She got free and ran out the front door. Outside, she yelled, "Help! Someone call the cops!"

Then she saw three cops on foot hustling over, weapons drawn. They dashed into the bar as Hairy slipped out back.

He ignored their warnings to stop, so they blasted him with a Taser. Three times. That stopped him.

Hairy turned out to be Darrin L. Smith, 38, of East Peoria. He was charged with armed robbery and obstructing police. His pal wasn't charged.

Joy feels proud about fighting off the intruder. But she does wonder what would have happened if he'd brought a gun.

"I took that chance," she says, shaking her head. "My boss, the next day, was mad at me. He said, 'Next time, give them the money.' "

Phil Luciano can be reached at pluciano@pjstar.com or (309) 686-3155.