The Yale expositor., 1906-11-30
CHAPTER VlI.-continued.
GOES INTO TRAIN
ING.
N19R0zzT- q


detail of that dinner-it was a purely
family" affair, only the Elierslys and
l. can feel now the oppressive at
mosphere, the look as of impending
sacrilege upon the faces of the old
servants; / can see Mrs. Ellersly try
ing to condescend to be gracious"
and treating me as If l were some sort
of museum freak or menagerie exhibit.
can see Anita. She was like statue
of snow; she spoke not word; If she
lifted her eyes, / failed to note ii. And
when was leaving-I with my collar
wilted from the fierce, nervous strain
had been enduring-Mrs. Bllersly, in
that voice of hers into which l don't
believe any shade of a real human
emotion ever penetrated, said: You
must come to see us, Mr.. Blackjack.
We are always at home after five"
l looked at Miss Ellersly. She was
white to the lips now, and the span
giles on her white dress seemed bits
of ice glittering there. She said moth
ing; but l knew she felt my look, and
that it froze the ice the more closely
in around her heart. Thank YOU"
muttered.
/ stumbled in the hall; I almost fell
down the broad steps. l stopped at
the first bar and took three drinks in
quick succession. l went on down
the avenue, breathing like an exhaust
ed swimmer. "I'll give her up" |
cried aloud, so upset was l.
/ am a man OF impulse; but have
trained myself not to be creature OF
impulse, at least not in matters of i'm
portance. Without that patient and
painful schooling, shouldn't have got
where l now am; probably I'd still be
blacking boots, or sheet-writing for
some bookmaker, or clerking it for
some broker. Before | got my rooms,
the night air and my habit of the
sober second thought" had cooled me
back to nationality.
II want her, / need her." / was say
ing to myself. Il am worthier OF her
than are those mincing manihns she
has been bred to regard as men. She
is for me-she belongs to me. I'll
abandon her to no Sinking puppet
who'd wear her as a donkey would a
diamond. Why should l do myself
and her an injury simply because she
has been too badly brought up to
know her own INTEREST,""
When this was clear to me sent
for my trainer. He was one of those
spare, wiry Engliehmen, with skin like
tanned and painted hide-brcwn ex-
cept where the bones seem about to
push their sharp angles through, and
there a frosty, winter apple red. He
dressed like a Deadwood gambler, he
talked like stable boy; but for all
that, you couldn't fail to see he was
gentleman born and bred. Yes, he
was a gentleman, though he mixed
profanity into his ordinary flow Of
conversation more literally than did
l when in rage.
/ stood up before him, threw my
coat back, thrust my thumbs into my
trousers pockets and slowly turned
about like ready-made tailor's dunn
my. "Monson," said l, what do you
think of me?"
He looked me over as If | were a
horse he was about to buy. Sound,
]
wind-uncommon good wind. A goer.
and a slayer. Not a lump. Not hair
out of place" He laughed. action
a bit high perhaps-for the track. But
a grand reach"
81 Know all that" said l. you miss
my point Suppose you wanted to
enter me for-say, the Society Sweep
stakes-what them"
"Um-uln," he muttered reflectively.
That's different"
Don't | look-sort of-new-as IL
the varEish was still sticky and might
come off on the ladies' dresses and on
the fine furniture?"
"Oh-that!" said he obviously. But
all those kinds of things are matters
of taste"
"Out with it," commanded. Don't
be afraid I'm not one of those damn
fools that ask for criticism when they
want only flattery, as you ought to
know by this time. I'm aware of my
good points, know how good they are
better than anybody else in the world
And | suspect my weak points-al-
ways did. I've got on chiefly because
| made people tell me to my face what
they'd rather have grinned over be-
hind my back"
What's your gamer" asked Monson.
I'm in the dark"
"Ill tell you, Monsoon. | hired you
to train horses. Now | want to hire
you to train me, too. AS it's double
work, it's double pay"
Say on" said he, and say II
slow"
II want TO marry" | explained. 81
want to inspect all the offerings before
| decide. You are TO train me so that
I can go among the herds thatd shy
off from me If wasn't on to their lit
tie ways"
IIo looked suspiciously at me- doubt
less thinking this some new develop
ment of american humor."
Il mean IT," ! assured him. I'm
going to train. and train hard. i've