The Washington times., 1922-04-16

worry him. He'd seen several peo-
pie die, and they'd all gone quite
easily, without knowing. II wasn't
that. What troubled him was the
long stretch between youth and age
getting ugly, getting weak, get
ting dull. Think of It! To become
a buffer! He revolted against the
word. Buffer! Not him. He'd be
the galloping major to the end. But
the silent voice within him replied,
'You aren't galloping as you used
to, my poor old major You went
the pace too fast, suppose. Soon
you'll be glad IL you can canter."
Then he noticed that by the side
OF the shop window stood a tall
mirror. II drew him abominably.
He wanted to test himself, and he
was afraid Of the thing. He wanted
to look away, but turned to II all
the same. Yes, there was no mis-.
take about 1t. He was getting long
in the tooth. Not much meat on
that chin. Getting chinny. Almost
as bad for a man as for a woman.
Also he had to notice a faint yellow
tinge which spread over the whites
Of his eyes, but did not obscure the
injected blood vessels. His eyes,
that's what gave him away. Funny
he hadn't noticed how pouchy they
were getting, not wrinkled exactly,
but pouchy under the lid, pink and
a little shining, like the stun about
the beak Of a turkey-cock. And he
seemed pinker about the gills than
usual.
Caldecot did not go further into
his investigations. He did not want
to realize that he had the face of a
man who, without exactly being
drunk, had drunk too much with
cards and women. He'd been killing
time, and now time was killing him.
He was not quite humble yet. He
told himself, After all, II isn't so
bad. Doesn't matter what a man
looks like so long as he's At. I've
been too easy, that's what I've been.
I've half a mind to get back and
give that little fool something she'll
remember"
He hesitated. No; he'd made
enough of a fool OF himself that
morning. Besides, she'd be gone
Anyhow, she'd be back at six. He'd
got that much out of her. Silly Of
him not to have kept an eye on her.
Still, she said she had to be waved
at half-past twelve and couldn't
lunch with him till quarter to two.
Couldn't wait till a quarter to two.
Caldecot told himself that, after all,
things had turned out pretty well,
that in the end Vee had been civil
and promised to do nothing that
day. He could manage her yet.
But, all the same, as after a mo-
ment he went on, doubts weakened
him. II was not so much that he
thought that he had lost Vera; hts
motto was, "One Vera down, an.
other come on" Such was life. But
It wasn't for her to give him the
chuck. He might hold on to her for
bit, say for a month, to teach her
a lesson, and then himself give her
the chuck. That could be done,
but this was the first time that a
woman had tried to drop him, and
this shattered his selfconfidence.
Also, the emotions of the morning
had exhausted him. His legs felt
light and he had an ache in the
back which threatened a return of
his old lumbago. =.
AS he stopped outside big public
house near Sloane street he hesi-
tated. He had dawdled before that
mirror and gone so slowly that II
was now Just half-past twelve. AS
he arrived a little crowd of men
who had been waiting went into the
public house. He wanted a drink
badly, but drinking in public houses
was a thing he never did within the
six-mile radius. A bar was differ
ent, of course, even though one met
there the same kind of man in a
different suit.
But he wanted drink, so, quickly
looking to the right and left, as II
he were still well known In clubs
instead of being well known in
hotels; as II one OF those pretty
women coming out OF the draper's
opposite were of his women, Calde,
cot went into the public house. A