Evening star., 1923-10-14
YHEN John McArdle was a
M wee boy his mother was
" wont to call him before her
Hoob o,-apJpr and Say.

conscience, lad. and shame Aud
Hornie.' Tell thy mither what thee
did today"
Sometimes there We're difficulties,
as, for instance, when he acknowl-
edged having thrown his first reader
at the head of Miss Shaw while that
lady was diligently applying the rat
tan to little jamie Roberts.
After the small defendant had
justified his conduct with all the elo-
quence and skill at his command, Mrs.
McArdle had a way of appealing to
the supreme court.
Now, lad" she would say. fixing
her glasses more firmly on her nose,
-Hthee hast defended thXself weel;
what does John McArdle himself
think about it?"
Thus bereft Of every shield to his
conscience the boy was compelled to
make answer:
John McArdle says it was ma
RIGHT, mither, and 1 maun hae the
stick"
"a vera guild decision. John" Mrs.
,McArdle would approve. Thee be
ever my ain true lad. Now gle me
yon rod"
When the demands Of justice had
been appeased John McArdle would
kiss his mother and go contentedly
to bed.
He grew up. losing his Highland
accent, but retaining, among other
things, an ability to distinguish be-
tween what he might countenance in
lighter moments and what John Nc
-Ardle decided. upon calm reflection,
was wrong, until at twenty-four he
became the last thing on earth his
mother had anticipated-the recog-
nized middleweight champion of the
world
They argued the matter at length,
but when her son insisted that John
AIcArdle himself could see nothing
wrong in the boxing game. and when
she saw that he was ever ready In
other things to make peace with his
conscience. she sighed and strove
wistfully TO understand.
But John McArdles career as a
boxer was short-lived. Fate, III the
person OF reckless auto driver.
turned him over on the road one
afternoon, and when he lurched to
his feet from u smother of broken
glass and wreckagc, his left arm
was broken In three places. The
doctors did q remarkably good job,
but they could not supply him with
an entirely new elbow.
So John McArdIe became ref
cree, q profession which fills its ranks
from two Classes-those who are
sporting writer's and continue to re-
main such, and those who are eX-
lighters and maintain cafes or billiard
rooms, the walls of which they can
adorn with photographs and capi-
talize past glories and present-day
acquaintanceships. lie established
his cafe in the center of the theatrical
district and set to work with native
seriousness to become the best ref
cree In the world.
NIcArdle learned that q referee
must watch four gloves, must never
let a boxers back be turned to him,
must always keep moving lest he
interfere with the view of the spec
tators, must always be on the alert
for the unexpected; and, hardest of
all, he must hand down his decision
as he sees it, without fear or favor,
and without seeking or accepting ad-
vice from any one. And because he
knew his business the fans came to
call him Honest John McArdIe and
tolerated him which is as much re-
ward as a referee can ever hope to
receive.
:. Z
ALL this happened before tho
n eighteenth amendment, before
John McArdle realized in full his love
for the same jamie Roberts whose
books he had carried home from
school, and before Canada Dick Pc
ters was matched with the Philadel-
phia Phantom for the middleweight
championship of the world. These
three developments followed one an
other closely and each presented to
John McArdle it's individual per-
plexities.
First there was the dry Law, which
necessitated funds with which to re-
model his establishment and made his
future income problematical.
Then there was jamie. jamie Rob-
erts was twenty, all rose and gold,
with eyes of a Coventry blue and the
lit OF the lark in her laughter. More
than that, she was the daughter-and
idol-of Big Steve Roberts, who had
once been a dealer In back room at
Dawson and now leased a palattal
suite in the Van Humphrey, main
tanning a Club for Gentlemen-Ad-
mission by Card Only"
In order that jamie should make no
mistake in life regarding men and
should marry outside the sporting
world, Big Steve Roberts taught her
how to distinguish those who carried
trick dice from those who were on the
level. and he sent her out to look the
world over. But after two years jamie
returned--to walk in the park on
sunday afternoons with John McArdle.
Now. dad" she demonstrated. f1ex-
ing pink and white finger under his
nose"-now, dad. there's no better
father in all the world than you;
and yet-you're a sporting man.
I've been a good father in spite
of my associations" he replied, mot
because of them. I want my little
girl to marry a real man-one that
nobody can reach; and tell you,
jamie. in the sporting world we're
all losers"
You're dear old mule" said jamie
lightly. 81 suppose I'll have to obey
Sou Just out of force of habit, but
YOU listen TO me; either marry John
McArdle or don't marry at all"
Thus matters stood, presenting to