New Britain herald., 1924-07-09

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 Through the open window ! could
 see, in the distance, the greenrelad
 mountains closer, could observe
 the seventh green of the goif-eourse,
 I rolled over on one side, bufyipg my
 face in the downy pillow, to hide from
 the obsequions waiter the sudden
 mifth that had overwhelmed me.
 The lifting, ten minutes ago. of the
 telephone that stood on table by
 my bed, had been enough t0 wake
 Into activity not merely this man, hut
 half dozen others, all of whose
 energies and thoughts had been di'
 reeted toward the satisfaction Of my
 wants. Oh. tell you. who have
 known direct poverty, that luxurious
 ease is worth the sacrifice Of any
 principle.
 And l should know. Had not
 followed the path of honor across
 bloody field in France. 10 learn that
 honor mocked me? Had not ad-
 hered 10 all those righteous rules
 which the strong have laid down for
 the enslavement Of the weak, and
 seen that adherence lead me from
 boarding house 10 tenement. from
 tenement to slum, and from sIum to
 the edge of the grave?
 | Honor had brought me starvation.
 What cant would term dishonor, had
 brought me full stomach. Well.
 had done with cant. The world had | its rules: one must be productive or constructive, said the world. There
 was no pace for those who belonged
 in neither class, And yet the lying
 world gave its best in place, in es- teem, in what 1t terms success. to those outside those rigid categories. Steal, and be jailed: but steal enough and be honored. Kill. and be hanged; but kill sufficiently. and be enthroned. The rules were made for the herd: but I, John Ainsey, was no lamb to be shepherded I was the wolf who preyed outside the fold, and I had tasted meat. No more. while rascals stuffed themselves. would I go hungry. had destructive brains. would use them.
 Yet would use them as gentle man must always use his strength, for though discarded forality, breeding could never leave me. Not upon the lambs nor upon the shep- herd, but upon the beasts of prey who lurked outside. would feed.
 And l was savoring now the luxury of my first kill. In New York the famous jeweler Daragon-a cur at heart-mourned the loss of a bauble wherewith he had hoped to force q woman to his will, but with which I had forced the world to my will. Here in this resort hotel, | rallied forces that had been exhausted by months of suffering when I had played the game according to the silly l rules that I now derided.
 For moment or two, after the | waiter had gone, I merely looked at | my breakfast. There was a certain joy not explainable to those who had never starved, in looking at the iced grapefruit, the yellow omelet and the golden toast. And then eager appetite mastered me. I laughed as found myself reaching for a fifth slice of toast must remember that times had changed, and that it was not necessary for me to overeat; as inevitably as the hotel clock struck one, se would I lunch. Last year, when the scanty. coarse meal before me must do me day, or two days, or even three, it was all very well, even vitally necessary, that I clean the plate. But now I could permit myself q daintiness forbidden not so long ago. And as I replaced the F toast upon the dish, I remembered that I had promised to be on the first tee at 10 o'clock. I looked at the clock on the wall, found that I had but half hour in which 10 dress, and leaped from the bed. I was shaved and bathed, and attred with a certain correctness possible only to a gentleman born and was at the appointed place, exactly on the hour My opponent was await ing me, watch in hand.
 Thought you might have changed your mind, Mir. Ainsley," he said to me.
 Am I late?" I asked.
 He grnned offensively. "Oh, you're in plenty of time.' he answered. For beating,' he added.
 l looked at him. a tall burly man, with protruding blue eyes, and thin sandy hair, he was exactly the type which, for some peason, is most off, fensive to me. find that men with { those characteristics, especially if { their Adams apples are very large, ( are usually vulgar braggarts. He was not the person whom I would have selected as my opponent But last night. in the dining-room, an elderly gentleman with whom I had struck up a casual acquaintance on the course-I had played the last nine holes with him. and he had compli- mented me on my play-asked me to his table for coffee. He introduced me to his wife and to his daughter, and 10 my opponent of today, Ernest Nantine, whom I took to be the fiance of the daughter. 1Ncrnochan, my elderly friend, expatated on my prowess to his prospective son-in-law. Whereupon Vantine promptly chal- lenged me 10 match. Tn the course of our conversation I mentioned that, during leave of absence in the war, l had played Westward Ho, in Eng land, in eight-one. Natine had shown an immediate disbelief in my state ment. He remarked that he had seen me driving, and that l didn't look like an eIghty-one player to him.
 Tn fact" he had added insolently. I'd be willing to bet five hundred dollars that you cant beat me, and I'm never below eighty-five."
 I reminded him that had Nayed but little in recent years, end Nat I had no doubt that he could beat me. Whereupon he had sneered and re- marked that he always found 1t thus: people talked low golf-scores. but