Part 14 (2/2)
”I don't know I doubt it We don't take every one” His eyes seeuest
”Well, but I was told--an a rapid, seetic explanation of how he ca about your friend or what he told you If he told you you could order a roo with hih, if you want to sit down and rest yourself a little I'll see what I can do for you I can't decide nohether I can let you stay You'll have to wait a while” He turned and walked off
The other stared ”Well,” he co, ”if a man wants to cos, but it's certainly unusual, isn't it?” He sat doilted, and waited
Later a clerk in charge of the registry book took us in hand, and then I heard hiood shape He had co way--Denver, I believe He had heard that all one needed to do was to wire, especially one in his circumstances
”Some people think that way,” solemnly commented the clerk, ”but they don't know Mr Culhane He does about as he pleases in these matters He doesn't do this any more to make money but rather to amuse himself, I think He always has ht Perhaps there was so to this place after all I did not even partially sense the drift of the situation, though, until bedtial meal and shown to my very sihts were turned off I lit a ss which I had placed in a grip, when I heard a voice in the hall outside: ”Candles out, please! Candles out! All guests in bed!” Then it ca enforced here
The nextat five-thirty a loud rap sounded at ht before I had noticed above n which read: ”Gueststrunks, shoes and sweater, and appear in the gymnasium by six sharp” ”Gymnasium at six! Gymnasium at six!” a voice echoed down the hall I bounced out of bed So about the very air of the place erous to atteer-like eyes ofany softer ray in them for me than for others I had paid reat roo shoes in less than five minutes
And that room! By that tiyun to asserandiloquent whiskers parted in the oatees! the fat, Hoti-like stomachs! the protuberant knees! the thin arlasses or pince-nezes!--laid aside a few th in the pink of condition, when clad only in trunks, a sweater and running shoes, are none too acceptable--but e! And out in the world, I reflected rather sadly, they all wore the best of clothes, had their cars, servants, city and country houses perhaps, their factories, employees, institutions
Ridiculous! Pitiful! As lymphatic and flabby as oysters without their shells, myself included It was really painful
Even as I meditated, however, I was advised, by er, to choose a partner, any partner, fortaken or called by _hiinning to practice, keeping two or three lightbetween each pair, our host entered--that iron own he lookedabbot of theup his cowl and revealed himself lithe and lion-like and costumed like ourselves But how s lean and sturdy, his chest full, his are leather-covereda name to which responded a lean whiskerando with a ses and ar of trunks and sweater Taking his place opposite the host, he was immediatelyepithets
”Hurry up now! Faster! Ah, come on! Put the ball back to me! Put the ball back! Do you want to keep it all day? Great God! What are you standing there for? What are you standing there for? What do you think you're doing--drinking tea? Co for you alone Move! Move, you ham! You call yourself an editor! Why, you couldn't edit a handbill! You can't even throw a ball straight! Throw it straight! Throw it straight! For Christ's sake where do you think I aht! hell!” and all the tirabbed from anywhere, for the floor was always littered with them, would be thrown in the victim's direction, and before he could well appreciate as happening to hiain on the chest by the rapidly delivered six ounce air-filled balls, two of which at least he and the host were supposed to keep in constanthi his hands over the affected part ceased all effort At this the master of the situation only s up a ball as if to throw it continued, ”What's the matter with you now? Come on! What do you want to stop for? What do you want to stand there for? You're not hurt How do you expect to get anywhere if you can't keep two silly little balls like these going between us?” (There had probably been six or eight) ”Here I am sixty and you're forty, and you can't even keep up with eneral public advice on life! Well, go on; God pity the public, is all I say,” and he dis out another name
Now ca sto--six hundred employees under him--down in health and nerves, really all ”shot to pieces”
physically Plainly nervous at the sound of his na wildly after the purposely eccentric throhich his host ht in an all but panicky mood
”Move! Move!” insisted our host as before, and, if anything, more irritably ”Say, you work like a crab! What a uts you could do this better A fine speci about in taxis and eatingWake up! Wake up! A belt would have kept your stoo A little less food and less sleep, and you wouldn't have any fat cheeks Even your hair ht stay on! Wake up! Wake up!
What do you want to do--die?” and as he talked he pitched the balls so quickly that his victih he were about to weep
His physical deficiencies were all too plain in every way He was generally obese and looked as though heand o on,” sounded and a third victim was called This time it was a well-known actor who responded, a star, rather spry and well set up, but still nervous, for he realized quite as before him He had been here for weeks and was in pretty fair trian receiving and tossing as swiftly as he could, but as with the others so it was his turn now to be given such a grilling and tongue-lashi+ng as falls to few of us in this world, let alone ahts ”Say, you're not an actor--you're a woman! You're a stewed onion! Move! Move! Come on! Come on! Look at those motions noill you? Look at that one ar? It's not a lamp! Come on!
Come on! It's a wonder when you're killed as Hamlet that you don't stay dead You are You're really dead now, you know Move! Move!” and so it would go until finally the poor thespian, noupon his neck, ear, stoo any faster than I can, can I? I can't do any o on! Go back into the chorus!” called his host, who now abandoned him ”Get somebody from the baby class to play marbles with you,” and he called another
By now, as ined, I was fairly stirred up as to the probabilities of the situation Heopposite me--a small, decayed person who chose me, I think, because he kneas new, innocuous and probably aard--seehts as well as his own By lively exercise with reat and valuable effort here ”Come on, let's play fast so he won't notice us,” he said ht I had known hi at any rate Whether owing to our efforts or the fact that I at least was too insignificant, too obscure, we escaped He did reachfailure could have done worse I was struck and tripped and pounded until I all but fell prone upon the floor, half convinced that I was being killed, but I was not I wasback to the sidelines to recover while he tortured some one else But the names he called me! The coed ard in the fierce and seeht my ABC's, I crept shamefacedly and beaten fro bathroom, where the host daily personally superintended the ablutions of his guests, that even oodly portion of the force of his ility, authority or worth froth and energy, they were all children, weaklings, failures, nuht be in the world outside They had no understanding of the ain, even e of feeling therand an osseous, leathery lawyer or judge or doctor or politician or societya jury or a crowd or walking in so in his raiing brow and stripped not only of his gown but everything else this side of his skin--well, draw your own conclusion For after perfor certain additional exercises--one hundred times up on your toes, one hundred ti to your knees, one hundred tiht before you froles, right and left froers touched and the sweat once more ran--you were then ready to be told (for once in your life) how to swiftly and agilely take a bath
”Well, now, you're ready, are you?” this to a noble jurist who, like myself perhaps, had arrived only the day before ”Come on, no you have just ten seconds in which to juet yourself wet all over, twenty seconds in which to juet back in again and rinse off all the soap, and twenty seconds in which to rub and dry your skin thoroughly--now start!”
The distinguished jurist began, but instead of following the advice given hi position under the water and stood all but inert despite the previous explanation of the host that the soleinfluence of cold water was by counteracting it with activity, when it would prove beneficial
He was such a noble, stalky, bony affair, his gold eyeglasses laid aside for the ti, his tweeds and carefully laundered linen all dispensed with during his stay here As he caerly and quite undone by his efforts, froed by Culhane, I hoped that he and not I would continue to be seized upon by this savage who see the social and intellectual poise of us all
”Soap yourself!” exclaimed the latter most harshly now that the bather was out in the room once more ”Soap your chest! Soap your stomach! Soap your arms, damn it! Soap your ars, das! Don't stand there all day! Soap your legs! Now turn round and soap your back--soap your back! For Christ's sake, soap your back! Do it quick--quick! Now coet it off Don't act as though you were cold h you had all day--as though you had never taken a bath in your life! I never saw such an old poke You cos for you, and then you stand around as though you were made of bone! Quick now, move!”