The Boy Grew Older

act, he was contemplating the spree merely as a means to an end. In order to forget Maria he must think of someone else and it would suit his purpose that the other person should be

marked and he became the butt of every youngster with any talent for smut. Finding that flight was useless Peter adopted a new system and fought fiercely with anyone who taunted him. He was bigger and stronger than most of the other boys and he soon piled up an imposing list of victims to his prowess. He fought so well that his ignorance remained almost unimpaired. Once when he was in the act of belaboring a companion who had tried to outline for him the plot

o before he went to college because athletics became his god. He excelled all competitors in school and was generally rated the best right-handed pitcher in the metropolitan district. Baseball filled all his thoughts waking and sleeping, a

wnstairs into the fresh air and did not come back. But he had heard enough to be convinced that this sex business was even worse than it had seemed in the crude and rowdy flashes which had come to him from his companions. And yet the fact that it was horrible by no means served to keep his thoughts clear of the subject. The doctor had talked entirely of the dangers and disgraces of immorality. Peter could not escape the only partially conscious surmise

n and night after night he used to slink about dark corners hoping and dreading that somebody would speak to him. Whenever a "Hello dearie" came to him out of the darkness Peter tr

re stalwart and audacious than any he had yet encountered, seized him by the arm. "Sonny," she said,

told Maria Algarez that he wa

e college world by being the only Freshman to win a place on the varsity nine. He pitched the second game against Yale and won by a score of 2 to 0. Life meant something after all. Bending a third strike across the knees of a man with a Y on his chest gave a dignity to existe

acters. The talk which animated this existence for Peter was all of the shop. A reporter from San Francisco, named Rusk, suddenly discovered to his amazement and delight that here was a man eager to hear his tales of newspaper work along the waterfront in the days when the coast towns were still unregenerate. Everybody else on the Bulletin was in the habit of groaning loudly whenever Rusk began, "In the old days on the waterfront--," but Peter listened

. . .

seemed disposed to be drawn into conversation. And so for a time Peter watched the game. He found it impossible to work up any enthusiasm about the issue and departed to practice pool on a table at the other end of the room.

ith luck and prowess in something which made no difference and withholding its favor in all the important aspects of life. Tes

dice," challenged Pete

that its attentions were not honorable! At the en

h," he said w

me in the hole," protested his opponent. "Aren

lars from you. Nobody can beat me just now. Look here if you don't believe m

you, Neale?" asked the

ing any advantage of me. I tell you I

nt to throw money awa

air of sixes. Peter slammed the dice d

r. "It's no use. Tha

u up on that till next week?

y, anyti

it? Lend me $5 that'll make it an

d to happen. Looking at his watch he found that it was still only a little after three and he went up town to Fourteenth Street to a burlesque house. The show was called "Dave Shean

n kill the bull?" as

lls him," said Shean,

verybody else in the th

e real toreador, "I kille

im for b

g about? What did yo

rin

Shean and the tall man got into an argument. The serious one of the pair contended tha

patting the other man on the cheek. They came close to the

he bet is you haven't got a

replied

le shrimp, you," said the big man. "Of course you haven't g

gly and kicked the little man reso

ime for the tag line he grew confused and shouted. "Why, you poor pussaliniment, tramps-on-a-dimple, oysterfied little

se, but at any rate Peter was no longer merely bored by all these happenings. His sensation was just

ing became more vague. "Half of the back is on the front," seemed to take form as a tragic complaint

n's Joy Girls." The next entertainers were the Mulligan Brothers, fema

ul. The poor girl was sinking there in the water and they wouldn't let her into the lifeb

n to laugh

t I was telling you? I said every time the poor girl

fool to come u

me up!" That was his folly. He was going on taking the buffeting of the oars and for no reason. And yet he knew perfectly well that he would continue to come up no matter what blows fell

pretty rotten trick to play on Kate. I

was pretending that the edge of the stage was the brass rail along a bar. Now he was swaying far over the orchestra pit and seemed about to fall into it. A woman in front of Peter screamed. Shean slowly straightened himself up and s

our show?" he

ed and made

an. "He can't stand it. You know ho

in a high falsetto, "you'll find a saloon right around the cor

over a fence. "Wasn't she the fool to come up!" recurred in his ears as if it had been a clock ticking late at night in a big silent house. Straight whiskey tasted abominably and returned no reward for his efforts. In the back room somebody was singing "Mother Machree" and cheating on the high notes. An idea for a newspaper paragraph ca

k his drink over into the corner and sat down at a table. On the wall to his left hung a large colored picture labelled "Through th