dry toast. It's
a melancholy descent from the days when I could do justice to a lunch
at Sherry's and sup off oyster-crabs and devilled bones.' He sighed
from the depths of his capacious frame.

I ordered an omelette and a chop, and took another look at him. The
large eyes seemed to be gazing steadily at me without seeing me. They
were as vacant as an abstracted child's; but I had an uncomfortable
feeling that they saw more than mine.

'You have been fighting, Major? The Battle of Loos? Well, I guess
that must have been some battle. We in America respect the fighting of
the British soldier, but we don't quite catch on to the de-vices of the
British Generals. We opine that there is more bellicosity than science
among your highbrows. That is so? My father fought at Chattanooga,
but these eyes have seen nothing gorier than a Presidential election.
Say, is there any way I could be let into a scene of real bloodshed?'

His serious tone made me laugh. 'There are plenty of your countrymen
in the present show,' I said. 'The French Foreign Legion is full of
young Americans, and so is our Army Service Corps. Half the chauffeurs
you strike in France seem to come from the States.'

He sighed. 'I did think of some belligerent stunt a year back. But I
reflected that the good God had not given John S. Blenkiron the kind
of martial figure that would do credit to the tented field. Also I
recollected that we Americans were nootrals--benevolent nootrals--and
that it did not become me to be butting into the struggles of the
effete monarchies of Europe. So I stopped at home. It was a big
renunciation, Major, for I was lying sick during the Philippines
business, and I have never seen the lawless passions of men let loose
on a battlefield. And, as a stoodent of humanity, I hankered for the
experience.'

'What have you been doing?' I asked. The calm gentleman had begun to
interest me.

'Waal,' he said, 'I just waited. The Lord has blessed me with money to
burn, so I didn't need to go scrambling like a wild cat for war
contracts. But I reckoned I would get let into the game somehow, and I
was. Being a nootral, I was in an advantageous position to take a
hand. I had a pretty hectic time for a while, and then I reckoned I
would leave God's country and see what was doing in Europe. I have
counted myself out of the bloodshed business, but, as your poet sings,
peace has its victories not less renowned than war, and I r