"Be perfectly calm," said Wally. "Mr. Curtiss is not in on it, as you so elegantly express it. I am the only one who is in on it. Me, myself, W. W. Wallace, at your service. If you will favour me with your attention, I will explain----" "You'd better!" ripped out the Colonel. "Ah," said the youngster, grinning at Peck, "always a little nervous on the tee, aren't you?" "Drive, young man!" said Watlington. A sudden light flickered in Wally's eyes. He turned to Elsberry J. with an expression that was almost friendly. "Do you know," said he, "I'm beginning to think there may be human qualities in you after all." Watlington grunted and nodded his head. "Take the honour!" said he. Wally rose and laid the tips of his fingers on the table. "Members of the Greens Committee and one other"--and here he looked at Hamilton, whose face showed that he had not forgotten the unclassified hog--"we are here this evening to arrange an exchange of courtesies. You think you represent the Midland Manufacturing Company at this meeting. You do not. You represent the Sundown Golf and Country Club. I represent the Third Avenue Country Club--an organisation lately formed. You may have heard something of it, though not under that name." He paused to let this sink in. "Gentlemen," he continued, "you may recall that I once made a courteous request of you for something which was entirely within my rights. You made an arbitrary ruling on that request. You refused to let me through. You told me I was too fresh, and advised me to sit down and cool off. I see by your faces that you recall the occasion. "You may also recall that I promised to devote myself to the task of teaching you to be more considerate of others. Gentlemen, I am the opposition to your playing through on Third Avenue. I am the Man Behind. I am the Voice of the People. I am a singleton on the course, holding you up while I sink a putt. If you ask me why, I will give you your own words in your teeth: You can't go through because I don't want you to go through." Here he stopped long enough to light a cigarette, and again his left eyelid flickered, though he did not look at me. I think if he had I should have erupted. "You see," said he, flipping the match into the air, "it has been necessary to teach you a lesson--the lesson, gentlemen, of courtesy on the course, consideration for others. I realised that this could never be done on a course where you have power to make the rules--or break them. So I selected another course. Members of the Greens Committee and one other, you do not make the rules on Third Avenue. You are perfectly within your rights in asking to go through; but I have blocked you. I have made you sit down on the bench and cool off. Gentlemen, how do you like being held up when you want to play through? How does it feel?" I do not regret my inability to quote Colonel Peck's reply to this question.