Page:Arthur Stringer-The Loom of Destiny.djvu/97

The Crucible of Character the fact that he could eat whatever and whenever he liked. No matter what time of day it was, all he had to do was to sit down and eat! With Russell it was very different, for it was part of Russell's mamma's daily occupation to examine him for symptoms of inherited gastritis.

Ever since Russell had had bilious fever—and the much-abused Russell knew in his heart of hearts that it had been brought on merely by an inordinate stuffing of cold suet pudding, given to him secretly by Nora, the chambermaid, in the cook's absence—candy and taffy, tarts and doughnuts, and all such things, indeed, that go to make life bearable for the Youthful, had been denied him. Even peanuts were tabooed, and after each meal he was made to swallow a pepsin tablet.

And many a time, accordingly, did his mouth water during his clandestine meetings with Snapsie, and he would eagerly watch the boy from the Ward struggling with a deliciously sticky all-day-sucker or a pink-tinted bull's-eye. Snapsie, by the way, made it a 85