At last the German put his victim back on the floor.
"Yah, young mans, I am much oblige dot you show me how I need
eggsercise. I feel much better alretty."
Red-faced, the clerk fled to the other side of the room, followed
by the laughter of the other gymnasts.
Yet Herr Schimmelpodt's good-natured performance had great value.
It taught many of the young men present how far this generation
has fallen behind in matters of personal strength. Mr. Morton
had easier sailing after that.
CHAPTER XI
The "King Deed" of Daring
"Yes; that performance helped a lot."
Herr Schimmelpodt was prevailed upon, by Mr. Morton, to come around
on another evening to show some further feats with his great strength.
Around the waist-line the German was flabby; the fat rolled in
heavy ridges. Feeling aware of this defect in personal appearance
Herr Schimmelpodt determined to devote some of his abundant leisure
to getting his belt line into smaller compass. But the German
would not do this before all eyes in the public, gym. So he and
some other well-to-do business men who were conscious that the
years had dealt too generously by them in the matter of flesh,
hired a small hall and converted it into a private gym.
It was all the doings of Dick & Co., just the same.
The town was ripe, now, for performances in extraordinary athletics.
Fate willed it that there should be a chance.
Once a year an opera company of considerable prominence appeared
at Gridley for one evening.
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