unpopular, but it was a disgrace to his pedigree right back to the days of Samuel De Champlain, so he began to paw the bunch grass and seek revenge.  First he dug among the archives of history for a solution.  There must be some reason for this disgraceful blur on his life pages.  Why was he the most unpopular man on these sand downs?  Why was he an outcast?  Why was he the Job of Ashcroft society?  Now, just why was he unpopular?  Had he boils, like Job?  Was he an undesirable citizen?  Was he a German, or an Austrian, or a Turk?  Was he inflicted with some loathsome disease?  Was he a plague?  Had some false reputation preceded him into the community?  Had he a cantankerous disposition?  Was he repulsive in appearance?  Was he mean, stingy?  Was he stupid, ignorant, uneducated, brainless?  No, personally he could not plead guilty of acquaintance with any of the above disqualifications.  Among the archives of his past Ashcroft history he found some tell-tale manuscripts, the contents of which had never appealed to him until after the booby prize episode.  In plain English, he found written facts which were as bold as the violation of Belgian neutrality.  Incidents which had seemed very commonplace and unworthy of notice before, now loomed up on those pages and presented themselves to him as giants of the utmost importance.  For instance, in looking up the records connected with the forming of the Ashcroft Rinks he found that he had not been consulted in the matter.  His name was missing from that interesting page of Ashcroft history.  However, when the time arrived for the forming of a company to finance the erection of the building, great interest was taken in his bank account, and the promoters knocked very early one morning at his door seeking endorsement to purchase shares in the joint stock company which was about to be born.  At the meeting for the election of directors to take charge of the affairs of the company he was again surrounded by the same zero atmosphere.  He was not even nominated as a prospective member.  His name had never been suggested.  He was never consulted when anything serious was the point of debate.  It had not occurred to him to become incensed at this frigid zone attitude on the part of his associates.  He had not been expecting any handout, so he was not disappointed.  He had been too much absorbed in his own personal affairs, too much wrapped up in himself, and could detect no grounds for offence.  At the annual election of officers for the Curlers, although a member for ten years, it had never occurred to any in the association to suggest his name as a probable pillar for the upholding of the business portion of the club.  Again his presence was not suspected, and he may as well have been in Iceland.  Although present incarnate, he was to all intent and purpose only in the invisible spirit.