Word: moment
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Dates: during 1920-1929
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Last week, the Pullman Porter, most famed servant in the U. S., started to go on strike. Then, at the last moment, he changed his mind, "for obvious reasons." But he said he would strike some other day, soon, if his grievances were not adjusted. He had been getting in a position to strike for at least three years...
...slogan, attributed last week to Committeeman Hilles and friends in New York, was: "Coolidge or chaos." Others said the Absolute Negative, or perhaps a Loyal Acquiescence, would go to the convention in Chairman Butler's pocket, in a letter from Mr. Coolidge to be read at the critical moment, if any. Representing the President behind the scenes at Kansas City will be his trusty secretary, Everett Sanders...
...suggested that the American who drew the inside lane that day, the moment that he was set, should start running. The rest of us would know what to expect and could save ourselves. But Abrahams, the Englishman, in order to protect himself would have to go, too, expending his energy. Of course if the first American was not called back he would undoubtedly win. But if he did not get away with it, then the next American would try, and the next, until each American would have started twice, while Abrahams would have had to start hard eight times...
...grand idea. It could hardly fail. The four of us left our tent and went to the starting line, confident that Abrahams would be beaten. ... I drew the inside lane. The moment I looked at the number I knew that the scheme was off. And my teammates seemed to sense it too. For the training that we had had in American athletics prevented us from seizing that kind of an opportunity...
...That four members of the American team should conspire to a trick quite as dishonorable as tripping or knocking down a superior opponent, that they should go to the mark prepared to carry out their miserable plot, that, when at the last moment some shred and tatter of decency stopped them, they should glory in their sportsmanship-all this reads like a bad dream, like something impossible and unreal. It is as if they said, 'We planned to win by sticking a rake handle between Abraham's legs at the fifty-yard mark. It was a good scheme...