They even found a huge round
stone on the beach and "put the shot" for a while. As long as it was
a question of agility, Marcus was easily the best of the four; but the
dentist's enormous strength, his crude, untutored brute force, was
a matter of wonder for the entire party. McTeague cracked English
walnuts--taken from the lunch baskets--in the hollow of his arm, and
tossed the round stone a full five feet beyond their best mark. Heise
believed himself to be particularly strong in the wrists, but the
dentist, using but one hand, twisted a cane out of Heise's two with a
wrench that all but sprained the harnessmaker's arm. Then the dentist
raised weights and chinned himself on the rings till they thought he
would never tire.
His great success quite turned his head; he strutted back and forth
in front of the women, his chest thrown out, and his great mouth
perpetually expanded in a triumphant grin. As he felt his strength more
and more, he began to abuse it; he domineered over the others, gripping
suddenly at their arms till they squirmed with pain, and slapping Marcus
on the back so that he gasped and gagged for breath. The childish vanity
of the great fellow was as undisguised as that of a schoolboy.
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