Mr. E'Toile

In high school I failed a pop quiz.  In English class we were studying Ernest Hemingway, reading A Clean, Well Lighted Place.  I was the outlier--the only girl in class at Gonzaga, an all-boys school.

I had done my homework.  I read the story and loved it.  I analyzed that short story with my friends the day before, so I was not fazed when my English teacher announced we were having a pop quiz.  I knew the story and was confident until I saw the question.

What was the old man's handicap?