St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-01-08

and that it would be dreary day for
the town when he was no more.
In 1881, year within the memory
of men still living, the leaven of pro-
gress began to work so fiercely in
Warmingham that some of the boldest
spirits who frequented the news-room
of the town hall began to whisper
amongst one another, and declare, un-
der the cover of night, when going
home, that it was shame an impor-
tant town like Warmingham had not IA
club To think, sir, of a town like
Warmingham not having a club! Did
you ever hear or know of such insuffer-
able ackwardness Why, sir, viii
lagos, mere villages, ana villages of no
great repute or Importance, have their
clubs now, as well as London or any
other town or city in the land. And
here was Warmingham, sir, Warming
ham, mind you, Warmingham with no
place where fellow could spend an
evening, except at the Blue Dragon,
which was beastly low, or the town
hall, which was still more beastly
stupid.
Next morning the rumor prevailed
in Warmingham that club was about
to be started in town. Men rejoiced
as became men who saw before them a
compromise between the guilty open
ness of the Blue Dragon and the chill
intellectually of the reading room.
Women put on sackcloth and ashes,
and brooded gloomiIy over the antici-
patton of their sons ruined by Occult
dissipation and their husbands fleeced
by sharpers, the sons of other women.
But the men of Warmingham were re-
doubtable and not to be denied. Once
the men decided on doing anything,
they did not allow female qualms or
Within four days of the night upon
which the first faint glimmer of Il club
stole, like a secret moonlight, upon
the gaze of a few daring spirits of the
town on their way home from the town
hall, bills had been posted convening
meeting of the chief men of the place,
with view of broadening the moon
light glimmer into full daylight. The
bills babe all respectable male inhabi-
tants meet on that day week ut the
assembly -roOm, town hall, there to
consider the prOpriety of forming the
club, and in case its formation was de-
cidcd upon, then to take measure for
its future This bill was punctuated
us bills printed in small provincial
towns usually are-that is to say, so
us to destroy the meaning of it to one
knowing anything about punctuation
but as there was not soul i'll War
mingham who knew anything about
punctuation, this made not the least
difference. There were five errors of
grammar in the bill, so that the mean
ing of it was plain to the townsfOlk
had it been flawless in this respect, it
would have been unintelligible.
dlers and busy headed grOcers and
hemp smelling rOpemaker and we'll
washed coal merchant and jealous pub
Leans and aristocratic clerks and civil
engineers and road contractors and I'M
dertakers came, with a variety of 9TH
crs, and the meeting was duly formed
by voting the undertaken, as being the
man of most general experience, into
the chair. 1t was then and there re-
solved that the clnb should be formed,
and, amid much enthusiasm, the meet
ing was adjourned until that day
week.
Only one thing marred the success
of the gathering. 1t had been con
vened by five of the chief men of War
it had been held in the chief
building in Warmingham, and yet the
chief man of Warmingham, John Fen
Shave, had not attended. All felt that
he would, naturally, be the president
of the club. All felt that the club
could not be without him. He was
the foremost man of the town, the
of this club was the only
thing the town had ever had worthy of
his acceptance, and every man at the
felt quite certain that it was
not possible to find any other presi-
dent who would suit this club, any
other man under whom the ordinary
members would be quite satisfied to
work without jealousy. In fact, one
Of the upexpressed and general feelings
WAS that the formation of this club |
gave the men of Warmingham an OPP
portunity of testifying to John Fen |
shave, 10y electing him president, the
esteem and respect in which he had |
been for years held by all who knew
Of him.
As the men who formed that meet
ng were walking home, the talk of the
various groups into which they fell |
naturally turned on joan Fenshawe,
md the general belief was that Fen
Shave had gone goodness knew where,
but that he would be back by that day
week, and would be certain to attend
he next meeting.
OF all the men present at that meeting
William Gardiner and George Ware
we're the best to do. The former was
he only tanner, the latter the chief
allow chandler, in Warmingham, and
10Th lived in the only suburb of
Varmiu CHAM. The suburb was on the