The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-08-06
a GJILELESS VETERAN.

& 2 I
4 mon Butter shaw came to be a member
of the Greville club, but on the other
hand, no one particularly cared. He
{ WAS, as a matter OF fact, an original
member, but he had been abroad TO,
some years and when he returned, the
{ the character OF the Greville had un.
dergone a very considerable trans
I formation. Ithad once been a sober
and steady Institution, frequented
chiefly by barristers. journalists and
rich city men, who played mild whist
before dinner and slept comfortably
over the smoking-room fire in the
evening, but for some reason or an
other, men about town gifted with
cash rather than with brains took to
joining the Greville, and it sprang
with comparative suddenn,s ,ss into
fashion, and even notoriety. Fast
young gentlemen agreed that ii was
the correct thing to belong to it; the
old members dropped off ore by one,
and the GreviI!e acquired the repuoa-
tion as the haunt OF gay sparks, who
sat up till unhallowed hours OF the
morning, supped off devilled bones and
champagne, and played cards and bill
lizards for stakes Shich would have
Rrieved and horr;fied the old habitues
had any OF them been left to tell the
tale. It was at this period that Mr..
Buttershaw returned from foreign
parts, and he found no difficulty what
ever in scraping an acquaintance and
oven an intimacy with the new
generation. Mr.. Buttershaw had,
IN iact, many qualities which
enabled him to shine in the So
ETY. which frequented the Greville. He
was middle-aged but we'll preserved
man, with a considerable flow OF an
ecdote and large and varied expert
ence Of lite. He seemed to have plenty
of money, gave capital dinners, drove
. smart phaeton and always appeared
to have sufficient spare time to join in
any festivity which happened to be
proposed to him. Bnt there was one
pecnliarity about Mr.. Buttershaw
which endeared him to his new as
put together, and this was his persist
ent ill-luck at cards. Not that he
gambled very high, or lost very heavi-
", but he never won; and the punters
at the Greville speedily recognized the
fact that for Buttelshaw to sit down
at the card-table meant the distrlbu.
tion OF at least ESQ among the COM
pany. Wherefore they voted him q
capital fellow, were always ready to
dine with him, drive with him and win
his money, and in their hearts looked
upon him as poor pigeon who had
been sent among them by a merciful
providence for the express purpose of
being plucked.
Now, among the members of the
Groville there we're mobiles OF high de-
gree, besides baronets OF more or less
ancient lineage, and commoners OF
wealth and distinction, and with all
these personages Mr.. Buttershaw con.
trived to get not merely friendly, but
familiar. Thus, when the duke OF Om-
mum was making up ashooting party
ct Gatherum park, some intimate
friend was sure to say. "Ask Butter
shaw; he's very harmless and he al
ways loses;" when Sir Hector Flash
wanted to enjoy the society OF few
starts Of burlesque at Greenwich or
Richmond, Buttershaw was generally
invited, for he was never in the way
and was invariably willing to devote
himself to the Oldest and plainest men,
Dor OF the company, thus smoothing
over all manner OF unpleasant jealous
les and heartburnings; when Mr.. Crae-
sns gave q dinner he always asked But
tershaw, for he never made mistake
In praising the wrong wines, and
was sure to discover some beau
ty in Mr.. Crnsus' pictures or Chi
ma which had hitherto been over
looked. So Mr.. Buttershaw became
= universal favorite, and the members
OF the Greville, especially those wlo
had won money from him, united N
wishing long life and prosperity to SO
useful and desirable an acquaintance.
1t has previously been said that Mr..
Buttershaw gave capital little dinners,
the scene of which was generally laid
in his comfortable chambers in Jsrmyn
strnet, and on one OF these occasions
the Duke of Omnium, Sir
Hecter Flash, Mr.. Crnsus and one or
two more congenial spirits to meet his
sid friend, General Barnabas, of the
United States army, who had never
been III England before, and wished to
see a little of London life.
.'He's u capital old sportsman.
+" said Mr.. Buttershaw to
Sir Hector, "has been everywhere, bar
England, and done most things. In
fact he has only one fault that Iknow
Of"
"And what is that?" inquired the
baronet.
"Why, nothing will induce him to
play cards"
"Oh, we'll soon get him over that!"
'Weil, ! wish you would. for Of
course it's a nuisance when one man
insists upon standing out; but l don't
think you will be successful. However,
there's no harm in trying"
The evening duly arrived, and Mr..
Buttershaw's guests were presented to
the General, who received them with
stately and old-fashioned courtesy.
He was white.haired old gentleman,
a spare, erect Egura, and wore very
large spectacles, through which he
beamed on the company in a benevo.
lent and genial manner. During the
meal he told many curious stores of
his adventures, his marked American
accent adding much to their point,
while his refreshing innocence OF GER
tain subjects amused his hearers vast
ly. He had never made be. in his life,
had only twice entered theatre, and
seemed to know as much about WON.
en- as hermit.
'This old simpleton will be the
death Of me-" whispered the Baronet
20 the Hon. Paul Punter, who made
one of the party.
"Hush!" said Mr.. Punter; "yor
mustn't chaff him too much. He may
have revolver in his pistol pocket
n