The midland journal., 1886-07-16
A GuileIess Veteran.
STORY OF A LONDON CLUB.

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:: No one precisely knew how Mr.. Simon
Buttershaw came to be 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 for some years.
and when he returned the character of
the Greville had undergone very con-
siderable transformation. It had once
been sober and steady institution, fre-
quented chiefly by barristers, journalists
and rich city men, who played mild
. whist before dinner and slept comfort
, ably over the smoking-room fire in
the evening; but, for some reason or
another, men about town gifted with cash
rather than with brains took to joining
the Greville, and it sprang with COM
1 parative suddenness into fashion, and
even notoriety Fast young gentlemen
, agreed that it was the correct thing to
belong to it; the old members dropped
+ off one by one, and the Greville acquired
| q reputation rs the haunt of gay sparks,
who sat up till unhallowel hours of the
morning supped off devilled bones and
champagne, and played carls and bill
: iards for stakes which would have griev-
ously Mortified 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 whatever in scrap
ing an acquaintance. and even On init
macy with the new generation. Mr..
! Buttershaw had, in fact, many qualities
which enabled him to shine in the society
which frequented the Greville. He was
a middle-aged but well-preserved man,
with o considerable flow of anecdote and
large and varied experience of life.
He seemed to have plenty of money,
gave capital dinners, drove smart pl,ae-
ton and always appeared to have suffici-
ent spare time to join in any festivity
which happened to be proposed to him.
But there was one popularity about Mr..
Buttershnw which endeared him to his
new associates even more than all the
rest put together. and this was his per-
sistent ill-lucl1 at cards. Not that he
gambled very high, or lost very heavily,
but he never won; aud the punters at
the Greville speedily recognized the
fact that for Buttershaw to sit down ut
the cartl-table meant the distribution of
at least ESQ among the company.
Now, among the members of the Gre
vile there were mobiles of high degree,
besides baronets of more or less ancient
lineage and comm,ners of wealth and
distinction. and with all these personages
Mr.. Buttershaw contrived to get not
merely friendly, but familiar. Thus,
when the duke Of .Omnium was making
up shooting party at Gatherum park,
some intimate friend was sure to say
"Ask Buttershaw; he's very harmless
and he always loses;" when Sir Hector
Flash wanted to enjoy the society OF
few stars 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 member of the
company, thus smoothing over all man
ner of unpleasant jealousies and heart
burnings when Mr.. Cresus gave dim
ner he always asked Buttershaw, for he
never made q mistake in praising the
wrong wines, and was sure to discover
some beauty i'll Mr.. Croesus's pictures or
china which had hitherto been over
looked. 1t has previously been said that
Mr.. Buttershaw gave capital little din.
ners and on one of these occasions he
invited the duke of Omnium. Sir Hector
Flash, Mr.. Croesus and one or two more
congenial spirits. to meet his old friend,
General Barnabas. of the United States
army, who had never been in England
before, and wished to see little of
London life.
"Hes a capital old sportsman. Bar
nabas," said Mr.. Buttershaw TO Sir Hec-
tor, "has been everywhere. bar England,
and done most thipRa In fact, he has