The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-05-12
STARTED A GRAVEYARD.


"1uS'Ioio luuu ol lnctn. Anu l know
tlHt an hours chat at tho club was MS
certain TO bring ono out Us tho aun was
certain to rise in tho morning. But l
had gotten into the way of thinking
that good as some Of these wore the
very best story ho would eve tell mo
would be tho story OF lila own lifc. So
n night took my courage In both
hands and told him briefly what VIVA
hanging In my mind. He looked at mo
quietly for q littlo while md smiled half
sadly, in q way that made mo fancy him
delving among tho memories OF bis
loug.cone youth. Then no said, slowly,
not as II he were offended, but more as
II cory 10 dlaappoint mo: "Somo other
time, perhaps; not now-notnow."
His manner made mo believe I am on
tho right track and that when he docs
tell 1t to INC it will be q story. And you
shall have ii.
After no had spoken he fell into q
deep study, and | forebore to question
him, for l know that when hc.did speak
he would do his beat to make amends
for this refusal. Finally he beckoaed
tho steward toward him. ~ think il
will BIO whisky tonight, Sammy. Some
OF your best-tho 49, Then 10 me:
I'VE shall want something warm With
this sto.y-nothing cold nor eIemiuatc.
Thus warned, ! fortified myself Ss
best l could against that creepy feeling
that certain oil the Old Beau's storie8
aonds over mo, and settled myself Com
tortably while ic told Of Tho Man
Who Started n Graveyard"
ut was almost twenty years ago." no
began, "whon the club was young and
had more, hot blood in it than now.
Though We are not quite u set OF Miss
Nancys yet, ! think. But from the first
we resolutely kept out mon we wore
not willing our wives and sweetllenrts
and daughters should know. Some
times such fellows got in in spite OF our
care; but they did not often stay long.
"As l have said, tnere was moro hot
blood among us then. More than ono
Of us knew n horse-and from talking
horse we came at last to starting n race
course. 1t was very private and very
select. But1 am ashamed to tell you
how much money changed hands on
some OF our little events held there.
at was Don after We had started this
that Charley Howard applied for men,
bership in the club. You may think
| am mixing two things up in this
story. but you will sec presently how
they devetail into each other. This
man Howard was ofgood family, moved
in the best society and was on terms Of
more or less intimacy with several fel.
lows in the club-yet he was hardly tho
man you would want TO see with his
arm about your sister in q ballroom.
And he was black-balled. I guess there
was a feeling that he cared moro about
the privilege of the r%ace-courso than for
any other feature OF the club, and that
no would utilize to the utmost the OPP.
portunities it offered for plunglng. And
some OF US had begun to thing IL was
quite time to call n halt in that direc-
ton. We had been thinking that ever
since Bobby Nichols went wrong be.
cause OF it But I will tell you about
Bobby some other time. Let me keep
to my text now.
" i WNtu S'NCu VIA HV hOulu. DC IL
venged for the insult, rs no termed it,
aud for q while it looked as though he
would fight us, taking the entire club
by turns. But finally he gave this up,
and went TO work along another line.
I'VE did not own the ground where
our course was laid out, but held it on a
lease which contained i peculiar clause
compelling US to relinquish possession
at once il tho owner should havo an op-
portunity to sell at q certain figure.
This clause had been n standing joke
with us, as the price named was so high
that in tho natural course OF things nc
such offer would have been made in q
hundred years.
AS l said, We were beginning 10
thinl; the club had done about enough
in tho racing line, but wo were not
ready to be driven out OF the game
$50 VIC were up in arms ut once. when
Dick Hunter came into the club one
night with a copy Of the Tattir in his
hand, and stood up on tho billiard
table and read this item:
"It is rumored that q very pretty
fight is on between q we'll known man
about town and o certain popular club,
the roason being that tho said man
about town has sworn that he will turn
the clubs race coureo iuto 4 graveyard
within o year
"Somc Of tho men laughed at this, for
they remembered tho clause in
lease, and did not think it possible the.
Howard would pay SO high a price for
his revenge. But n or two OF US who
know something of his nature decided
that we had best not be caught nap
plug, and agreed to look Into the mat.
tor carefully tho next day.
"But tho next day was a day too iar
to trust as tho poet has it. In tho
morning came a notice that our lease
was up, tho land having boon sold to
Mr.. Charley Howard for tho sum spcci-
fed in tho clause OF which l have
spoken. There was nothing to do but
give it UP. OF course wo had not a peg
to stand on, so there was no use fight
ing. think you know tho club. does
not back down easily, but this was 4
clear coup d'etat. Howard had stolen
n march on US worry ~clevorly. | will
clyc him credit Tor that. But he laughs
bcst who laughs last.
1.-THE Ttaulcr's story abou: the grave
yard scheme was true enough, 1t was
Il slightly place for such an Institution,
and Howard had no trouble in organic
ing O cemetery association, and the
work Of laying out the grounds and pre-.
pairing for the reception OF the new
tenants went merrily forward. al.
though Howard had bought the land
from purc spite, and had paid pretty
dearly for his whistle. he did not intend
to stand any heavier loss than vas
necessary. When everything was
ready, trees planted, walks and drives
made, flower beds laid out and all that
sort OF thing, no hold an auction sale,
n,d n,nnna.I thn nfIair fnr I'll thu world