Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-01-31
JARLEY.

to the egotistical degree He wearied
his friends with his self laudations,
bored them by cataloguing the delights
Of home life and angered them by
parading the fact that he was genuine
''stay at homer. Even his wife took
him to task at times because of his OBJ
stinacy in living up to his high keyed
pretensions, for he vowed that when he
put on his slippers and smoking jacket
no earthly power could make him leave
the house. 1t was a great event in her
monotonous life when he deigned to
make a call, and her nervous system
was thrown from it's balance for mo-
ment when he took her to the theater.
He seldom varied his programme. He
sat down to dinner at $50 o'clock and
then brought out his rusty red slippers,
donned his well worn smoking jacket
and read the papers until bedtime. Each
year of his married life seemed to fasten
the habit to him more firmly, and the
tenth anniversary of his wedding day
found him slave to his home conceit.
In all other respects farley was fine
fellow, popular with his business friends,
extremely affectionate and kind to his
wife and children and a good citizen.
Many times his down town acquaint-
ances had urged him to join this and
that lodge, council or chapter of some
secret society, but he checked further
solicitation by ostentatiously announc-
ing that he had no use for clubs or so
cieties; that he had little club of his
own at home which took up all his
spare time, and that his family and do
mestic comforts were all he needed in
the way of life and amusement.
He ws riding down town in car one
morning when friend in the life in
surance way began talking business to
him. With that enthusiasm and earnest
ness which are characteristic of a sue
cessful life insurance agent he secured
Jarley's interested attention, and after
giving him pocketful of circulars, es-
Inmates and other advertising literature
left him at the corner, satisfied that he
would have Jarley's policy before the
month was out. At lunch farley con-
fided to his Office companion that he
had half mind to take out policy in
the Double Cross Life Insurance COM
pany.
What's that?' asked his friend
"You want some life insurance? How
much do you want, So, 900? Why don't
you come into the Triple Plated League
of Good Fellows? It's a mutual relief
and aid association and carries life in
surance of So, 900, and it will not cost
you one-third as much as is charged by
the cheapest life insurance company in
existence. just think, only 81 cents for
each assessment, and last year there
were but 30 assessments. Beat that if
you can. Over 500, 900 members in the
United States. -
''No," said farley, II don't want to
/ join society. l am so much of stay
at home that l do not feel that
''You won't have to go to lodge meet
ings," interrupted his friend. "All you
Will have to do is to fill out this appli-
cation. will see that you go through
the committee all right. Then you will
have to be initiated, and after that, SO
long as you pay your assessments and
dues, you needn't 60 near the lodge
rooms. Then when you die the boys
will see that you are buried in good
shape. and your widow will get So, 0O0
farley thought Of the Triple Plate
league all of that afternoon. At night
he looked over the life insurance esti-
mates, compared them with the esti-
mates given to him by his business
friend and next morning told the latter
that he would fill out an application.
His friend was as good as his word
farley went through the examination
committee without jar, and one morn
| ing he received a polite letter telling
/ him that his application had been duly
received, and that if he would present
himself ON the following Tuesday he
would be initiated. Mrs. farley was
greatly surprised when her husband hur-
ried through his dinner that Tuesday
evening and without telling her where
he was going put on his best clothes
and left the house.
| farley met his friend in the corner
drug store under the lodgeroom Of the
Triple platers with some misgivings
He was densely ignorant Of the first
| principles Of secret society, and his
knowledge Of limitations was limited to
reading riding the goat" jokes and ac-
counts of college hazings In the drug
store he was introduced to other Triple
Platers and was warmly welcomed. Un-
der the benign influence of friendly, jo-
vial good fellowship his nervousness
wore off, and he assembled the stairs to
enter upon the ordeal with considerable
nonchalance.
To his surprise he found that the in
itation ceremonies were dignitied and
solemn. A great deal was said of phi
lanthropy. friendship and loyalty, and
he felt as though he were being received
into church. Then he was given the
passwords and grip and soon after was
the center of crowd of men, receiving
congratulations and slaps on the back
He passed delightful evening. Music,
cigars and well told stories followed one
another rapidly, and it was after mid
night when lie reached his home and his
worried wife. A few days later he
placed in his buttonhole the figured