Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-05-03
FARLEY.

farley possessed tho domestic virtues
10 the egOtistical degree. He wearied
his friends with his self l~audations.
bored them by ~cataloguing tho delights
Of q home life and fingered them bv
parading the fact that no was a 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
p%retensions, for he vowed that when he
put on his slippers and smoking Jacket
nc earthly power could make him leave
tho house. 1t was a great event In her
monotonous life when he deigned TO
make q call, and her nervous system
was thrown from its balance for a mo-
ment when he took her II the theater.
Ho seldom varied his programme Ho
sat down to dinner at $3.50 o'clock and
then brought out his rusty rcd slippers,
donned his we'll worn smoking Jacket
and read the papers until bedtime. Each
year of his married life seemed to fasten
tho habit TO him more firmly, and tho
tenth anniversary of his wedding day
found him a slave to his homo conceit.
In all other respects farley was q fino
fellow, popular with his business friends,
extremely afTectionate and kind e his
wife and children and q 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 nnnounc.
ing that he had no use for clubs or SO
c%ieties; that no had a little club Of his
WI at homo which took up all his
spare time, and that his family and do
mestio comforts were all he needed in
the way of life and amusement.
He WIS riding down town in q car ono
morning when q friend in the lifo in.
Burance way began talking business to
him. With that enthusiasm and earnest
ness which ARE characteristic Of a sue.
cessful life insurance agent no secured
Jarley's interested attention, and after
giving him a pocketful Of circulars, es.
Inmates and other advertising literature
left him at tho corner. satisfied that he
would have Jarley's policy before the
month was ont. At lunch farley con.
fided to his Office companion that he
had half a mind to take out q policy in
the Double Cross Life Insurance COM
pany.
Whats that?" asked his friend.
"You want some life insurance? How
much do you want, SO, 900? Why don't
you como into the Triple Plated League
of Good Fellows? It's n mutual relief
and aid association and carries n lifo in
surance of SO, 900, and IL 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 80 assessments. Beat that if
you can Over 500. 600 members in the
United States"
"No," said Jarloy, II don't want 70
join a society. l am so much Of q stay
at homo that / 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 ell out this nppli-
cation. will see hat you go through
the committee all right. Then you will
have to DO initiated, and after that, 30
long as you pay your assessments and
iues. You needn't go nea the lodge
rooms. Then when you die the boys
will see that you are buried in good
shape. and your widow will get SO, 600.
JarlUy thought Of the Triple Plato
league all Of that afternoon. At night
he looked over tho life insurance osti.
mates, compared thom with the esti-
mates given to him by his business
iriond and next morning told tho latter
i!iat he would fill out All application.
His friend was as good as his word.
farley went. through the examination
committee withouta jar, and morn
ing no received a polite letter telling
him that his application had been duly
received, and that II he would present
himself ON the following Tuesday he
would DO initiated. Mrs. Jarloy was
greatly surprised when her husband hur-
riod 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 inisgiVings.
Ho was densely ignorant Of the first
principles OF a secret society, and his
knowledge Of limitations was limited to
reading riding u 9 goat jokes and 30
cunts Of college hazings. In the drug
store no was introduced to other Triple
Piaicrs and was warmly welcomed IN
der the benign influence Of friendly, jo-
vial good fellowship his nervousness
wore OF, anu he asoendod the stairs to
entcr upon the 9fdeal with considerable
nonchalance.
70 bis surprise he found that the in
.tatp1n ceremonies were diGnihed and
so,enan A great deal was said Of PHI
%iaaihropy. friendship and loyalty. aud
no foit as though no were being received
into church. Then no was given tho
passwords and grip aud soon aftsr was
the center Of o crowd OF mon. receiving
congratulations and slaps ON the back.
de passed a delightful ovening. Music.
cigars aud well told stories followed one
another rapidly. and u was after mid
night when he reached his homo aud bis
worried wife. A few days later no
placed IN his buttonhole tho heured