The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-07-11

pie question on my cousins wife's
sister. She blushed and stammered
and said her sister wanted her right
away, and / just stood still in my
amazement. She bad always been
such a help to me, and now, in a Lit.
tie matter like this, to 60 all to pieces
almost made me lose confidence in
her. Then she looked up at me, and
all of a sudden l felt that old heart
trouble come back, and-and-and-
hope it is not necessary for me
to go into particulars. Suffice it to
say that between my cousin ; s wife's
sister and myself we managed to
have the matter satisfactorily ex-
planned.
AT the next meeting of the coterie
began to feel that / was under sus.
picion. Perhaps it was merely a
guilty conscience, but I thought my
bachelor friends cooled when I an.
peared among them. l know that
when John Temple proposed the
toast, Earth would be heaven with
out women" and l did not empty
my glass, every member present
looked directly at mo and then at
each other. Any person Of the most
ordinary sensitiveness knows how
he feels under such circumstances.
AS time went by and suspicion
grew apace, it became evident to me
that l must get out of the coterie.
There was no other honorable course
left me. could see that there was
no longer harmony, and when I read
our resolutions, as I did religiously
at every meeting, they we're greeted
with silence. Each man suspected
the other; each man seemed to have
a secret that was burdening him. It
was evident that I was the Jonah,
and l proposed to make a sacrifice of
myself and ave the others.
At the next meeting, therefore,
when the time had come to open the
exercises with the resolutions. / rose
in my place and held up my hand
for attention.
Men and brethren" l said sol.
emnly, II shall not read the resolu-
tons this evening, nor shall l read
them again. For some time past /
have observed that our ancient har-
mony has been disturbed to such an
extent as to threaten it's very exist
ence. (Cheers. I feel that I am the
1ict,1rbinu alonopf oY1 oo,To,c b.
you that your i'll concealed suspi-
cions concerning me are not unwar-
ranted. have betrayed the trust
you have reposed in me suppressed
excitement]; am no longer worthy
to be your chief [great excitementl.
I'LL, brethren, I cannot continue
what / would say to you in dispar-
agement of my actions. All I can
say is that l am to be married three
months from next Monday" [Vo.
ciferous applause.
l sat down after my effort and
looked helplessly at my a~ccusers, as
/ felt them to be. l was astonished
at the reception of my speech and
explanation and could form no idea
what action the coterie would take.
Jack Forrest, as vice chief, slowly
came to his feet, and, instead of
looking at me. as I feared he would,
gazed about on the other members.
Gentlemen" he said, "you have
heard the statement made by our
worthy Ihow could he ever say
that?l chief, and l cannot lead you
in the action upon the matter, in
view of the fact that l am to be
married myself ten weeks from
next Tuesday"
Forrest sat down, and l sat in
gasping expectancy that the roof
would fall in upon us.
John Temple, next in authority,
then took the floor, and I could see
that Forrest was even worse ratified
than I was.
Fellow citizens, " said Temple
he was a stump speaker in campaign
times-"I haven't a word to say.
I'm to be married a month from to.
morrow morning at 10 O'clock"
Park, King and Organ, who was
the youngest of the lot and the
most vindictive and hardened bach
elor l ever saw, which was why we
called him the star bachelor, seemed
to be dazed by this revelation. add
ed to the two which preceded it, and
King was the first to rise in re-
Spouse.
Gentlemen and brothers." he
said. II might be able to say what
l thought of the disclosures which
have been made here this evening,
but really it would be u%nbecoming
for me to say anything. My we'd
ding day is set for Wednesday two
weeks"
As King went down Park came
up.
II can only say, gentlemen" he
said, almost in a whisper, that I
am no worse than those who have
preceded me. I can offer no censure,
for day after tomorrow I am to be
married to the one woman in the
rv,o.1l Co.