The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-01-27
A STAG DAY.

Whenever an amendment is adopted
it is because the voting body believes
that the amendment is an improvement
on the original motion. The Creator,
on second thought, made woman, be-
cause He knew she would be indis-
pensable to man, and because without
her man would be dismal failure.
Hyde had known the Blakeslees long
before they were married. He had at
tended the high school with Maud
Crompton, and had later belonged to
the same militia company as Howard
Blakeslee. He had been Blakeslee's
best man at the wedding, and had in
deed hurried back post-haste TO the
house to get the marriage license which
Blakeslee in his excitement had for
gotten. He had stood as godfather for
the first Blakeslee of the junior order
of generation, and on holidays, he be-
ing bachelor, he always took dinner
with the Blakeslees. The Blakcsiee
family held Hyde in high esteem, and
Blakeslee primus named his most vii
lainously ragged and therefore best
loved doll for him.
One day Blakeslee appeared before
Hyde in the office of the latter with in
vitation fairly encircling and engulfing
him like an atmosphere.
81 want you TO come out to the house
Sunday" he said. Come out and have
a glorious old free-and-easy sort of a
stag time. Maud has gone down to
spend the holidays with her Aunt
Rachel in Pontiac, and the boy is with
her, so l am to be alone for two weeks.
Come out tomorrow and let me show
you how to cook 'possum."
Now, it occurred that 'possum was
dish of blissful romance and aspiration
to Eyde. So he said he would go. He
pictured in his mind great deeds of en-
joyment for that day.
with no woman in the house but the
GIRL" Blakeslee said, in hypnotizing
way, ''we will do just as we please and
have bully old loaferish day of it,"
Hyde arrived in the suburb on the
seven o'clock train Saturday evening.
He walked over to the Blakeslee
house, and, as he drew near, it seemed
to him that something was little diff
ferent from the conditions of other
days and visits. There seemed to be
q sort of gloom about the place. The
house doomed up in the moonlight about
four times larger than he had ever be-
fore considered it. He rang the bell
and Blakeslee came to meet him and
ushered him into stygian hall, down
through the somber tunnel of which
the semi-light of the dining-room base
burner shone.
"By George" said Blakeslee; II for
got to light up. suppose if Maud was
here she would have the place all bril-
liant and fire in the fireplace in the
parlor. She always did believe in going
to extras, even if fellow did happen
to be an old family friend. I might
have done it, old man"
Now, now, now" said Hyde, "tbat's
all right. We are going to have bully
time of it, without any women folk
about"
Finally the girl called them to dinner,
Tt was good-enough dinner, too, but
Hyde noticed there were no roses on
the table. Somehow, he had gathered
the impression that the Blakeslees al.
ways had roses on the table, for the
flowers were always there whenever he
house. Also he observed that Blakeslee
had taken dinner in the Blakeslee
did not know how to serve tea and the
lamp was trimmed to smoke and not to
give light. For three minutes they
talked about the latest political event,
and then Blakeslee uttered a sentence
made up of seven words, to which Hyde
replied in one consisting of three.
Blakeslee said: "Yes," and both were
silent for the next 20 minutes.
They went into the charnel louise of
n parlor after that, and, by strong eff
fort, Hyde made muster to talk for IL