Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-02-17


Ten thousand every yeari She's very dear!
James Courtney Challiss in New York Sun.
CAME HOME EARLY.
There was no one in Sigsby's office
but Sigsby himself
His stenographer had gone out to
lunch. So had the bookkeeper and red
headed young man who generally occu-
pied desk opposite Sigsby's own.
Sigsby sat with his feet under his
desk and thought. To aid him in this
mental effort he chewed the end of a
cigar and scowled at a picture in a
small silver frame that stood under the
pigeonholes at the back of his desk.
1t seemed to occur to him that he
could think better with his feet up, SO
he pulled out the slide at the side of
his desk and put them up on that.
After that he seemed to get on.
Suddenly the scowl became a half
smile. His feet came down with a
thump. He jumped up and went to the
telephone and turned the little crank at
the side energetically
Gimme double four eight-main. y
He stood square on his feet, threw
back his shoulders and looked contented.
Then he lowered his head again and
said ''yeh' into the transmitter as the
number was repeated back and nipped
the ragged end of his cigar with his
strong, white teeth as he waited
"HelIo Fred Gibson there!"
"Tell i'm to come to the phone -
Hello, GibI'
"Say, old man, you got to come and
get me out tonight. .
"Yeh, that what said. "
''No; no bail. "
He laughed into the phone and said
"Ah, go to the d-lr
"Hey?"
"No. Now see here; I've promised
to go out with Bronson to meet some
merry people tonight, and I've been get
ting out to banquets and clubs and lodge
meetings and business mems meetings
and political meetings and-any old
thing until my list is worn out. See?'
"Yeh.
"Huh?''
eyes. You've got to come over to-
night and geJ me out -
"Yeh. "
"Yeh.
you're on to your job"
81 guess SO.
"a board meeting?"
"Strawboard, cardboard, day board,
clapboard?'
'Oh, meeting of the board of di-
rectorsp
"Oh, l seel"
"Yeh.''
You betI"
"Well. they're a good many-neat
but not gaudy, as the monkey
"Huh?''
whats that?'
"Oh. as near seven as you can make
itI'
II shan't be going out, you know,
at all You'll have to drag me. -
"That's iti''
"Got time to drop over and smile?'
"sAll right.
"Yeh. "
"Yeh."
"All right.
"Goodbyl"
Sigsby winked at his newspaper when
the bell rang at o'clock
His wife was putting the baby to
sleep. She stopped rocking and listened
to see if her latest acquisition in the
servant girl line would go to the door
Annie must be up stairs, she said,
laying baby in big chair containing a
pillow and going into the hall
She reappeared followed by Gibson.
Hello, old man. Glad to see you
Sit down, y said Sigsby springing up
and shaking hands as Mrs Sigsby
wheeled an easy chair forward
He had on pair Of slippers and a
house jacket that had evidently seen
little use
Mrs. Sigsby took up the baby and re-
sumed her rocker, beaming contentedly
upon her big handsome husband and
his visitor
Well, it's an important meeting,
Sigsby, and we've all got to be there, .
resumed Gibson, after he had stated the
object of his call
Rowland tried to reach you over the
phone twice, but couldn t catch you, so
told him I'd see that you got there
Sigsby had settled back in his big
leather covered chair and put his slip
pered right foot up on his left knee
with the air of man whom cables
could not drag from the comforts of his
home.
He reached over and took Japanese
jar containing cigars from the table and
held it out toward Gibson, saying:
Now, old man, you take smoke
and make yourself comfortable You
don get me out of this house tonight
| have been going to banquets and meet
ings till I'm tired out, and the board will
have to meet some other time or get
along without me
But man, you We got to go. said
Gibson. I've promised TO produce you,
and dead or alive I've got to do it
There's important business coming up,
and nothing can be done unless every
member is present
1.-The Ball coupler matter coming
up?'
Yes, and the Goodrich business
Cad, is that so2
Sigsby looked thoughtful. placed his
left thumb on his left cheek, curled his
fingers around his chin, stroked an i'm
Rginary beard and said. we'll, if that
was the case he sposed he d have to go
Now ism t that too bad? said Mrs.
Sigsby, ''just when Ben-Mr. Eigsby
and were getting settled for pleasant
evening"
She grew wistful in the eyes as she
spoke and saw her husband start to go
up stairs to change the house jacket and
slippers for his coat and shoes.
Gibson got acquainted with the baby,
who had been awakened by the voices
and sat bolt upright on her mothers
knee and was listening to the soft voice
of Mrs Sigsby, telling him what busy
man her husband had got to be and
how very little she saw of him nova
days. when he came down and stopped
in the hall to put on his overcoat
You won't be very late, will you,
Ben9'' she said as be came into the