Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-09-06
A TEMPLE TO TRUTH.

DR.. Billy Greenleaf gave dinner a few
nights ago to some half-dozen parched
brutes who jeered at him while they swilled
his champagne. Later the doctor intends
to build a temple to truth.
DR.. Billy was married year ago to a
young woman who picked him out of nu-
merous candidates and the honeymoon has
shown no sign of waning except on Sat
urday nights. On that night weekly DR..
Billy relapses into prenuptial savagery and
plays poker at his club with the same band
of smirking degenerates that he played with
in his bachelor days. Even on these nights,
it Is of record he has occasionally found
the allurements of his freside too strong
and the waiting squad at the club has been
obliged to drag him out with entreaties and
imprecasions by telephone.
One night not long ago, however, they
didn't succeed and that is the beginning
of this story. DIR. Billy had to go out of
town on Saturday morning and didn't ex-
pect to get back until ten o'clock tkat
night. So he told the crowd to begin the
game without him and he would get around
between half-past ten and eleven. But he
had a hard day and when he got home the
prospect of playing poker for four or five
hours didn't appeal to him. The upshot
of it was that instead of going to his club
Billy and his wife went to bed. DIR. Billy
has a telephone in his Office downstairs,
but when he goes to bed he connects a
switch line with his bedroom in case he
is called up in the night. This night he
had been in bed perhaps an hour when the
telephone bell rang.
81 guess that's the poker crowd" said
Billy to his wife. You'd better get ur
and answer ii"
Blly's wife got up and after moment
at the telephone whispered across the
room: cit is the poker crowd. Mr.. Norval
wants to speak with you"
ooh, thunderation,' yawned Billy. "Ask
him if he can't give his message to you"
''No, Mr.. Norval wants to speak to the
doctor personally"
"Well, tell him he can't speak to me"
said Billy. eff I listen to him he'll have
me down there in spite of myself Tell him
I'm SICK"
CDR. Greenleaf is" began Mrs. Billy
into the transmitter.
"Wait minute" interrupted Billy,
chat won't do. They won't believe it.
Tell them I expected to get home, but that
was kept out of town over night"
Billy's wife communicated this informa-
ton, after which she and Billy slept in
peace. The following Monday Billy met
Norval on the street and began to tell
him how sorry he was. But he didn't
finish. Norval acted queer. He seemed
was that of man Offering coincidence at
a funeral.
That's all right, old man" he said, lay
ing heavy hand on Billy's shoulder. eve
were sorry, too, very sorry"
Then he looked into Billy's face for one
moment with heavy eyes and went his way.
what the deuce is the matter with
Norval?" thought Billy. "He acts as
though he had lost his money"
%lo% lox a1ool IL
er, another of the poker crowd, at an adj
joining table.
''Hello, Sned," Billy called across.
"Come over here and feed"
'tNo, thank you, old man." croaked
Snedeckef I'm about through" He
nodded funereally at Billy, and after few
moments got up and went out.
Billy didn't know what to make of it.
He ran across the rest of the crowd in the
course of the next day or two. They tried
to avoid him.
They played poker the next Saturday
night. The crowd was talking when Billy
came in, but that moment pail fell on
the room, and the rest of the evening was
more like sitting up with the dead than
a social game. Billy and Norval generally
walked home together, but on this night
Norval started alone.
"Just moment" said Billy, "and I'll
be with YOU"
eff you'll excuse me, old man" began
Norval.
81 won't excuse" said Billy, getting into
his coat and following after. When they
got to retired place Billy took Norval by
the lapels of his coat and backed him up
against fence. Now look here, said
Billy, "Pm going to find out what all this
means or I'm going to punch your head.
Every one of you fellows has been avoiding
me for week and when force myself on
you, you act as though were a criminal
or leper. Now out with it-what's up?"
''Why, my dear old boy, Pm sure you're
mistaken said Norval, holloway. There's
not a thing"
you're liar" said Billy, shaking him.
"Out with it." Billy is big man.
"Billy, old fellow" said Norval, ssyou-
you mustn't ask me-"
"Out with it," ordered Billy.
IL don't know" stammered Norval,
perhaps you ought to know. Only remem-
Der should never have told you if you
hadn't insisted and if we weren't mighty
old friends-mighty old friends"
"Well?" asked Billy, getting excited.
"You remember last-last Saturday night
you were out of town, you know-didn't
get home"
eyes, go on" said Billy.
"Well-we called up the house, you know,
by telephone. Mrs. Greenleaf answered
We had to ring several times, you know,
because she was upstairs asleep guess
and she answered. the phone without go
ing downstairs"
go on" commanded Billy.
'EWell-well-there was somebody there
with Mrs. Greenleaf. We heard his-his
voice-as plain as day, though we couldn't
quite make out-what he said. He seemed
to be telling her what to say. He-he-was
a man."
s'WeIl, what the deuce is there strange
a bout fh at ,, demanded Riliv tsKhx-2n