The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-06-13
THE END OF THEA. A, o, 4, A.

What lt::came to.
From the Philadelphia Ledger:
Araoella was a very delightful and
altogether charming young woman of
some odd summers or thereabouts. Not
one OF those foolish young girls who
consider gigele a.. sufficient answer to
all one may have to say In the way
OF complimentary or witty things, but
a young woman who for the five years
since her debut had been able to keep
at her feet almost every man who was
wise or foolish enough to fall in love
with her-and most men were wise or
foolish enough.
She had also managed to make each
man think that he had the inside track
and that HE spelled "IT' with a
capital a. Through all this time she
had never struck her colors because,
1t was said, she did not desire to give
up the roses and violets and candies
and chocolates and the other nice
things, which Charley and Billy and
Tommy and Teddy were offering at her
shrine.
In this way originated the A. A. 0.
A. A. (The Amicable Association of
Arabella's Admirers. 1t was based on
the same idea as are the billion dollar
ombinations-namely to do away with
running competition. The basis proved
to be good one, for the association
grew every day. AS its existence be-
came known among the contributors to
Arabella's happiness it gradually
swelled In numbers until q waiting list
had to be established and committee
on admissions had to be appointed, so
popular and attractive were the advan-
tages offered by it.
Recently Miss Arabella had made a
new acquisition. He was entirely diff
ferent from the rest of us-very re-
served and shy; in fact, a regular in
experienced country boy from some
little college up state. But his man.
ners and his methods were discounted
by his pocketbook, which did not seem
to weary giving up flyers and ten spots
to please Arabella. He was really so
easy that we all took pity on him and
decided to invite him to join our asso-
citation, though so far he had made
no application and was apparently in
entire ignorance Of our existence. We
did not tell him what our club was, for
we wanted to- break It to him gently,
I and We all anti lpated a lot sc sport
from his 1niti s \! 5sS . u $'z "
vi On this memorable. {. occasion Jim
Cunningham acted as chief adinirer,
and as he developed the purposes of
our club before the invited and unsus-
pecting candidate, the latter's face was
study. He was not sure whether he
should get mad or not, and when Cum
bingham had finished, he sat for mo-
ment quite imnobile. Then, realizing
that he was expected to say something
he got up and said:
"Gentlemen, while feel highly hon.
ored by your kind offer, unfortunate
ly cannot accept it. The reason why
cannot is something which you were
not to have known until next week
but under the circumstances I do not
see how can help telling you now
cannot accept your offer, but can
and hereby do gladly invite you all To
be present at an early date at the we'd
ding of Miss Arabella and your humble
servant"
OF course there was nothing for us
to do but to look pleasant and to &c
into executive session to discuss the
buying of wedding present, but q
more Inundated and Disguised set OF
| men you never saw"