Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-12-27

pucket) was taken out of dusty retire.
ment and was given a whisk or two
with damp towel if it needed it; and
many suits Of long black which might
have been wedding suits if they had
not escaped such a history, were dust
ed and laid out for the morrow's wear.
A gold-headed cane came to light with
every tall hat. and New Years day was
full of promise.
The day dawned bright and clear.
The snow was fine and hard and gave
back thousand sparkles for every
glance from the bedroom window of
the early riser. The ladies of Swan
pucket knew nothing Of what was in
store for them, but rose early to finish
their New Years cake and candy max
ing and to attend to the thousand de-
tails of this day of nut cracking, and
corn popping, and apple baking. Soon
after breakfast numerous tall and SOM
Der figures, but all with sprightly gaits,
might have been seen vending their
way to a common rendezvous at the
Bachelor club, and doubtless they were
noticed by many, but the real alarm
did not begin to be sounded by Swami
puchet society until the doorbells be-
gan Jingle, tingle, tingle, that grew
more frequent as the day wore on.
Her first caller took Miss Clarissa
Frey entirely by surprise. AS she aft
erwards explained, she felt as if the
tide of time had taken her up bodily
and set her back 90 years. When the
doorbell rang she was not prepared
for callers, being dressed, indeed, in
her wrapper; but wheI peek through
side window had revealed the fact
that her caller (world on end!) was
Mr.. Emmett Keene, dressed in keeping
with a bygone style of chivalry which
she well remembered, even to the far
ing white collar and black tie and the
gold-headed cane, she flew with maid
emily agitation to the very garnet. leav-
Ing his adm1ttance to others while she.
alive to the spirit of the occasion
decked herself out with a wonder Of a
hoop skirt which her niece Phoebe
had planned to wear that very night
at New Years amateur play. Emmett
Keene never had got ahead of Clarissa
Frey, and he wouldn't do so at this
late day II she could help it.
Mr.. Keene was somewhat taken ahactr
when, after considerable delay, there
entered the drawing-room an appari-
ton that seemed to have double in
the storehouse Of his memory, He
tried to account for 30 years gone nv
out Tor the life Of him could not make
1t more than 20 In the figure before
MIN. He had to admit, as he had done
IN times past, that Clarissa Frev was
remarkable woman. After tho ~
cnange OF New Years greetings and
gossip Mr.. Keene tried to explain the
organization and purposes Of the new
bureau OF chlvalry, "a new-er-de-
parture OF the Bachelor club" AZ no
explained, with nervousness put
somehow the point didn't carry ~
1nadvertent mention of the fact thai
the departure was founded upon +ha
much discussed plea for protec+;on
from Mrs. Dexter Bloom, he founa
himself launched upon deep and
ethical discussion of women's clubs
which ended only with the tingle Of
the doorbell, announcing the arrival
OF 4 fellow clubman, and Indicating
that MT. Keene was not properly an
Forthcoming the time at his disposal
among the members Of the fair sex
on his list. *, ..s ss55 r..
Mrs. Dexter Bloom was widow OF
considerable dignity and aggressive
intellect It cannot be said that she
revealed any signs Of agitation wnen
Gen. Friesbie Virgins was announced,