The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-10-11

expensive one. %
welcome. Help yourself. Read
what you like and you won't disturb
me" That was the spirit of his
greeting to all these, his friends, when
ever they entered his door, and it was
not long before the room of the young
Virginian became center of good in
fuence among the young men of the
town.
Cairo was an ill organized commune
ty at that time. The great majority Of
Its people were newcomers" from all
quarters Of the country, who had as
yet scarcely learned to know each 9th
er. War operations had filed the town
for several years past with shifting
crowds of adventures of all sorts, who
found in disturbed conditions their op-
portunity to live by prey There were
gambling houses and other evil resorts
in dangerous numbers, where soldiers
and discharged soldiers on their way
through the place were tempted to
their ruin by every lure of vice and
every ease of opportunity to go astray.
The solid men deplored these condi-
| tons, but were as yet powerless to bet
ter them. After the rush Of discharged
soldiers through the town ceased the
evil influences began to operate more
directly upon the clerks and other
young men Of the city itself.
Under such circumstances even the
least cultivated of the hard headed
business men could not fail to regard
with special pleasure the silent work
that Duncan was doing for the saliva
ton of at least a considerable group
OF young men who might otherwise
have fallen victims to the evil condi-
lions that beset them.
Apart from his association with the
young men who frequented his room
Duncan had no social life at all. He
never visited at any house except that
Captain Hallam frequently had him to
| meal over which the two might "talk
business" or where he might meet and
help entertain prominent men of af-
| fairs from other cities whose visits
We're inspired by commercial purposes
far more than by considerations of a
social nature
It created some little establishment,
therefore, when one day at the board
ing house table Duncan said to those
about him:
81 hear that you fellows are organ
ling some sort of club for social pur-
poses. Why haven't you given me a
chance to join?''
1--WE didn't think you would care for
such things. You never go out, you
know, and''-
"What is the purpose Of your organ
ization, if you don't mind my askingW
"Oh, certainly not. We're simply
making up a little group, which we
call The Coterie,' to have a few dane
ing parties and amateur concerts and
the like in the big hotel dining room
during the winter. We've a notion
that the young people of Cairo ought
to know each other better Our idea is
to promote social intercourse, and so
we're all chipping in to pay the cost,
which won't be much.'
swell, may chip in with the rest?'
Seeing glad assent in every counte-
nance, he held out his hand for the
subscription paper and put down his
name for just double the largest sub
scription on it. Then, passing it back,
he said:
II think may be able to secure some
support for so good an undertaking
from the business men Of the city and
from others-the lawyers, doctors and
the like
He did what he could, and what he
could was much. The solid men, when
he brought the subject to their atten-
ton, felt that this was an extension
of that work of Duncans for the bet
terment of the town, which they so
heartily approved. They subscribed
freely to the expense, and, better still,
they lent personal countenance to the
entertainments.
Guilford Duncan also attended one of
the entertainments, though it had been
his fixed purpose not to do So The
reason was that Guilford Duncan was
altogether human and a full blooded
young man. From the time Of his, ar
| rival at Cairo until now he had not
had any association with women.
When such association came to him he
accepted it as a boon without relax
Ing in any degree his devotion to af-