The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-20

WNIfN NV HfNfNNy m1nI4NtfV Nv ~
shy eeess : Tssgirf tbp 6Sand ~ :,
hesff No rlaa Nifh NttHrfinH eHPn
The r~sfvefHF' ~ itia club rfist ~
~ eighout ffftheF infsfrupfn' te m.
NaUmeed Hfrlhef Htnir hts IrHrHfi
~ s.yfits W ne rlth tu hr rosl feirHHi
= htefutrf muys iu Htnh" nf1'hef ~
itf \ HFHefy lnafufsr
re motlou VS. essssd ~ srelamsti1N
nv fIre ~ The hufafHfV n1pfHtef'a euileN
rfuiea'i FHd iNH dfswihe rfn0nrdgI AWid
4 hogFtt eilenrc Tho tlrbfi Wia'er rut
90 shtu'hrr Nspr snt vOu iftw7 W.
Win shahins Anssr. R,c,bet d,rr
ffnnNled belpirssiv IN The hnt Hfd i0rh Niif
a alp the Grand Nastef fef~ivri ".
esspilaed n aHd lrpse,i up
The hefns that hes bern dfaweh H.
fltolhef Beverly nnllnt'a, he announced
THIS had hideuus feirit ufion swiftly
rvNftaken the eNor's ~ tte hoH 0rnry nrSfn
hrf w. evade hta fraTwr sihiiiticp With
sehla f"er b" l"osed nfou' him tot SYM
Ws On the bv.nws' srld The Grand
Master. ushancly that y memi@f kin hill
hiaaelf any wsy he prefers The igom"i
fneanttef Frightened = iitlH MT, ptr.
Ated BROTHER NlnOrh ait'a n len ~ tho bv4ltwa
tbef be- mus eslec' another msmbsr toe 80
with him ~ ~ that mernher hin cnme biek
81 tell hos be done The club srosned.
sHtothef, . aid the Grand Muster, you
The honorary membef rolled HE eYes
hslpleealy around, but ~ length he feebly
Indicated Top by n motion ~ hia head
Brothsf Smock waved his hand
~ mua' be done NJ once he said.
..nrother. Top. We will expeq,' you In bali an
you shall hsvs q fne fun'hl.'
Left behind. q horror struck apathy
overlook tho remaining members of the
Suicide Club. Finally. the hardest among
them, to divert his mind cut n large section
Of Mias Sally's cake and ~procccded 20 de-
down and was busy polishing chicken bones
when Tops footsteps were le rd. .
He entered with eyes wildly rolling and
distended jaws. The Grand Master only
retained his calm.
We will now turn out the lights, In re-
spec ter our late brother, an hear the
In the darkness Top, the solitary witness
OF a. fellow mans untjmely end, spoke In
trembling tones.
Brother Bev'ly Bullitt -is-daid . he said.
we knows that, said 4. the :, Grand an Master
'He sure Ia daid,' reiterated Top. He.
he-done poured coal oil over hisself and
burned hieself all up. They wa MT nothin
or him lef'. not er teaspoon er ashes
A sigh Of horror went round the room.
Then there won't be any fun'ral,' said
Mr.. Smock, after a moments deep ponder
ing over this untimely manner OF dying;
Its mighty disappintin'. but the diseased
has on'y hisself ter blame
Tbs sudden disappearance OF Beverly
was discussed in all its aspects in Jimpson-
vile; but no one connected 1t with the sui
eide club. Thus that organizatiol kept It's
skirts clean.
Perhaps because Of their honorary mem
ber's noble example, the next meeting was
marked by more fortitude, though without
any pleasant a"nticipations. But every MEM
Der felt that resistance was hopeless; in
deed, as in Beverly's case, 1t seemed to has
ten the falling Of the blow.
SO the next drawing was made with resig-
nation; and Top, attended by MIR. Mapp,
vent out into the night to do himself to
death. This second report was even more
CHASTITY than the last one.
brother Top went an laid down on the
railroad trac' an that 7. an n. train jes'
went smack over him. There want
nothin' left but one laig an couldn't IDENTIFY
that, so l jes' buried it,"
Still cheated of a funeral, the club was
oomforted by the prosperous state OF It's
finances. .
The members, as time went on. seemed
to vie with one another to find horrid ways
Of self destruction. One brother was re-
ported TO have @throwed hisSelf In Dir.
Bud Aliens pig pond an seed one or these
yer sharks ketoh im.'
Another was mysteriously absorbed in a
thunderstorm; and still another shot himself
into invisible fragments with n borrowed
gun.
The club had now dwindled to three;
Steve Booker, a brother of gigantic build;
Sam Stout, and the imperishable Grand
Miss Sally had borne the dwind-
ling Of her admirers with philosophy; she
even smiled mysteriously when their alb
sence was referred to-. Meanwhile Brother
Smock made hay in the sunshine OF her
industriously.
At this meeting there was an elegance
about his attire which told on the nerves
Of Steve and Sam. The latter, being small
and pockmarked, had never counted his
worth much, but Steve would at
one time have gambled on his hopes OF Miss
The Grand Master held the hat with It's
sadly reduced number of slips inside.
"The question amt never been, asked
said Steve, what becomes Of the fun's
when the club is gone ter it's long home"
The Grand Master hesitated, posing the
hat delicately in his fingers. The hat was
! new and stylish n of his own, recently
sThe las member left gifts the fun's,
sIt's a whole heap" said Sam, SER there
been no fun'rals yit;"
steve was wrestling WIN dno'her prop
EN-.
But how kin the las member Use It when
he's daid?" he inquired.
"The las member who-is-er-left. an
{ NAV be yourself, Brother Booker, doesn't
lie. You see"-the Grand Master hesitated-
that's the objeo' Of the club it's the-er-
-evival Of the fittes'." He paused an instant.
Shell we peroeed with the drawin'?"
Taking their silence for consent he put
,is fingers into the hat and withdrew a slip.
lie looked at the slip and then at Brother
aYour name Ia called. Brother"
Without n word the newly sentenced
reached out and grabbed the hut
rom its u~nsuspecting owners hand. The
,riin was partly torn off in the ensuing
struggle, but enough remained intact of
he hat to show that It held only one other
lin, and tho name on that was not Mr..
Smook's. Steve glared at the paper.
ale amt never put his own name in the
nat" he growled; @that's how he was goin'
O be the las man an pocket them fun's,"
Sam was small and yellow; and enlighten-
nent rea ched his nind but slowly. When
: did the Grand Master was gone, n
Booker was gone after him. Sam
linked once or twice: then his glance fell
n the untasted banquet. Tie drew up a
chair and sat down.
II was Sunday evening, and Miss Sally's
curt surrounded her, ~Singularly enough, |
was almost exactly the same that it had
cen on that memorable day when the Sui
ide Club war organized,
IT might almost hav 70 been called the