The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1907-05-11

Gl AdNNaf AnhAG WAH A0 b0DM lAaN0A
why he shouldn't; for all Binks had to
do was to put in his time from break
fast until dinner yawning, lounging
and smoking
He glanced over his mail His eye
was attracted by a dainty note in a
feminine hand.
"Who the deuce he pondered, as
he selected the letter.
Curiously opening the envelope he
glanced at the heading blush flushed
over his face, then, quickly, he look
ed at the ending, the blush deepened,
Binks became noticeably nervous.
AS he carefully read the letter he
looked around the room to assure him.
self no one was watching him. Binks
was a most bashful young bachelor.
He acted as though it were his first
real love letter; his consciousness,
his bushes, all pointed one way.
Conklin, who was also lounging in
the breakfast room at the club watch
ed Binks with a peculiar interest
There was a rivalry between the two
men, founded on certain tie in golf,
which caused them to take sneering
interest in one another.
"A love letter, en- mused Conklin
to himself. as he watched the light
ming flushes on Binks' face. Wonder
who the devil would love a man like
that, some nurse-maid or clerk, III
wager He's in love, though, from the
looks Of things; wonder who it can
be?"
Just then Binks looked quickly up
from his letter and caught Conklin's
eyes riveted on him. Conkln shifted
his gaze, Binks thrust the letter in
his breast pocket and made trivial
remark about the weather
After breakfast. the two played bill
lizards for an hour. Binks was excited,
Conklin was curious, but he derived
no information. Several times he
limited at love and each time Binks
flushed
That afternoon Conklin received an
unexpected note in a feminine hand
writing. He read 1t eagerly, blushing
as deeply as his fellow clubman had
that morning. But Binks was not
there to see him and he was glad of
it. However. there we're two or three
other fellows in the room and they
watched Conklin's behavior with inter
est
1t seemed that suddenly the whole
tenor of the Roxmore club had chang
ed. They we're all bachelors and most
Of them young; usually they gathered
together of an evening and drank and
played cards But the evening after
Binks received his. letter, there were
but four or five "old-stagers" on hand
for their game.
The younger fellows had all gone
out, or locked themselves in their
rooms. Surely, something was the
matter, but no one could explain it,
nobody even tried, they were all pre-
occupied and seemed to have some
thing weighing on their minds.
Young Spears acted as foolish and
bashfui as a girl Of 16; he hardly ate
at all, and had the club been in its
usual state, everybody would have no
ticed his extraordinary behavior and
tormented him by asking fool ques
tions. But nobody seemed to notice
anything, except a few of the "old
stagers" and even they lapsed into alb
sent-mindedness at times.
There was something the matter
with the whole Roxmore club, but each
man was too absorbed in affairs of his
own to notice it.
The mail was eagerly watched by
them all and invariably each man
searched out quiet corner in which
to read his letters. and then sat alone
and mused for an hour or So
Old Onphant, who was the Oldest
bachelor in the club, was the only
man who noticed the strange behayi-
our of all the younger fellows. Oil
phant had been voted in but month
ago; he was a man-about-town." a
clever old fellow, as gossipy and gar
rulous as any of the younger fellows
could desire. He was notoriously a
"good-fellow;" it was his chief aim in
life, and he distinguished himself in
his pursuit Nobody knew where he
got his money, but he never seemed
to lack it. He had a little Office in the
city and spent four hours a day there.
Nobody knew what he did. but any
time the fellows dropped in on him at
work they were always greeted with
cigars and bottles and never stopped
to think what he did in that Office
Old Oliphant was the only man who
noticed the sad state of affairs at the
Roxmore club. and even he did not
comment upon them; but, occasional. !
ly, when quite alone, he would break
out into a startling fit of laughter, and |
resume his usual, calm demeanor.
He served in the guise OF confiden. /
f4al friend to all the younger men,
and that was how it happened that |
about week after this sudden change |
at Roxmore three of the fellows took 4
him aside at different times and pray.
ed his advice on subjects close to their