Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-20

began to discern the point of good Joke and to
join in the songs they sang in lusty chorus He also
became adept in lodging boots hurled at HIM when
he aroused them for breakfast
Quite regretfully he accompanied them to the
canal when they left in body, and there was
slight pang of jealousy because they were to have
another mule driver on their homeward trip; but
his pangs were assuaged when he unroled the huge
gun cloth they had thrust into his hands and dis
covered that, prodigal of wealth as of youth, they
had given him more money than he ever had known
The Second Call
THE tenth anniversary of the founding of The
L Thirteen Club opened with rush, and again
thew came bv the Canal but IN separate parties.
They came without comfort and hurredly; for their
celebration had been delayed some months to meet
the convenience of them ALL and 1t was late IN the
fall when game birds becoming scarce through
the forests of the range and the frost cracked among
the trees at night.
thew were doubly honored by the fact that five OF
the members, though married, had not deserted
their less fortunate companions lie satlr1caily
added that the eight more sensible ones took keen
pleasure in thus tearing them from the bosomS OF
their respective and increasing families, and knew
they would be fit to appreciate meals prepared by
Ephraiham. He said that for the further 1nstruc-
ton of the unmarried members, he would add that
sweethearts were best when laid away IN lavender
He stopped abruptly and felt his humor flag; for
at the side of the table sat one whose face was
twisting as if in pain, and he regrettully remembered
that Bobby Martin had only the year before lost
his betrothed. He rallied by irrelevantly telling
needed by row of post holes blown across western
field 1t fell fiat. AS he offered bumper OF ale,
he wondered why it was that he had lost the power
to arouse the wild laughter of the before The
big tankards dropped softly to the table without
that thump and bang of other days. The applause
was weak He felt strangely sedate, and was not
aware until Tom half through speech that he
was seriously addressing them the slave question
and that three others of southern birth were growing
red with annoyance. As an adro1t chairman ne
rose to the occasion and diverted bad feeling by
addressing faCetiOuS remark to the speaker, VINO
promptly sat down with i'll grace.
They did warm up enough as the evening advanced
to sing some of the old songs; but a new tone had
been interjected, Of stadness and repose, that
kept them from swinging out as freely as they had
ten years before When they went to bed in the
new blankets with which Tom had equipped the
club from his private purse, one played pranks.
Not a sheet tied; no man found nicely ad-
iusted row of boulders in his bunk; and no one had
ANYTHING to say to keep the Others awake. Two OF
The Thirteen Club had learned to snore, and it dis
turbed the Others who instead of swearing ervently
or punching the culprits in the ribs, rolled restless
and discomfort. 1t would have been different ten
wears before That was before they had learned to
be cautious of others fe alings.
And vet they all wanted to forget their cares and
WORRIES and to remember only that this was the
first time they had all been together in years True,
some of them had met some others nearly every
season. but-hang it all!-each thought it was the
other that had changed. 1t actually took two days
for the sense of strangeness and to off,
and then affairs sped more freely and in measure
they -sturned to the boyish boisterousness that
made them sing rousingly, enjoy Jokes heartily, and
speak without restraint. They really became boys
again and boosted their proves atield after
each days shoot. They put cookie burs in the
sleeping Ephraiham's whiskerS, pulled the shot from
Bly's shells his first day out, and loosened the
Stats in Bobby's bunk that he nearly broke his
back when he tumbled drowsily in.
On the board walls behind each mans seat they
wrote limercks, and Graves, the cartoonist spent
hours with charcoal in hand depicting each indi-
viduals ridiculous side. They put in full day
building stone furnace outside for barbecue of
fellows