The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-09
(Continued.l


 catching up with Conover. The Com
 mittee went to its room five minutes ago, pacing in single hle ike the court of Priests in Aida Can't you manage
 to tremble a little? It seems hard so
 much really excellent pomposity should be wasted on man who doesh cdre- Why are you later?
 I'm always late to an appointment. answered Conover. Make the other feller 60 the waitin'. Don't do it your
 self. Lots of time saved that way Caine threw open a door and usher ed Caleb into room where a dozen or more men were seated about a long table. Rowing careleSSly to the mem
 bers in general. Caine took a seat at the table. and motioned Conover to- ward a chair that had been placed TOT the purpose at the lower end or the apartment. Conover. disresardlng the
 gesture, siouched across to a larger, more comfortable leather chair. pulled it to the window. flung himself into thS
 seat, his back to the strong afternoon
 light, and drew out cigar.
 "Now then. gentlemen" he ordered curtly, as he struck a match on his
 sole Be as brief as you can. My times worth money. What do you want of me?" A murmur-almost a stifled gasp
 went around the table. at the con tempt in his action and words. There was an embarrassed pause. Then
 Reuben Standish. as Chairman of the Committee. rose. gray and portentous, ana turned COWdTd SdlcD-
 MT. Conover," he began. Certain tatements.-charges, in fact,-haVe
 been made to the Committee. relative ! to yourself. It is your right to near them in detail. I will now read Never mind that!" commanded Con-
 over. "Just give the grist of the thing. Cut out the details.''
 StanIlish glared reprovingly at the wholly unimpressed man at the win
 dow But as the latter purposely sat with his back to the light, his expres- Sion was quite illegible.
 Just as you wish, resumed the Chairman after a moments hesitation ''The papers I was about to read are to the effect that you are declared to be in no sense a desirable member of | the Arareek Club. either from a per sonal CT a business standpoint. Be- lieve me. I regret the necessity of .'Oh, I'll take your grief for granted. interrupted Conover. "This meetings S | been called as I understand it, to kick me out of the Arareek. Now I-'
 You are mistaken. MT. Conover."
 urged Standish civilly. We wish-' Be quiet" said Caleb. I'm talkin' now. You want to get me out of this Club. Well. you can't do it. You can't | stir me an inch. I'm no measly lamb. l like the one in the circus Happy Fam | ily' where the lion an the lamb live together in one cage; an where the l then. on the sly. I didn't butt in here. | was elected. I've broke none of the Club rules. And till I do. here I'm
 goin' to stay. Is that clear? There | out. I-ordi But it makes me sick to hear a pack of sapheads like you, try | in to scare a grown man. It won't work. Now we understand each other. | Anything more?"
 Amid the buzz. a man half way down l the table spoke.
 "I'm afraid" he said, 'that we don't quite understand each other. MT Con | This is not A business concern | It is a social club- It is a place where | the women of our families are also | welcome guests. The presence of man we cannot introduce to our wives | and d&Ughters~will only"
 Why can't you?'' demanded Con over. ''Why can't you introduce me?
 An for that matter: I haven't asked | say you can't This club" went on the other. rep resents all that is best and most con genial in Granites social life. With a discordant element introduced into it, | the clubs chief feature is gone. If there is man who frequents the place whom we do not know and whom we do not wish to know-who cannot meet our-'' '+I we'll have to waste more time over this than I thought grunted Caleb. Let's go back little. Why don't you want to know me? Hey?'' Need we go into that? Surely" "As you have made it one of the reasons for wantin' me fired, I guess | we'd better. Why don't you want to know me?
 If you force me to say it. because you are not a gentleman
 "No?" sneered Caleb, as a new and fainter murmur of deprecation ran | don't get tanked up on cheap booze | down in the bar after golf tourna- | ments. like lot of your gentlemen | here. an then wander up to dinner on I ( | women at the next table can't hear l themselves cackle. I don't ask a party | of men and women to dine with me here an then get a. silly jag an sing l Mother, Pima Rose on Me- every five minutes durin' the meal till ev'rybody 1 at the table gets scared for fear I'll
 sing somethin' worse.-like you did last l Sunday night
 | hard and tried to look loftily indiffer- | ent. Gaines undisgused laugh made | the effort more difficult.
 | Mo-" pursued Caleb, with imper- sonal calm, I'm not a gentleman I | used to think maybe I'd like to be one. But l don't, any more- I come down | here for dinner sometimes, Sunday evenin'. As there's no one exactly
 clamorin' to entertain me. I've plenty ! of chance to use my eyes an ears So I get a line on gentlemen an on how
 they act when they're in their own crowd. At the table next to me last | Sunday. there was little dinner par | ty. Bout a dozen in all. You was | givin' it, I b'lieve, MT. Fatherstone. By | the time dessert came everybody was a-tellin stories. Stories I wouldn't tell | in a barron. Women, too. Gee, I | never knew before that women-" MT. Chairman!'' cried F'eatherStone | Jumping up. 'I protest against this vile abuse. As member of the Arareek-'
 "As a member of the Arareek," cut
 in Caleb. you'll set down am be quiet. You've had your say. What I've just | told, I've told a member of the Club an to fellow-members. Of course if Pm kicked out of the Arareek-an' | kicked out on your vote. Featherstone T wont feel bound to keep my mouth shut about those same stories or who | told 'en1. Nor what you whispered to way out. If"
 | This is blackmail!' shrieked Feath-