Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-09-23
The women swept down on him in

| platoons; only one little chickadee
stayed away, and she, could see by
the way her soft eyes followed him,
was in love with that card-playing i'm.
itation of man.
BY this time, the arrivals having
all arrived, received their score-cards
and found their places with the help
OF an indigo bunting, a purple martin,
tour screech owls and belted king
Usher detailed for the task; the flut-
ter subsidized somewhat, though not the
chattering, for play had not begun.
retired to the outskirts of the
scene to get a comprehensive view
OF my aviary. A boy bugler blew rev.
ellie, and they were off They were
good for two and half hours, dur.
ing which l must SIT and watch for
something to make story.
A voice suddenly raised above the
general clucking sent my self-abase.
ment flying and made me sit up and
take notice at once. Like shot I
was over in the corner where the
connection was, but it proved to be
only trifiing difference of opinion
that was soon settled.
Still, the game was beginning to
warm up. By the fourth round vari.
GUS expressions that anyone familiar
with euchre knows, were stealing over
most of the women's faces. Some got
the prize-hunger in their eyes, others
bent over the cards with the eager
look of those who play for excite,
ment's sake, while still others-well,
they were wasting time gambling for
mere bric-a-brac and trinkets worth
only a few dollars.
AS for the Only Man, l amused my
self by inventing suitable titles for
him. He was the Belle Of the Ball
the Flower Of the Flock and 1 couldn't
decide between the Jack of Hearts
and the Two-spot.
The room as well as the game was
warming up, and the air-how these
women stayed in it from choice was
beyond me. Several windows were
opened by the hotel attendants but
the players nearest them complained
of draughts and they had to be closed
down.
The sixth game closed and the WON,
en- jostled each other to get in their
| places for the seventh. Mrs. Sparrow
glared at her new partner, Mrs. Gray
Owl, who played sleepily, and Mrs
Hawk wore the look of a martyr when
she found herself for the third time
opposite Mrs Bluejay who, it trans.
PRED, had never played euchre before,
and had come innocently expecting to
be shown how. She was.
At last Taps" sounded, and then
the real excitement began; what had
gone before was merely preliminary.
| Before the last note of the bugle had
| died away the prize table looked like
bargain counter. No third-rate de,
| partment store ever held more ex,
cited, Notwithstanding,
| to-get-left crowd than that collection
of gorgeously gowned women wearing
| jewels enough to have decked an In.
dian temple. And the Only Man was
in the thick of the fray. In vain the
| prize committee and the hotel attend.
ants who had been called in to help
| preserve order tried to keep the WON.
| en- back. For moment it looked as
though there would be wholesale run
on the prizes; but at the crucial mo.
ment Mrs. Catbirds commanding voice
made itself heard. sts
Ladies, ladies', remember you are
ladies!"
| The throng fell back an inch or
two, slightly disheveled and less than
| slightly ashamed.
Once under control, the crowd was
Guilty, and the prizes were finally dis.
| tributed. While they waited the i'm.
| patient ones RECALLED one another with
| their woes.
My dear, dislike quarreling, espe-
claily over cards, but you can't let
| people walk over you.''
mo, of course you can't" This
was from my dear little bluebird, who
looked worn out.
| mineral water.
| "Oh, l don't want that" said the
woman who was entitled to it, in dis.
appointed tone.
| "Ill take it, then" says the next one
on the list, and up she steps and
claims the case. My, wasn't the first
woman mad as wet hen, though!
The Only Man won the silk stock.
ings, and the old maid got the smok-
ing set. Perhaps, who knows, 1t
proved mascot?
At last it was all over, and nice
condition those women were in to go
home to their families. Drunk as
lords, all of them. Not with liquor,
oh, dear, no. There hadn't been a
drop of anything but water at the
Kindness clubs euchre. They were
drunk with excitement and bad air
and the mad riot of color they made.
And more than all, they were drunk
| and drugged with WEAKNESS.
| watched the Only Man buy tickets
for six other euchres.
On the way to- the cloakroom Mrs.
Catbird stopped me.