Rock Island Argus., 1913-04-28

tirmer voice-"l suggest that the guilty
member be spared the embarrassment
of publicly proclaiming his inidelity
to the club; that be be permitted to
present his resignation in writing TO
the secretary. 10 be read at the next
monthly meeting. and that his absence
from that meeting be the only an
nouncemeut of his withdrawal. We
will vote upon this resolution
1t was carried with enthusiasm and
possibly scorn. while each one marvel
ed If the suspected one was known to
the other. and not one gave a thought
TO the founder of the club-the austere
young president himself.
When Wally Wicks had scratched
this important matter upon the minute
book, there being no ether business
before the meeting. il was unanimous
" adjourned. and with a sudden re
turn Of spirits the bachelors gathered
around the fire There was no men
ton of the backsliding member Tn
til the guilty mans name was made
public at the next meeting by his alb
sence he should be treated with all the
respect due to member Of the ciuh.
and this was an excellent plan, because
each man had his own suspicion.
Heard a deuced funny thing today"
said Jack Fletcher as he lighted a
cigarette My landlady. old Miss Mar
tell. asked me last week what brand of
tea we used at the club. | told her
Kentucky Never heard of it. replied
the old lady. She asked me where we
got ii. and l said at Gifford's grocery
A laugh went around the circle as
suggestive gurgle. and clink Of china
came from the buffet where the club
waiter was preparing to brew Ken
tucky tea poured from a bottle stamp
ed with a gold seal. As the ladIe Of
the punch bowl scraped musically
Fletcher continued:
stopped in Gihord's today. and the
man said Miss Martell had just called
for a pound of Kentucky tea"
Again they laughed-rather absent
mindedly this time. Indeed. each man
seemed more intent on his own
thoughts than on Fletcher's story.
When the punch bowl had served its
purpose and they had parted for the
night Lang. with one last regretful
glance around at the rooms in which
he had spent so many pleasant hours.
| there was Affecting of constraint that
seemed unavoidable.
The following month passed slowly.
Lang managed to postpone the an
nouncement of his engagement until
! after the next monthly meeting of the
club. and when the day finally dawned
! it found him with his resignation care
fully prepared and addressed to Wally
Wicks as secretary. He knew the
wrath and Opprobrium that would be
cast upon him when 1t was learned
that he was the guilty man. He re-
gretted the good friends he would lose,
but he would gain Edna, and that
made up for everything.
| He dropped the letter in the post
with a sigh of positive relief. When
the time came for the monthly meet
ing of the Bachelors club TO go into
session he would be with Edna.
The tall clock in the corner Of the
clubroom licked loudly. The great fire
/
heels of the club servitor raped smart
! ly on the polished floor as he went
! briskly to and fro. On the large table
rested glass Of water. the club regis
/ ter and silver mounted gavel Around
the table were ten chairs. but none of
| the members had arrived. The clock
struck g.
At / o'clock the waiter tiptoed across
the still empty room and peered sleep
/ lily at little pile Of letters which had
accumulated during the evening. They
had been brought by various messen-
I ger boys. Ten in all, they were ad-
dressed to Wallace Wentworth Wicks,
secretary. and one envelope inscribed
in Wally Wicks own scrubby hand
writing. directed to The Secretary
Pro Tenn
"A bally shame it is" grumbled the
! servant as he stored the letters and
hook in convenient cupboard. "a
bloomin' bally shame. to keep a man
a-waitin' around ere 'alf the night fer
a meetin and not one Of them gents
a-showin' mp. | never seen them ado
In nothin' like it before And ! 'opes
never to again I'm that bIinkyr'
He yawned drearily. moved to the
buffet and quaffed liberal portion of
the neglected Kentucky tea" and
snapped out the electric lights.
In the meantime ten guilty men had
! persuaded ten artleSs maidens. each
the dearest and most beautiful Of her
sex, to name a most important day.
Great was the hiarAy and many
the jokes when by mutual agreement
all met once more in the clubrooms a
month later Many toasts were offered
and many healths drunk in the Ken
tucky tea Before separating 1t was
voted that the name Of the association
be changed from Bachelors to Married
Mems club.
But an element had been introduced
by matrimOny that gradually reiuced
the frequency and the enthusiasm Of
the meetings. Certain of the wives
objected and prevailed npon their hus-
bands to remain ut home on club nights
This reduced the attendance, and the
club finally dishandeh
Il a nrii % IN Ar,ericao