Middletown transcript., 1922-10-09
~THE FRAUD
OF MEN"
lllllllllllllll1lllilllll lllllI lllllllllllllllll u
Copyright. 1922, b. The Macmillan Co.
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE

club house in an inland city, |
Il where the two young men had
met by chance that evening. There
was stuffy profusion of leather fur |
niture in the room that gave 1t
heavy cast. Men were talking in
knots of two or three, apparently |
on business, and when On outsider |
entered group, conversation was dis |
tinctly and painfully suspended, or
Jagged in cold formalities until he had
drifted away. The men there were
clearly business men, and were there
by business appointment, and the ele-
ment of soclability was manifested
only In the click of the billiard balls
that echoed in from some invisible
rear room, where the younger men,
too tired to go to the theater, or to
the evening gathering with their wives
or sweethearts, were walking un-
counted miles after the ivory balls.
1t was brisk autumn evening, and
the clock on the mantel was striking
eight when two young men pulled
their fat chairs to the window, where
they could see the theater-goers hur-
rying by under the arc light. and where
they might not be interrupted.
"Well. old man. what d'you think
of the East asked the shorter of the
two, a very stubby little man with
red face red lips and bristling,
close-cropped mustache. His compan-
ion was tall man with skinny fea-
lures. square shoulders, head poised
too far back at times, but capable of
bending, and he had habit of picking
at his mustache.
"Oh, d-n the East" said the tall
young man. "Jim, I'll tell you what's
Gods truth, they are the worst lot
of Jays back there-absolutely the
worst that grow on earth. They don't
know any more about this country,
and what's in it, than satrap of
Persia. When l told them. about our
scheme. showed them the map Of all
this land that is to be foreclosed, and
how the whole thing can be watered
by a central ditch. and all-you re
member how it Is out there-one old
rooster who hasn't been out of his
barnyard in all his life, he up ant
said: Yes. all very good, very good
indeed, but supposing there is an In
dian outbreak-then where's all Oul
money for your improvements gone?
Say. Jim, / just fell right over dead
met old man Wilson there-say, holt
on here, what's this l hear? Ther'
goes Martin and his kids, taking then
TO Ali Baba see what you're COMING
ppt wifi
You. did you? Go-o-od"
With this outburst the bubbles o
the promoters enthusiasm subsidet
His companion reddened slightly a
the raillery and put one side OF hi
under lip over his stubby mustache /
an embarrassed silence that ended l
a smirk.
"Well. Harris" he responded az
dressing the taller friend, "you'v
guessed it the first time, l suppos
But we must all settle down sooner
later. and anyway a man don't I'm
that kind of girl every day in I'll
year" He paused moment and Ha
ris broke in:
"Oh. yes, if 1t comes to that,
suppose he must. l amt a-kickir
any, am 1? Now, Jimmy, that's a got
boy. come and tell ownest own a
about He was interrupted in h
mock coddling by one of the drlfte
who had been knocked from half
dozen groups, and had fioated arour
in front of the formidable chairs. /
was pretty old man, who had been
country banker in his day, and hi
come up and put new life into wo
bling institution after a local pan
He cut in with: well. what are "
kids gassing about? Hello. there. Ha
ris. did you make your irrigati'
scheme go?"
Harris looked up with annoyan
written Enthusiastically on his face
he said, hardly civilly, Yep" al
Iapsed into silence.
There was Il pause, In which j.
addressed remark to Harris abo
the big crowd that was going to I
tbeater. A street car had just l
loaded at the corner The Kansas IN
took the remark as general, and
piled:
Sut. ulh - thSy ei'''S', -
way, too, every night this week.
"Lookie quick" exclaimed Har
TO his companion. "No-this side
there goes Cameron; who's that w
her? Got new 'mash'?'
"Why, you don't mean to say Il
YOU haven't heard replied jim,
he shifted his position in his chi
she's going to get married, too
the old birds going home to nest
"Why, do you boys know N
cameron?" asked the banker W
some surprise. II didn't know she
in your set"
"Ho! Ho! And so you know
widow, too? L. No. 1884 of the Came
series, eh, Jimmy?" said Harris.
The woman, holding to rat
slender young fellow, perhaps thi
five years old dark ana serious,
was watchfully bending over her,
catch her chatter, passed the {
window, and disappeared in the &C
of darkness that surrounded the
light. She was woman who, even
close inspection, showed little
though instinct would have tolt
man-where dozen other TIL
would have told woman-that
was thirty-three or thirty-four "
old. AS she scurried under the II
she seemed to cling to the mans fig
Catch 7A-Foot Eel.
rrA,,,o rnup Marty of