The Depot Master Part 8

"'Well,' says I, 'what of it?'

"'Nothin',' says he. 'Only I've been practisin' a considerable spell. So long. Come in again some time when it's dark and the respectable element can't see you.'

"I went away thinkin' hard. And next mornin' I hunted up Gabe, and says I:

"'Mr. Holway,' I says, 'what puzzles me is how you're goin' to elect the officers for the new club. Put up a Conservative and the Progressives resign. H'ist the Progressive ensign and the Conservatives'll mutiny. As for the billiard-roomers--providin' any jine--they've never been known to vote for anybody but themselves. I can't see no light yet--nothin'

but fog.'

"He winks, sly and profound. 'That's all right,' says he. 'Fisher and I have planned that. You watch!'

"Sure enough, they had. The minister was mighty popular, so, when 'twas out that he was candidate to be fust president of the club, all hands was satisfied. Two vice presidents was named--one bein' Ba.s.sett and t'other Ellis. Secretary was a leadin' Conservative; treasurer a head Progressive. Officers and crew was happy and mutiny sunk ten fathoms.

ONLY none of the billiard-room gang had jined, and they was the fish we was really tryin' for.

"'Twas next March afore one of 'em did come into the net, though we'd have on all kinds of bait--suppers and free ice cream Sat.u.r.day nights, and the like of that. And meantime things had been happenin'.

"The fust thing of importance was Gabe's leavin' town. Our Cape winter weather was what fixed him. He stood the no'theasters and Scotch drizzles till January, and then he heads for Key West and comfort.

Said his heart still beat warm for his native village, but his feet was froze--or words similar. He cal'lated to be back in the spring. Then the Reverend Fisher got a call to somewheres in York State, and felt he couldn't afford not to hear it. n.o.body blamed him; the salary paid a minister in South Orham is enough to make any feller buy patent ear drums. But that left our men's club without either skipper or pilot, as you might say.

"One week after the farewell sermon, Daniel Ba.s.sett drops in casual on me. He was pa.s.sin' around smoking material lavish and regardless.

"'St.i.tt,' says he, 'you've always voted for Conservatism in our local affairs, haven't you?'

"'Well,' says I, 'I didn't vote to roof the town hall with a new mortgage, if that's what you mean.'

"'Exactly,' he says. 'Now, our men's club, while not as yet the success we hoped for, has come to be a power for good in our community. It needs for its president a conservative, thoughtful man. Bailey,' he says, 'it has come to my ears that Gaius Ellis intends to run for that office. You know him. As a taxpayer, as a sober, thoughtful citizen, my gorge rises at such insolence. I protest, sir! I protest against--'

"He was standin' up, makin' gestures with both arms, and he had his town-meetin' voice iled and runnin'. I was too busy to hanker for a stump speech, so I cut across his bows.

"'All right, all right,' says I. 'I'll vote for you, Dan.'

"He fetched a long breath. 'Thank you,' says he. 'Thank you. That makes ten. Ellis can count on no more than nine. My election is a.s.sured.'

"Seein' that there wa'n't but nineteen reg'lar voters who come to the club meetin's, if Ba.s.sett had ten of 'em it sartin did look as if he'd get in. But on election night what does Gaius Ellis do but send a wagon after old man Solomon Peavey, who'd been dry docked with rheumatiz for three months, and Sol's vote evened her up. 'Twas ten to ten, a deadlock, and the election was postponed for another week.

"This was of a Tuesday. On Wednesday I met Bije Simmons, the chap who was playin' pool at Jotham's.

"'Hey, Bailey!' says he. 'Shake hands with a brother. I'm goin' to jine the men's club.'

"'You BE?' says I, surprised enough, for Simmons was a billiard-roomer from 'way back.

"'Yup,' he says. 'I'll be voted in at next meetin', sure. I'm studyin'

up on parchesi now.'

"'Hum!' I says, thinkin'. 'How you goin to vote?'

"'Me?' says he. 'Me? Why, man, I wonder at you! Can't you see the fires of Conservatism blazin' in my eyes? I'm Conservative bred and Conservative born, and when I'm dead there'll be a Conservative gone.

By, by. See you Tuesday night.'

"He went off, stoppin' everybody he met to tell 'em the news. And on Thursday Ed Barnes dropped in to pay me the seventy-five cents he'd borrowed two years ago come Fourth of July. When I'd got over the fust shock and had counted the money three times, I commenced to ask questions.

"'Somebody die and will you a million, Ed?' I wanted to know.

"'No,' says he. 'It's the reward of virtue. I'm goin' to be a better man. I'm jinin' the men's club.'

"'NO!' says I, for Ed was as strong a billiard-roomer as Bije.

"'Sure!' he answers. 'I'm filled full of desires for crokinole and progressiveness. See you Tuesday night at the meetin'.'

"And, would you b'lieve it, at that meetin' no less'n six confirmed members of the billiard-room gang was voted into the men's club. 'Twas a hallelujah gatherin'. I couldn't help thinkin' how glad and proud Gabe and Mr. Fisher would have been to see their dreams comin' true.

But Ba.s.sett and Ellis looked more worried than glad, and when the votin'

took place I understood the reason. Them new members had divided even, and the ballots stood Ba.s.sett thirteen and Ellis thirteen. The tie was still on and the election was put off for another week.

"In that week, surprisin' as it may seem, two more billiard-roomers seen a light and jined with us. However, one was for Ba.s.sett and t'other for Ellis, so the deadlock wa'n't broken. Jotham had only a couple of his reg'lars left, and I swan to man if THEY didn't catch the disease inside of the follerin' fortni't and hand in their names. The 'Billiard, Pool, and Sipio Saloon,' from bein' the liveliest place in town, was now the deadest. Through the window you could see poor Jotham mopin' lonesome among his peanuts and cigars. The sayin' concernin' the hardness of the transgressor's sleddin' was workin' out for HIM, all right. But the conversions had come so sudden that I couldn't understand it, though I did have some suspicions.

"'Look here, Dan,' says I to Ba.s.sett, 'are you goin' to keep this up till judgment? There ain't but thirty votin' names in this place--except the chaps off fishin', and they won't be back till fall. Fifteen is for you and fifteen for Gaius. Most astonishin' agreement of difference ever I see. We'll never have a president, at this rate.'

"He winked. 'Won't, hey?' he says. 'Sure you've counted right? I make it thirty-one.'

"'I don't see how,' says I, puzzled. 'n.o.body's left outside the club but Jotham himself, and he--'

"'That's all right,' he interrupts, winkin' again. 'You be on hand next Tuesday night. You can't always tell, maybe somethin'll happen.'

"I was on hand, all right, and somethin' did happen, two somethin's, in fact. We hadn't much more'n got in our seats afore the door opened, and in walked Gaius Ellis, arm in arm with a man; and the man was the Honorable Stingy Gabe Atkinson Holway.

"'Gentlemen,' sings out Gaius, bubblin' over with joy, 'I propose three cheers for our founder, who has returned to us after his long absence.'

"We give the cheers--that is, some of the folks did. Ba.s.sett and our gang wa'n't cheerin' much; they looked as if somebody had pa.s.sed 'em a counterfeit note. You see, Gabe Holway was one of the hide-boundest Progressives afloat, and a blind man could see who'd got him back again and which way he'd vote. It sartinly looked bad for Ba.s.sett now.

"Gaius proposes that, out of compliment, as founder of the club, Mr.

Holway be asked to preside. So he was asked, though the Conservatives wa'n't very enthusiastic. Gabe took the chair, preached a little sermon about bein' glad to see his native home once more, and raps for order.

"'If there's no other business afore the meetin',' says he, 'we will proceed to ballot for president.'

"But it turned out that there was other business. Dan Ba.s.sett riz to his feet and commenced one of the most feelin' addresses ever I listened to.

"Fust he congratulated all hands upon the success of Mr. Holway's philanthropic scheme for the betterment of South Orham's male citizens.

Jeered at at fust by the unregenerate, it had gone on, winnin' its way into the hearts of the people, until one by one the said unregenerate had regenerated, and now the club numbered thirty souls and the Honorable Atkinson.

"'But,' says Dan, wavin' his arms, 'one man yet remains outside. One lone man! The chief sinner, you say? Yes, I admit it. But, gentlemen, a repentant sinner. Alone he sits amid the wreck of his business--a business wrecked by us, gentlemen--without a customer, without a friend.

Shall it be said that the free and open-handed men's club of South Orham turned its back upon one man, merely because he HAS been what he was?

Gentlemen, I have talked with Jotham Gale; he is old, he is friendless, he no longer has a means of livelihood--we have taken it from him. We have turned his followers' steps to better paths. Shall we not turn his, also? Gentlemen and friends, Jotham Gale is repentant, he feels his ostrichism'--whatever he meant by that--'he desires to become self-respecting, and he asks us to help him. He wishes to join this club. Gentlemen, I propose for membership in our a.s.sociation the name of Jotham W. Gale.'

"He set down and mopped his face. And the powwow that broke loose was somethin' tremendous. Of course 'twas plain enough what Dan's game was.

This was the 'somethin'' that was goin' to happen.

"Ellis see the way the land lay, and he bounces up to protest. 'Twas an outrage; a scandal; ridiculous; and so forth, and so on. Poor Gabe didn't know what to do, and so he didn't do nothin'. A head Conservative seconds Jotham's nomination. 'Twas put to a vote and carried easy. Dan's speech had had its effect and a good many folks voted out of sympathy.

How did I vote? I'LL never tell you.