THE COURIER.
' bad known what it meant to Chug to do
something to help some .one. He had
never helped any- thing before, except
the little colts that scratched their necks
on the barbed-wire, fits work for bis
mother and sisters, he had done because
they "kept a naggin'." The sisters were
older than he.
He had never seen a baby at short
raDge before. He had always avoided
them. They cried, ilul this one did
not cry, after the first. It laughed to
him, and pounded its two hands on the
window pane when it saw him coming.
Chug viewed these manifestations with
secret wonder, and another new, queer
feeling, that made him half-afraid of
the little blue-frocked thing
The day he got a new suit of clothes,
he ventured to take it on his lap. He
was in unusual spirits that day. Mrs.
Woods noticed it. She thought perhaps
it was the black horse. This month's
wages made the last payment on the
pretty animal, whose movements he had
followed ever since he had sulked into
her stall with a curry comb, on the first
day of bis coming, and had dodged a
well-aimed kick.
When Joe came home from school he
surveyed the new suit with a whistle.
"Hellop! Goin' to the chivarea?"'
Chug shifted his feet uneasily. "Joe,"
said his mother. "I wish you would get
me an armful of wood."
The next morning the farmer called
Chug, at the foot of the stairs three
time. When he came to the table Joe
winked at' bis sister. "Had a good time,
Chug?" "Ob," said Chug, indifferently,
"purty fair. Never ben to one o' them
doim's before." He ate his pancakes
with conscious unconcern, looking under
h"iB eyebrows, occasionally, at bis yellow
and blue suspenders.
He was looking at them when Joo
rushed in to supper.
"Jefferson's skipped!" he announced
excitedly.
Chun looked up quickly, then looked
down at his plate. Suddenly he laid his
knife across his fork, and his whole face
wrenched spasmodically. He stumbled
out to the stable, and they saw him load
out the black horse and ride down the
road through the second-bottom pasture
It was late that night when Mrs.
Woods heard the creak of the windlass
at the well. It went very slowly. Af
ter a while, she heard the thump of the
water-pail, on the kitchen table. Chug
always set it there, now, before he
tramped up the stairs to his room. He
sat it down more softly, tonight. After
he had gone up stairs, she did not hear
the clump of heavy boots dropping on
the floor. Instead, there were slow
steps, in the room above, creaking and
creaking, in a painful effort to be soft.
Then she rose. and dressed, and took a
lamp into the kitchen. When Chug
opened the door, presently, he stepped
back a little, and she saw his face work
iog She looked at the bundle, tied in
a red handkerchief, in his hands.
"Where are you going?" she said
quickly.
"I duuno' and then with lips that
twisted, "my sister"
The little woman paled suddenly.
She remembered things whispered of
the older of the two black-haired, sullen-browed
girls, and she was silent.
She looked with something like awe at
the boy's bent head, and bis fingers,
twisting the blue and yellow suspenders.
Who would have thought a Marvin
would care? She opened her lips, and
then something in his white face stop
ped her.
"1 want to thank you '- Chug stop
ped .again, and the farmer's wife put
both her -hands on his hard, grimy wrist.
"You mustn't go," she said slowly.
"That's what he's done.'.'
Chug did not remember the rest, un
til be atood, with the smoking lantern
in his band, in the corner of the barn
where his old clothes lay, the clothes in
which he had come from home. Ho
picked them up, but the holes eeemed to
have grown larger. The new, blue
patches on the shirt-sleeves were soiled
and black, and one was worn through.
He felt in the pocket of the ragged
trousers, a pocket tied around, half way
up, with a string, and found a small,
black wad of tobacco. He put it into
his mouth and chewed it savagely.
That night, far away on the country
road, a solitary rider galloped through
the dark. He rode faster and faster.
The moon began to come up, shining red
through the trees beside bim. His
horse was damp with perspiration. He
drew in the rein. Ail the way a voice
seemed chasing him ringing in bis ears
He heard it plainer, now. "That's what
7e' done.'1
The heat from the smoking horse,
made bim gasp, yet a chill went over
him, as if two hands had touched his
wrists. Those hands, worn and bent,
would carry the pails of water, now.
"I wish't I was hauled out to the
bone-patch," he muttered, and turned
his horse's head.
Next morning, when David Woods
called, at the foot of the stairs, a voice
answered more promptly than ever be
fore, "All right"
MMMMIMMMIMM0000000000t
li&x33- i
Edited by Miss Helen G. Hatwood.
MMMMMIHOCMIMIMf 0008000
CALENDAR OP NEBRASKA CLUBS
Tebruary
25, VT's. c French Department Lincoln
25, Boys' c, American History Plattsmouth
25, Monday c. French lesson Wayne
25, ,Ws. c.. Home York
25, 20th Cen. c , Miscellaneous Pawnee City
26, Fortnightly England Lincoln
27, Friends in Council, Burgundy and Paris
Tecumseh
27, Sorosls, Topic of the Time Tecumseh
27, 1'ozya, Nebraska Day Tecumseh
28, W's.c Value of good Literature. Auburn
March
1, Self Culture c History St. Paul
1, Round Table, Queens of England Crete
1, Athenae, Aboriginal American Architecture
Lincoln
2,Zcteticc, 18th Cent. Lit W. Water
2, Review & Art c. Ceramics York
2, lV's.c., Authors & Books Columbus
2, W's. c. Literature NorthBend
2, History & Art c., Seven Years War. Seward
2, Fin de Siecle c., Samuel & John Adams
reward
The sixteenth annual calendar of the
Wayne Monday club, compliments of
Mrs. E. M. Smith, vice president, has
been received. Sixteen on rare occas
ions is the sign of age and certainly con
gratulations ought to bo extended to
this long-lived and prosperous associa
tion. The club is federated and hu3 for
its chosen colors, pink and white. "In
great things, unity, in small thingB,
liberty, in all things, charity,' are the
chosen words of aspiration. The officers
are: Mesdames Norris, prrs ; Smith,
vice P.; Harrington, eec; Northrop,
treas.; Rucken, librarian. The year's
program is devoted to France and the
index offers many attractive subjects.
There is evident that happy arrange
ment of heavy and lighter subjects that
always insures continual interests and
consequent benefit.
Miss Nannette E. McCaro, recording
secretary ol the Fremont Woman's club,
has kindly sent the Courier their year
book. Thu calendar comes in a purple
and white binding, tied with a white
cord and with a handsome monogram of
white upon the cover centre. The club
was organized December 1893 and fed
erated March 1895. The color is crim
son and the motto, "Striving toward all
that will enrich and enoble life." The
officers are: Mesdames Mullin, Pres.;
Richards, 1st vice P.; Veazie, 2nd vice
P.; Misses McCarn, rec. sec; Hicks, corr.
sec.; Turner, treas. The arrangement of
programs is scientific in method. There
is first a brief outline of subjects ac
cording to months, February, March and
April being taken together, then May
and October, followed by November, De
cember and January. This outline is
succeeded by a program for each
meeting in detail. The topics un
der the first division of months are.
French history, literature, miscellaneous,
science of home-making; under the sec
ond division there are the same themes
of the study with the exception that
"Musicals" are substituted for "miscel
laneous" and under the third division
topics are arranged the same a& under
the first. Visitors' day on which papers
are, read by members of neighboring
club9, is a suggestive idea. The .club
has a small but excellent library of its
own, which must be of great service.
Its membership is very large; 187 mem
bers. '
The Lincoln Bank Clerks' club haB
been recently organized here. The ob
ject of the new association is the promo
tion of knowledge of education in mat
mers of finance.
Twenty-five active members already
enrolled make, the club an assured suc
cess, and in the two months of its ex
istence five meetings have been held.
These gatherings occur bi-weekly, and
are the occasion of discussions upon
some prearranged topic in connection
with banking and the banking business.
The subjects are announced in advance,
and a leader is appointed for each meet
ing's discussion. Comment and argu
ment are general.
The topics thus far considered at the
club meetings have been "Tbe National
Bank Act," "Paper Money," "Compari.
son between State and National Banks,"
and "Postal Savings Banks," Tbe last
meeting was held on Thursday night,
February 7th, and a feature of it was an
instructive talk on the general subject
of Banking by Prof. W. G. L. Taylor of
the department of political economj of
the State university. Mr. K. W. Fin
arty is the leader for tbe next discussion
which will be on the subject of ''Branch
Banks."
Clubs of this nature are being organ
ized throughout the country, under the
stimulus given by the American Bank
ers' association in establishing a fund
f jr a bank clerks' institute. The Lin
coln clerks were among the first to per
fect an organization. They will join the
national association, which is conducted
under the supervision of tbe American
Banker's association, a competent sec
retary having been appointed to have
complete charge of the central organiza
tion. The main idea of the whole
scheme is to perfect and educate bank
clerks in their work and to prepare them
for the time when they will themselves
be managers of large banking institu
tions. The officers of tbe Lincoln association
are: Messrs, Frank Parks, Pres.; W. B.
Ryons, vice P ; Philip R. Easterday, sec;
J. W. Auld, treas.
The program of the Fairbury Wo
man's club last week was patriotism.
Mrs. Culliton discussed the Fourth of
July, and Mrs. Grumphry considered
whether noise is essential to patriotism.
The afternoon was concluded with two
trios, Mrs. Smith, Misses Cuykendall and
Boyle: Jubelfur and Summer Breezes.
The Exeter Woman's club entertained
their husbands and friends at the resi
dence of Dr. and Mrs. McCleery on
Thursday evening of last week. The
club has given several banquets and en
tertainments during its existence and
haB established a reputation of giving
tbe social functions of tbe town. .Lunch
eon was served after which were rocita
tion, and music, and games.
Those present were Meesrs. pnd Mes
dames Taylor, McKinnon, Cox, Wilson
Frost, Stratton, Manning, Gustin, Bias
diet, Nevins, Wilson, Cbenoweth, Kin
ney, Grimeley, Costello; Mesdames Bab
cock, Roper, Craft, Nash, Hulbert or
Uuca; Misses Lester, Cox, Wilson.
Messrs. Kimberly, Waite, Grimsley, jr
The Woman's club of Central Cit
gave amateur theatricals on Tuesday
evening of this week in order to create a
fund for a fountain to be placed in
Market Triangle of the town. An ori
ginal burlesque "A Sbaksperian Come
dy" was the curtain raiser. This was
followed by a farce in one act "The OKI
Maids' Association." There were also
recitations and mumc. It is always en
couraging when a club makes such prac
tical application of its art studies and
art instincts as to put forth earnest ef
fort to beautify its dwelling places.
The executive board of the Nebraska
Branch of the A. C. A. met Tuesday at
the home of Mrs. Wilson. It was de
cided to have a program March 31th at
the home of Mrs. William Hard; in hon
or of the senior young women of the
University.
On Saturday, February 16th the Chi
cago Woman's club celebrated its twenty-fifth
anniversary with a luncheon
given in the Fine Arts building. More
than four hnndred and fifty members
did honor to the birthday. The room
was suggestively decorated in silver tin
sel in honor of the twenty-five years.
On tbe table, at which Mrs. Edwards,
the presi lent, and the seven founders of
the organizition were seated.a handsome
liver services was set. Thu toasts
following the luncheon were responded
to by representatives of the six depart
ments of tbe club: philanthropy, art
and literature; education, home, reform,
philosophy and science. The various
phases of work done by the club during
its existence were spoken of by those
toasting. Many amusing stories were
told and puns made. Great was the
merriment and so genial the feeling
that time sped with a fleet foot. The
story considered the best in regard to a
club woman'? alleged neglect of homes
and family was related as follows as a
true instance:
"Two little boys in Evanston were
playing together one day when one of
them remarked that he was born in
New York.
"'I was born right here in EvanBton,"
replied the other. "Mamma was away
from home at the time. She was down
at the Woman's club meeting with
Grandma'."
A brief talk on ProBpect end Retros
pect, was also given. Mrs. G. F. Logan
presented the club with a valuable oil
painting by William Keith. The after
noon closed with music.
The following program was given by
the Fremont Woman's club last Satur
day afternoon:
"And Christe's lore, and his apostles twelve
He taught,but first he followed it faimselve."
Chaucer.
Piano solo, Miss Doane; "Bavaria,"
Miss Whiting; Details concerning tbe
Passion Play, Mesdames Veazie, Rob
erts, Aronson; Miseee Spickard and
Piper; piano boIo; the Passion Play, Mies
HickB; vocal boIo, Miss Greves.
Omaha, Nebr., Feb. 20, 1901.
Clnb Editor Courier:
Should you ask me the policy and am
bition of the present administration, I
should say at once, club extension. We
feel that in proportion as the federated
ciube are increased, trouble will dimin
ish. A club extension committee has
been appointed, Mrs. Durland of Nor-
A
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