“Well, ’most everybody did.  Daniel Bassett, chronic politician, justice of the peace, and head of the ‘Conservatives’ at town meetin’, he made a talk, and in comes him and his crew.  Gaius Ellis, another chronic, who is postmaster and skipper of the ‘Progressives,’ had been fidgetin’ in his seat, and now up he bobs and says he’s for it; then every ‘Progressive’ jines immediate.  But the billiard-roomers; they didn’t jine.  They looked sort of sheepish, and set still.  When Mr. Fisher begun to hint p’inted in their direction, they got up and slid outdoor.  And right then I’d ought to have smelt trouble, but I didn’t; had a cold in my head, I guess likely.

“Next thing was to build the new clubhouse, and Gabe went at it hammer and tongs.  He had a big passel of carpenters down from the city, and inside of three months the buildin’ was up, and she was a daisy, now I tell you.  There was a readin’ room and a meetin’ room and an ’amusement room.’  The amusements was crokinole and parchesi and checkers and the like of that.  Also there was a gymnasium and a place where you could play the pianner and sing—­till the sufferin’ got acute and somebody come along and abated you.

“When I fust went inside that clubhouse I see ’twas bound to be ‘Good-by, Bill,’ for Jotham.  His customers would shake his ratty old shanty for sartin, soon’s they see them elegant new rooms.  I swan, if I didn’t feel sorry for the old reprobate, and, thinks I, I’ll drop around and sympathize a little.  Sympathy don’t cost nothin’, and Jotham’s pretty good company.

“I found him settin’ alongside the peanut roaster, watchin’ a couple of patients cruelize the pool table.

“‘Hello, Bailey!’ says he.  ’You surprise me.  Ain’t you ’fraid of catchin’ somethin’ in this ha’nt of sin?  Have a chair, anyhow.  And a cigar, won’t you?’

“I took the chair, but I steered off from the cigar, havin’ had experience.  Told him I guessed I’d use my pipe.  He chuckled.

“‘Fur be it from me to find fault with your judgment,’ he says.  ‘Terbacker does smoke better’n anything else, don’t it.’

“We set there and puffed for five minutes or so.  Then he sort of jumped.

“‘What’s up?’ says I.

“‘Oh, nothin’!’ he says.  ’Bije Simmons got a ball in the pocket, that’s all.  Don’t do that too often, Bije; I got a weak heart.  Well, Bailey,’ he adds, turnin’ to me, ‘Gabe’s club’s fixed up pretty fine, ain’t it?’

“‘Why, yes,’ I says; ‘’tis.’

“‘Finest ever I see,’ says he.  ‘I told him so when I was in there.’

“‘What?’ says I.  ‘You don’t mean to say you’ve been in that clubroom?’

“’Sartin.  Why not?  I want to take in all the shows there is—­’specially the free ones.  Make a good billiard room, that clubhouse would.’

“I whistled.  ‘Whew!’ says I.  ‘Didn’t tell Gabe that, did you?’

“He nodded.  ‘Yup,’ says he.  ‘I told him.’