“‘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 Bassett 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 association 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.

“And then Bassett gets up, smilin’, goes to the outside door, opens it, and leads in the new member.  He’d been waitin’ on the steps, it turned out.  Jotham looked mighty quiet and meek.  I pitied the poor old codger more’n ever.  Snaked in, he was, out of the wet, like a yeller dog, by the club that had kicked him out of his own shop.

“Chairman Gabe pounds for order, and suggests that the votin’ can go on.  But Ellis jumps up, and says he: 

“‘What’s the sense of votin’ now?’ he asks sarcastic.  ’Will the lost lamb we’ve just yanked into the fold have the face to stand up and bleat that he hasn’t promised to vote Conservative?  Dan Bassett, of all the contemptible tricks that ever—­’

“Bassett’s face was redder’n a ripe tomatter.  He shakes his fist in Gaius’s face and yells opinions and comments.