The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 196: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

762 The worst record for the distance trav- eled was made by Miss Madge Carpenter and Mr. Jack Harding, whose progress was so very slow that one might have sus- pected that they were less interested in literature than in another subject with the same initial, but rhyming with ‘‘glove” and “dove.” In fact, they came to a complete stop for a minute or so near Deacon Hodge’s high hedge, and had an earnest though short dialogue that ended thus: “Say you do/—a little, Madge!” “Oh, Jack!—you know I do!” And then came a little soft chirp that made a sleepy Mother Robin think one of her nestlings had called her—but she was mistaken. After a while the couple arrived—quite late; and every other girl noticed what a lovely color Madge had, and how bright Jack Harding’s eyes were, and how very cheerful both seemed. Little did poor Jack think, in this his hour of happiness, that he was the victim of a dastardly plot—which now, even now, was to be sprung on him, and was destined to reduce him to a state of embarrassed confusion, to make him the object of de- rision or of pity, as the case might be. Madge read her report of the last meet- ing, and looked as sweet and pretty as pos- sible while doing so. It was an unusually bright and amusing report, too, for Jack had “given it a few touches’—as, indeed, was only fair, since she had been deprived by him of much of her usual leisure: The report had been finished just in time—both working together (and very close together) over it late that afternoon. The usual formalities followed, while Jack and Madge exchanged wireless mes- sages by eye-power, innocently thinking that neither had any further part in the proceedings. Their brains were busy with rosy visions, and neither even noticed that “Calderon and His Influence’’ was the sub- ject for the evening, being completely ab- sorbed in “Cupid and His Influence.” But hark! Awake, ye lovers! Listen to the silvery voice of Mrs. Ramsay. What says Madam President? ‘ “Owing to the unexplained absence of Mr. Ralph Davidson, who was to make the introductory discourse upon Calderon, I find that I must call upon some other mem- ber of the club to take his place. Luckily, we have with us to-night a gentleman to THE ARGOSY. whom literature is not, as with us poor amateurs, merely the pursuit of leisure hours, but a vocation. One of us might be excused for refusing the task, but it is one he must welcome as a faithful servant of the Muses. Equipped by years of study, armed cap-d-pie, ready for any service, it is to him we turn in our emergency, to the veteran soldier when one of the Home Guard fails us! “T ask, therefore, that Mr. John Harding, forgetting self in the interest of the club, will sacrifice himself for the general good. Will you, Mr. Harding, be so kind as to make up for the inexcusable defection of Mr. Davidson? Let us have some little Store of your learning on the subject of ‘Calderon and His Influence.’ ” For a moment Jack’s brain went round. He felt as he had in college days when called after a hurried return from the foot- ball field to expound in the class-room some mathematical problem of which no notion existed in his curly brown head. But here he could not answer, “Not pre- pared, professor!” That reference to Ralph; the glittering and satirical eyes of Madam President (in which he read ma- licious glee); the scared sympathy and in- dignation of Madge’s sweet face, the ap- plause of the audience—all aroused his fighting spirit. With a grin such as he used to wear on the rush-line, he turned after one breathless moment to the young girl who sat at his side—luckily she was a bright girl, and a sworn friend of Madge— and breathed the soft question in her ear: “For the love of Mike, Dora, who is Calderon, anyhow?” Dora supplied all the ammunition =~ had in the whispered answer: “Big dramatist—Spanish—old-timer. I’m so sorry!” Jack rose to his feet, bowed gracefully to the president and to the rest and spoke as follows (we are not sure that we give the complete speech, but the gist of it is here): “Madam President and Fellow Members of the Papyrus Club: “T am both flattered and fluttered by your trust in me, but without wasting your time to bespeak that indulgence which an_ emergency might claim, I shall do my hum- ble best to fill, no matter how unworthily, the duty an accident has assigned me.” Encouraging applause gave Jack time to pull himself together.. When it quieted he resumed with apparent confidence: Gomichbooks (E@)