4 THE LAST MAN'S CLUB mae Dy ROBERT M. CLUTCH A A a ——— Em m————— y by Snort Story Pub. Col) HE Property of Man.” Emotion the of the old man as he slowly the words from the age-worn which still clung raggedly to a covered with the dust of many years. A mist before his as he held the old wine up to the light, and a escaped his lips as he placed it back on the table. And this was the end! A long ta- bie, with thirty-eight plates, from which no one would eat; thirty-eight chairs, upon which no one would sit; a lonely old man seated at the head of a lonely board, drinking to the mem- ory of his friends, all of whom he survived. sad and how different from sus occasion which marked ~anization this night sixty-four He could see it just as ned-——thirty-nine young men, flush of manhood, ng their glasses around a festive wild songs, gay pranks, and all about poor old Last Man It was youth Joking about +: hot blood and inexperience ridi : halting footsteps and wisdom. they had gathered midnight hour, ralsed the Last ob choked volce snelled iabel bottle came eyes sigh had fore! first their th the » recalled how nt th at the to him. And to them—drink of the now he was to old wine, to take from the and sine » EifSS #/ Ge wen | threa Ki 1d cheat taking his the days of ¢ twenty-ses rie began, but when it was ended answered to their following anniversary And now The honor was sl. The o ve. The hou he Last Man's Club 4 tw + listened reverently ipa? wit y » that the crimson liquid bub he bottle on up to the Then he length of the table Lis eves rested on a vacant chair ligt until few seconds he remained silent. A mantled his wrinkled cheeks, A ndled his eyes. ned up. He brought the glass the level of his lips, raised it 1 upon which his eyes were fastened Then, in a volce trembling with emo- aloud first tion, he called Dame, the Finging out across nearly three gen erutions of time-—the volce of the Last Man woansting the first, The second man's name was called out in the same quavering voice, the ginss inclined toward another vacant chair, then the third and fourth. Then two little spots glowed out on the old man's cheeks ns he drank. His eyes snapped and sparkied under his bushy white brows. He became joyous, care less. He cackled and chuckied In mirth as he called his old comrades by name. More than once he made reference to some Joke that had been buried and forgotten in the dim past. The glass was emptied and filled again and again. The names were enlled out, Incidents were delved into from the forgotten past as the old man conversed with the imaginary ple- tures of the men whose memory he was keeping alive, He stopped and strained his eyes, “Why--why, there's Joe. Poor old Joe. See, Joe, I'm toastin' your mem'ry. Your mem'ry, Joe. I'm the— “And there's Dick! Dick who was killed at Gettysburg, Killed with his hands on the colors, But I'd know you anywher's. Know you even if you didn't have your uniform on. Here's to you, Dick; here's to—" He stopped and began to sing a song in a low, cracked volce. It was a strange old song, one musty with the flavor of olden days, with queer rhym- fags and funny sayings. The old man's volee rose higher, his eyes sparkled brighter, his cheeks grew mote flushed, Suddenly his voice be- cate husky, rose to a sereech, broke to h whisper, and stopped. THe bottle was more than half emp- tied now, but still the old man kept s———e A at his solemn task. Now they were all toasted. Thirty-eight times had he raised the glass In the alr, thirty-eight times had he sipped of the old wine to their memory, thirty-eight times had he ealled their names one by one. Thirty-eight gleams of joy, thirty-eight pangs of sorrow and [t was all over. The Last Man's Club was no more, A sense of sadness crept over him. He sat down in his chair wearily, and uttered a long-drawn sigh as his head dropped slowly on his Then the room grew dim and he closed his hosom. WES A wild chorus, a confusion of fa- millar sounds, and a few bars of an old him. He jumped up, blinked in the light, and looked around him. The fell upon his ears like the melody of an old poem. It awakened a whole flood of emotion in the old that held him gpell-bound, again. The sound came swelling from all sides, flooding his mind with reminiscences which almost made him weep. It was thelr drinking song, sung with a full chorus before Death had begun to step in nearly sixty years ago. He looked down the table and gave a sudden start. He looked again. Was he dreaming? He rubbed his eyes to make sure, Befores him, around the board, were the thirty-eight men whose awakened SONY song man's soul He istened sented memory he had just toasted. They were all old forget, of Yesterday Present. He cleared Lis breath, and Joined chorus. He and for his breath, gulped d and rested. Ther } i % ¥ the ine of singing—singing the in the way he it was like the forth into throat. wildly In the song He Wn same SONg volee the never reaching a long with the through fought fra nord f wine graught of wine, sang stopped exhausted. 1 he men seated down board, glanced looked at his around stared, Tropic Residents Find Many Uses The nutmeg iree one of the most ¥ rees in the trog forests. An troe will yield from 1.056) to 10,000 nats in All parts of t! and fat tied nutmeg for from 3 to 8 y ax an anblication Is used ns pplication contains latile ol rheumatism it nt of a ve $ h possesses nar asses of of chewing nutmegs have a single nutmeg wiing the cerebral functions Right in His Line A story Irishman who the old Palmer house, Toronto. One morning he came is told of an elevator at the ing the pit open—a man fell down, hurting came along Wmself se The late Dr. Andrew Smith conversation took place: Irish-——Hey, are you a doctor? Doctor Smith—Yes, a fellow all bruk to pieces, Doctor Smith—Well, Pat, I would fall down there anyway. Flower Cultivation The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, As syrians, Romans and Chinese cult vated flowers for use and pleasure and propagated many planis. One of the most anclent examples of cultivated plants is a drawing representing figs found in the Pyramid of Gizeh, In Egypt. Authors have assigned i date va rying between 1.500 and 4.200 years be fore the Christian ern. The first notions concerning gardening were introduced into Japan by the Koreans in 604 A. D, In China 2,700 years E. C. the Emperor Chennung instituted a ceremony In which every year five species of use ful plants were sown, Husbands wrathy wigh thelr moth. ers-in-law sometimes resort to unusual expedients to vent their emotions, Such a one, after a word battle with his wife's mother In which he was worsted, betook himself to his club. “Say,” he sald to a fellow member, “have you noticed that my motherin- law has a face like my bullterrier?” “Why, yes,” the other admitted, “there Is some likeness.” “Take off your coat,” shouted the irate one “No body's going to say things against my dog and get away with it.” . Lxplosrar or Serapts a Will He Make The Hall of Fame This Fall? Ey JOMN DICKINSUN SHERMAN ILL, John Paul this fall to for versity Jones be elects “The Halli of Fame Americars” or Uni in New York Great Helghts by the “"rommitiee of or i it cltizens™? American election In The sen capt: 1915 and again in that the follows purpose with that noe concern. of John Paul Anyway, claim Jones to by the man himself, found among his P = in 1775 1. Paul Jones armed and embarked In American ship of war in the revolution he had twenty-three battles and solemn recontires by mea, made seven descents on Britain and her took of her navy two ships of equal and two of superior force, many store-shipe and others, fortify her ports, suffer the Irish volunteers, deaist from her cruel burnings in Amer can citizens taken on the ocean and cast into prison John County small 1747 in the the son of a In 1750 he was ap- Paul (Jones) was born in of Kirkcudbright, Scotland, gardener, John Paul American trade, and was sent to sea. He and to India. He then fell heir to the estate of his brother, William Paul Jones, a Virginia planter, who had been adopted by William Jones. John Paul thereupon added the “Jones” and set- tied down as a planter in America, “the country of his fond election since the age of thirteen” The outbreak of the American Revolution found the Colonies without a navy. Congress in Decem- ber 22. 1775, appointed Esek Hopkins commander in chief. with four captains, Jones was senior first ileutenant. Commander Hopkins went aboard his flagship Alfred (Black Prince, a merchant ship, armed and named for Alfred the Great) In January of 1776 at Philadelphia. Thereupon First Lieutenant Jones hoisted a yellow silk flag with the device of a pine tree and rattlesnake with the motto, “Don't Tread on Me” This was the first flag displayed on an American war vessel, The “Grand Union Flag” was also run up--thir- teen stripes with the English union Jack In the fleld. Lieutenant Jones was soon given command of the Providence, an 12.gun brig. With her he eap- tured 15 prizes, October 10 he was made captain and given the Alfred, a 24-gun ship, and he brought seven prizes into Boston on his first erulse, Jones was always after congress to carry the war to British waters. Accordingly he was given a general commission as captain in the American navy and ordered to report to the American com: missioners in France, Captain Jones refitted the Ranger at Brest, France, and April 10, 1778, began that cruise of 98 days In British waters, which for daring and sudress are unsurpassed In the annals of naval history (see map). It was on this crulse that he fired the shipping in Whitehaven and off Carrick. fergus whipped the British 20-gun sloop Drake In « square yardarm and yardarm fight, and made - As Arnerica Sees liim her a prize a name of terror throughot Britain. “Pirate” they iim 0 in plzees to this day. Many apocryphal narratives of the life of “Paul Jones, Notorious Pirate” are in existence. As late as 1905 In the journal of the Yorkshire Archeological appeared a gsories of letters describing contemporaneous raids with the title, “Paul Jones, Plira ee” Well it was tough-—a renegade Scottish gardener’s son humbilng the pride of the “Mistress of the Seas” in plain sight of Epgland, Ireland and Scotland! However. that's all over now, In these days of “hands across the sea” Captain Jones, upon his return to Brest, asked for a larger and better ship than the Ranger, “orank., slow and of trifling force” The king finally guve him an antiquated India merchant ghip, Duc de Duras, which Jones renamed Bon- homme Richard In compliment of Benjamin Franklin. The fleet with which he made his sec ond cruise In British waters comprised Bon homme Richard: Alliance, 32.gun American frigate: Pallas and Vengeance, converted mer chantmen. and Cerf, 18.gun cutter, Jones wrote Franklin that the Richard was too old to be much use, but that he would attempt “an essential serv. ice to render myself worthy of a better and faster sadling ship.” He also wrote Franklin that Capt. Pierre Landais of the Alllance was apparently a crazy man. He was a French officer and his crew was nondescript, with few Americans in it The squadron salled from France August 14 1770. By September 22 it had nearly completed the circuit of the British isles (see map), had captured 17 vessels and thrown the entire const into fhe wildest alarm. “The pirate Jones, a rebel subject and criminal of the state” was its com- mander's standing with the British authorities. Then suddenly, with the Richard, Alliance and Pallas in company off Flamborough Head, ap- peared around the promontory a fleet of 42 nll merthantmen convoyed by the 44gun frigate Serapis, Captain Pearson, and the Countess of Scarborough, about the equal of the Pallas. The merchantmen seattered, the Richard and Pallas headed for the enemy and the Alllance drew off to a distance. Then followed what is probably the most remarkable naval combat In history. Features of the murderous fight between the Richard and Serapis, from 7 to 10:30 p. m., In. clude these: The fighting was at half pistolsfot. At the first hroadside two of the 18pounders of the Richard burst, killing their crews: the other four were thereupon abandoned. In 45 minutes the Richard's fourteen 12.pounders were disabled and she was fighting with three S-pounders. The Thereupon John Paul Jofies Decame it the consts of Great then—and do ta 13 called : society As Great DLritamrn JSawlirm = Creuse in whalers came up 1 “Have you siru iled Pearson. “lI have not swered Jones. The Americans ther, The 18.pou Richard's my to board vet Yoon jashed the bow and stern ders of Ser is The Americans transferred their fight and rigging. An American grenade pile of ammunition on the of killing and wounding 38 to board. At this precise moment the Alliance drew close and poured several full broadsides into the Richard. killing many. She then drew off. The Richard was now on fire near her magazine and sinking. Jones released several hundred British prisoners and made them pump and fight the fire. Finally Pearson hauled down his flag Nearly half of both crews had been killed and wounded. The Richard quickly sank Jones then salled into the Texel in Holland with the Serapis, the Countess (captured by the Pallas) and his prizes. December 22, 1778, Hol land asked Jones to leave. He sailed the Al lance boldly out of port In broad daylight, escaped the British blockading fleet, ran down the English channel and arrived safely in France, Captain Jones was welcomed with enthusiasm The king gave him a gold sword and made him a Chevalier of France. Landais was dismissed from the navy and ordered to leave the country. Jones reached Philadelphia February 18 1781 Congress tendered him a vote of thanks and gave him command of the new Té4gun ship America, then nearly completed. The Revelution was over before Jones could again get to sea The restless spirit of John Paul Jones then led him to seek naval service with Russia. He be came a rear admiral and one of his brilllant ex. ploits was the defeat of the Turkish navy at the battle of the Liman (1788). He quit the service because of intrigues and went to Paris where he interested himself in the French revolution. In 1702 he was appointed American consul to Alglers, put dled in Paris July 18, 1792, The new Republic them promptly forgot all about John Paul Jones for more than a hundred years. In 10056 Ambassador Horace Porter found his body, after a long search, in the old 8: Louls cemetery for foreign Protestants. His body was convoyed to the United States by an American naval squadron especially sent for the purpose. It was Interred with ceremony at Annapolis Dur Ing President Taft's administration a $50,000 statue (herewith reproduced) was unveiled In Potomac park, Washington, made matchwood of the to the go 1 ex} loaded deck the Rerapis, The Americans prepared
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