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A most estimable young man was Muggles: a clean-shaven, spick-and-span, well-mannered young man particular as to the brushing of his hat, the tying of his scarf and the cut of his clothes; more than particular as to their puttings-on and puttings-off sack-coat and derby for mornings; top hat and frock for afternoons; bobtail and black tie for stags, and full regalia of white choker, white waistcoat and swallowtail for smart dinners and the opera.
"Come up, old chap," the letter continued, "and stay a week two, if you can work it and bring Bender, and little Billy and Poddy, and three or four more. The bungalow holds ten. Wire when I'm now putting things on ice." Muggles looked around the circle and sent interrogatory Marconigrams with his eyebrows. In response Podvine said he'd go, and so did Billy Salters.
That night, an hour after midnight, Muggles found himself sitting bolt upright in bed. Outside, filling the air of the wilderness, bellowed and roared the deep tones of the steam siren. Then came a babel of voices gaining in distinctness and volume: "Fire, FIRE, FIRE!" Muggles sprang through the door and ran full tilt into Jackson and Bender, who had vaulted from their beds but a second before.
We told him the various histories we had heard about his trout, and he was immensely amused, and we all laughed very heartily. "Fancy Jim Bates and Joe Muggles and Mr. Jones and old Billy Maunders all telling you that they had caught it. Ha! ha! ha! Well, that is good," said the honest old fellow, laughing heartily.
"Why the devil, Muggles, did you insist last night on that Boston girl's riding home from the theatre in the omnibus, you goat?" thundered Podvine one morning at the club, "instead of letting her " "My dear fellow," protested Muggles, "it was much more comfortable in the omnibus, and " " And broke up her walk home with Bobby, you idiot!
To them he was still "Mixey," or "Muddles," or "Muggles," or "The Goat," depending entirely upon the peculiar circumstances connected with the mixing up or the butting in. To his credit be it said the descendant of earls and high-daddies never lost his temper at these onslaughts.
This in succeeding years had been merged into "Muddles" and finally to "Muggles," as being more euphonious and less insulting. Of late among his intimates he had been known as "The Goat," due to his constant habit of butting in at any and all times, a sobriquet which clings to him to this day.
It's smothered now under a blanket about ninety per cent of its value and the Sunnybrook scheme would have pulled him out with a margin! Now it's deader than last year's shad. What the club wanted was a hatchery built over a spring, and that's why that swamp was necessary to the deal. Oh, you're the limit, Muggles!"
If Bender, or Podvine, or little Billy Salters pitched into him for some act of stupidity due entirely to his misguided efforts to serve some mutual friend Muggles would argue, defend and protest, but the discussion would always end with a laugh and his signing the waiter's check and ordering another one for everybody.
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