The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-02
HOW DICK BECAME 4 GENTLEMAN.
BY HARRIET 4. FABRAND.


10 was cold stormy night WHOM Two
ladies stood i'm the throng upon the Llat-
form of the Lake Street Elevated road in
Chicago. waiting for the train to como
along. one of them happened 10 droD lCr
mum. the wind caught il and would have
blown il away, but a boy who was stand
ing near ran after it, caught il and ;e-
stored it 10 her The young lady thar fod
him. and smiled at him so sweeuy that
Dick-his name was Dick Acklcy-
thought she waso just the prettiest lady
he had ever seen i'm all his life. She had
bright. dark eyes, and her cheeks were
lust the color of the soft pink feather on
her hat: and when she smil sd. IL Sc. n cd
10 Dick Just like a flash o. suns hnc
The train came rushi ~ along. the reo-
pie crowded and pushed ana ioytied q h
other In their hurry g. get into the car
first and get the best seats. ana Trey
crowded and pushed and lOstled the la
dies. TOO, so they We're obliged TO stand
back and wall until The oon la al gone
in.
Ordinarily. Dick would Lave :u' he'd and
pushed with the aest OF them. hut efter
that smile and that THANK yOu he
couldn't think Of pushing the young lady
or her mother out OF his way. aud Some
new instinct of politsl IS made I'm
stand back and wait u the laiies had
passed in. They noticed IT, and the y,i rg-
err one flashed at him anothef smile
which almost took his breath away. for
Dick was not used 10 being smiled ,. by
pretty ladies in such fashion.
AT Ashland avenue the ladies got out
II was Dicks stopping place also and as
they went down the .G2irs ~ older lads
said.
''How disagreeable all this pushing and
crowding is,'
Yes" replied the younger; that hoy
who picked up my muff and then stood
one side tin We passed in seemed to be
the only gentleman among them all. lie
was a real little gentleman"
Now il happened that Dick was walk
ing right behind them, although they did
not know it, and heard every word they
said 1t was a minute or two before he
realized that that boy they were speak
ing Of was himself: but when he did take
IL in he was so bewildered that he stop
ped short, and his cheeks burned in the
darkness, and he whispered over and
over TO himself: she said 1 was a gentle
man, he-said-I-was-a
Now Dicks idea of a gentleman was
somewhat vague. If anybody had asked
him what a gentleman was, he would
probably have replied that he was a man
INV N'Ai It't tlDiitNs ana smoked ll-
gars, and rode in a carriage and had
plenty OF money TO spend-things which
he had never dreamed Of aspiring to. He
stopped under street lamp and looked az
his shabby clothes and grimy hands
Surely they were not like gentleman's
belongings. Then he began TO wonder
what he had done 10 merit the title. He
had picked up the ladys muf, and stood
one side and not pushed her and her
mother when they got on and Off the car
He wondered If being a gentleman didn't
mean being good TO women. Then he re-
membered vaguely how he had seen men
lift their hats when they met their lady
acquaintance. lie remembered seeing
them help ladies carefully in and OUT of
carriages. and assist them in going over
rough places. and-yes, he was sure thar
being gentleman meant being good to
women"
BY the time he had settled this matter