The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-31

Gnu. iHAt OF new ana EfoleaqHe dignity,
he chose 10 resent our seoffings
81 say. you men," he drawIed out.
you're rather brutes. you know, because
the KIDS probably listening believe
th'. understand
We sobered down little. and Carnegie
remarked that Il was dinner time. and
that we'd better pack her on 10 the WORK
house.
'WorkhOuse" said FaIrbairn thought
fully. THE vgorkhouse is a rather awful
so-t Of hole. isn't it? whatd they do vita
the Kid thcTeg'
wash 10. dress il, feed q, and teach II"
said Carnegie. at the age OF about thir-
teen Il would matriculate into usefulness.
probably as general slavey 20 a small
tradesm3n."
Doesn't sound very choice" said young
Fairbasrn. JhOughtfuly.
Standards differ" remarked Carnegie
dryly. If that kid were turned into the
humblest Of slaveys IL would be promotion
from her present point Of view"
Here a walter came in, announcing that
dinner was ready. Young Fairbairn want
TED 10 stay and discuss the matter fur her,
bat we pointed out TO him that 1t was a
rudeness to his guests which we couldn't
allow him TO commit on any terms, and 50
We roopei OF, leaving instructions that
the Kid should also dine in the seclusion
OF the sittng-room hired for her
The dinner was distinctly gorgeous, and
the blue and gold menus had cIests on
then enameled in three colors. We were
given seven differen; kinds Of wine and
four iiqueurs during dinner and four wines
after and eighty-year-old coSnac ia the
coffee. Barbaric splendor of this variety
particularly when taken internally, in
duced generosity which one sometimes re
pents Of afte.ward.
oung Fa.rbairn held that the Parcae
had picked that Kid from the gutter 70
become q power IN the land, and we all
quite agreed with him. II was suggested
tha- one Of the barmaids should take her
~ charge 10 incUlcate personal cleanliness
and the use Of shoes wi hout further de-
lay; but, because you cannot tip a bar
maiden, we fell back on the services of a
chambermaid for this purpose. Having
taken that first step, We went about plot
ting schemes OF education and Up-brng ng
for the Kid, each man speaking conf
IDENTIFY from the depths Of his own pro-
found ineXperience. Finally, not being
able TO agree, we got afectionate, and left
details entirely in the hands of young
FalrbaiTn. As preliminary we handed
round the hat, making up in l. O. US and
currency a matter OF fifty pounds. This
would not cover the entire expenses of
even the cheapest Of the schemes pro-
pounded, but there was a sort OF dim un-
derstanding that young Fairbairn would
provide the balance out OF his own privy
purse. After this, l fancy, we went TO
bed.
H.
From the undergraduate standpoint
there was nothing disgraceful in the tTifie
which, early in the next October, cut
snort young Fairbairn's career of useful
ness at Cambridge. Anglicized, It may
succincuy be spoken of as ''riOting with a
view 10 the destruction Of public monu-
ments' (tO w.t. lamp-pOsts). But the
deed in itself did not prove his additional
fitness to remain as guardian TO the Kid.
And. for that matter, the Tamifcations
OF his subsequent insanities before the
public eye here in England were even less
assuring. He piled up a reputation for
Wiidness which was little short of ma
jesJic in its weight, and he ran through
fCurth-rate fortune as though ii was
merely pocketmoney.
Yet no one took away from him his
guardianship. Perhaps no one wanted 10.
The only other persons in the world who
could feel the least interest in the KIDS
welfare We're We five others who had sat
at meat with him on that day Of the
Kids new birth; and none of US moved; /;
perhaps we could not summon up suffi-
cient interest; perhaps We feared 10 be
let in for further expense.
Still ii must be owned that, though the
AZ
the unwisdom OF the wild ass, he showed
sanity when ordering the welfare Of his
protege. A year at school made that
young woman into another person. She
had still a bowling accent, but she didn't
swear. and she was dropping unconven-
tional idioms. In two years the accent
had modified still further, and she was
distinctly Ill for civilized society. She
had wonderful receptive powers. With a
nice discrimination she initiated the bet
ter methods OF speech and life which she
saw in her new surroundings. Young
Fairbairn's only lucid intervals in his
career of descent were during the schools
hclidays Then he took holidays, too,
and quiet lodgings, and in these rigidly
adhered 10 the Kids society. She soon
lost her sacred awe of him, and called
him Young un as easily as any OF US could
have done il,
In ways the hid was very old sort of
child. 9n1 TO hear her read young Fair
BARN lectures. and rate him generally
about his miSdeeds, was a moral and i'm
proving ecIeatiOn. l was dining with
them one day just before things came to
an end. she sat at the head of the table
as Though she had been born in the pUr-
pie. We discussed with relish the ways
of riding masters till the entrees came,
and then she broached the topic Of
finance.
She turned to me and demanded what
thought was the Young un's latest craze.
! said l didn't know.
why" said she, hes actually wanting
to pack me OF 10 a school. which viii cost
at The very least TWO hundred a year,
and he's as hard up as ever he can be,
don't intend 10 go: they can teach me as
much as ever l want where / am. 'Tisnt
as If / wanted to turn soycrness after
ward"
The Kiddie's present notion" said
young FairhaiTn, lis 10 turn shop assist
ant in "a year or SOS time. Humorous
idea. isn't it,"
.'Shop assistant" explained the Kid,
graVely, as step to something
else. 1 haven't quite iecided yet,
but / think ii viii be in a photographers
place I'm not old enough Yet, and /
shall sponge on the Young an Tor another
Two years; that VIII bring me up 10 six
teen, ana then I'll begin. 10 yOl know.
Mr. McGihy, / shouldn't be surprised If
/ iaade a BIZ. fortuEey'
Youus Faiybairn TGared. but the Kid
took hts mockvry with easy COoiuess- The
day afteTwara 1 ran across 20 lie West
Indies.
/ saw the Kid next some six months af-
ter this. and she commented on young
Fairbairn's having received a znug colo
nlaI appointment Personally, i was un-
der The Impression that the individual in
question hal cone most tremendous
mucker. and had cleared cut OF the coun-
Try with suddennezs. lCst worse beleH;
but ! didn't correct her view; and when
i learned that two-QuaFter's school fees
q had been paid since the exodus. 4 won
d,ged much where the money had come