Daily camera., 1901-05-11
lBRAHIM.i{
BY Lou Laurence. =
WHY had his mother named him

w HY had his mother named him
w lbrahim? Nobody knew, nor
did Lillian Ingram care. She. one OF
the reigning bellies of New York's Sc
lect circles, was heart and soul in love
with the man. And why not? He was
the most magnificent specimen of
manhood she had ever met. Tall.
straight, muscular, with the deepest
of blue eyes and waving black hair,
he formed modern combination of
Hercules and Apollo. But, if he had
lacked somewhat in manly beauty or
grace, his lavish wealth might have
CLOSED ii over in the eyes OF many
women who had been less generously
instructed concerning the power of
riches.
Lenox Ingram. Lillian's father. was
the son of one of those wealthy south
crn planters Who took refuge in the
north ut the beginning of the civil
war, and. thereby. saved large por-
tion of their fortunes. Then the son
had saved like the father. and acquired
like the son.
So Lillian knew the full value of
wealth and position. Ibrahim had. at
present, both wealth and position.
What his ancestors had had was a
problem quite too knotty for the gam
blsrs on the stock exchange, as well as
for the ladies IN palatial parlors.
They were Ia be married. Lillian and
Ibrahim. on St. Valentines morning;
and the city held not a prouder or a
happier girl.
On the morning of February l3
Ibrahim requested audience with Lii
Ian and her parents.
Il have a story to tell you" he said,
"and it is necessary that should tell
it before the wedding takes place.
He said he did not know that il was
an unusual story; it was just simple
tale. So he proceeded thus:
"One morning more than Is years
ago a wealthy gentleman of New
York, accompanied by his wife and
a sunnyhaired little daughter. took a
boat at the Brooklyn ferry. No un-
usual circumstance. you think? Not
at all. A gentleman already aboard
the boat was accompanied by large
greyhound. which he held firmly in
= leash. This dog took great lik-
ing to the little girl, who. being afraid
of dogs in general, refused to make
friends with him. When the boat
reached the wharf. there was the usual
commotion of landing. which caused
the owner of the hound to drop the
ieash. The animal, finding himself
free, bounded with joy toward the lit
tie maid. With a cry of fright the
child sprang backward and went over
the gangway into the water"
Mr.. Ingram and his wife looked at
each other, and at Lillian, who asked:
''Ibrahim, who was the little grip"
"All in good time, my love. Let me
tell my story in my own way" an
swered Ibrahim. Then he continued:
"a young apple-vender, with the
quick wit of the street boy, sprang
into the water and had the child on
the wharf by the time the gentlemen
in the crowd had managed to remove
their coats. The deed was nothing to
the lad. He had seen dozen children,
most of them street urchins, in the
selfsame plight; aye, and he had saved
some of them, too. The boy placed
The little one in its mothers arms. and
dashed away to get his apple basket;
but the child's father called him back
and overwhelmed him with words of
gratitude, which he did not know how
to receive. Then the man asked him
o great many questions; some OF them
very foolish and some impertinent,
the boy thought. But he was willing
to forgive the questioner, when the
latter put a stout leather purse into
his hand.
"Stammering out his thanks as best
he could, the boy turned away; but
not in time to prevent his hearing
the gentleman remark to the bystand-
ers: He is only washerwoman's
son.
"Only washerwoman's son! What
did the gentleman meanY thought the
lad, as he retired to remote corner
of the wharf, where he sat musing,
with his feet in the water and his
newly acquired wealth hugged up in
his hand"
"Ibrahim, who was the lad? Please
tell me-"
Ibrahim, whose face had grown
stern and hard. motioned Lillian to
keep silent and continued:
"After long meditation, the boy
took his fortune, apples and all, and
went home. He showed the money
to his mother, ard told her how he
had gotten ii; but he did not tell her
he had learned that he was only
washerwoman's son.
1.-The next morning that boy went
out into the world with a peddler's
pack. His mother, Jewess, helped
him to select his vocation and his