Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1902-12-27
LEARNED HIS LESSON
HOW YOUNG NEW YORKER WAS
BROUGHT TO TIME.
afntroducedr to His Mother and Sister,
He Decides That Their Acquaint-
ance Is Worth atherNs
Clever Ruse a Success

The old gentleman played queer
trick on me the other night. said the
young man, as he lit cigar after din
ner. TT was rather awkward for me.
but guess it was a good thing after
all.
you know l used to feel that h&s
done myself an injustice if did not Il
to the theater about five or six night
a week. Maybe it wasn't always the
theater, but if it wasn't that it was a
stag party or a poker game. needn't
explain; you've been with me fre-
quently.
Well, you also know how am fixed
in the line of business. I work for
father. and have to be at the office at
80 in the morning, just as the rest OF
the family are sitting down to break
fast. In consequence l get my break
fast and leave the house before they
are up. But / can't complain of that.
I'm doing exactly what the man who
lad my place before me did. and. be-
tween you and me, think I'm draw
ing more salary than he did.
But that's neither here nor there
It's the evenings. used to finish work
about 6, get dinner down town and go
to the theater or somewhere else
Been doing it for about six months,
and l swear that when I figure back
about the only times that l have seen
my mother and sister have been at
Sunday dinner. Nothing unusual in
that, of course; the same is true OF
hundreds of young men in New York
But they haven't fathers like mine
He came to me one afternoon last
week and asked me If l had an en-
gagement for that night.
1 Yes 1 said; I promised to go to
the theater with Billy Brown
How about tomorrow night?' he
asked.
Haven't figured that far ahead, I
replied.
Well, I'd like you to go somewhere
with ME-
your
You see, he leaves the once about
an hour before get through.
HE suggested hotel at 1880, and
was there, prepared for the theater
and quiet lecture on late hours. He
had combined the two on several pre-
vious occasions. But when he appeared
he said he wanted me to call on lady
with him.
lone l knew quite well when l was
young man. he explained.
I'VE went out and started straight
for home.
".She is stopping at the house. he
said, when spoke of it.
Il thought it strange that> he should
have made the appointment, for the
hotel under those circumstances, but I
said nothing.
well, we went in, and | was intro.
duced with all due formality to my
mother and my sister
1.-THE situation struck me as lludi-
crous, and I started to laugh. but tic
laugh died away. None of the th. ID
even smiled. My mother and my sist ~
shook hands with me, and my mothest
said she remembered me as boy, but
hadn't seen much of me lately Then
she invited me to be seated.
ut wasn't bit funny then. although
can laugh over it now. l sat down.
and she told me one or two anecdotes
of my boyhood, at which we all
laughed little. Then we four played
whist for a while. When l finally re-
tired was courteously invited to call
again. I went upstairs feeling pretty
small and doing a good deal of think
ing"
And them" asked his companion
Then l made up my mind that my
mother was most entertaining lady
and my sister a good and brilliant
girl"
And now?'
Now I'm going to call again, as I
have been doing quite regularly for
the last week. 1 enjoy their company
and propose to cultivate their ac-
quaintance.'1New York Times.