Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1903-01-01
LEARNED HIS LESSON
HOW YOUNG NEW YORKER WAS
BROUGHT TO TIME.
introduced" to His Mother and Sister,
He Decides That Their Acquairt.
ance Is Worth cultivating-Fath er's
Clever Ruse a Success,

1.-THE old gentleman played a o. Fr
trick on me the other night" said the
young man, as he lit cigar after din
ner. 1T was rather awkward for me,
but | guess it was good thing after
all
"You know used to feel that had
done myself an injustice IL did not go
to the theater about five or six nights
week. Maybe it wasn't always the
theater, but if it wasn't that it was q
stag party or poker game. | needn't
explain; you've been with me fire..
quently.
We'll, you also know how am fixed
In t.C line Of business. work for
iathcr, and have 20 be at the office at
$3.50 in the morning. just as the rest of
the family are sitting down to break
East. In consequence | 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
had 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 | swear that when | figure back
about the only times that | 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 il | had an en-
gagement for that night.
Yes | said; L promised 10 so to
the theater with Billy Brown
How about tomorrow night?' he
asked.
Haven't figured that far ahead l
replied.
well, I'd like you to go somewhere
with me-
"'All right said. 'Where'll meet
YOU?
You see, he leaves the Office about
an hour before get through.
He suggested hotel at 100. 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.
"'One knew quite we'll when | was
n
We went out and started straight
for home.
So 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
said nothing.
We'll, We went in, and | was intro
duced with all due formality to my
mother and my sister.
The situation struck me as ludi-
crous, and | started to laugh, but the
laugh died away. None of the three
even smiled. My mother and my sister
shook hands with me- and my mother
said she remembered me as boy, but
hadn't seen much of me lately. Then
she invited me to be seated.
1T wasn't bit funny then, although
can laugh over it now. | 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 | finally re-
tired | was courteously invited to call
again, | went upstairs feeling pretty
small and doing a good deal of think
ing"
And them" asked his companion.
Then | made up my mind that my
mother was a most entertaining lady
and my sister good and brilliant
girl"
And now?'
Now I'm going to call again. as I
have been doing quite regularly for
the last week | enjoy their company
and propose to cultivate their ac-
QuaiGtance. New York Times.