Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-08-22
Meeting Fathers
Old Friend.

"The old gentleman played queer
trick on me the other night" said
young man who does not mind being
the butt of a joke now and then.
1T was rather awkward for me at
first, but / suppose it was a good
thing for me, after all.
"You know l used to feel that /
had done myself an injustice if
didn't go to the theater about five
or six nights a week. Maybe it
wasn't always the theater, but If it
wasn't that it was a stag party or
poker game. l needn't explain;
you've been with me frequently.
well, you also know how I'm
fixed in the line of business. l work
for my father and have to be at the
Office at o'clock in the morning,
just as the rest of the family are
sitting down to breakfast. In conse-
quence I get my breakfast and leave
the house before they are up. But l
can't complain of that. ! am doing
exactly what the man who had my
place before me did, and between
you and me, l think / am drawing
more salary than he did. But that's
neither here nor there.
"In the evening / used to finish
work about o'clock, get dinner
downtown, and go to the theater or
something else. Been doing it for
about a year, and l swear when l
figure back about the only times
that have seen my mother and sis
ter have been at Sunday dinners.
Nothing unusual in that of course;
the same thing is true of hundreds
of young men in New York.
but they haven't fathers like
mine. He came to me one afternoon
and asked me if | had an engage
ment for the night.
Yes, / said, I've promised to go
to the theater with viii Barnes
How about tomorrow night?' he
asked.
81 replied that l had not figured
that far ahead.
"'Well, I'd like to have you go
somewhere with me- said he.
"'All right / said. 'Wherell /
meet your
"You see, he leaves the Office
about an hour before | get through.
1880, and | was there prepared for
the theater and quiet lecture on
late hours. He had combined the
two on several previous occasions.
But when he appeared that night he
said he wanted me to call on a lady
with him.
Zone l knew quite we'll when
was a young man. he explained.
1--WE went out, and started
straight home.
She is stopping at our house.
he said. when ! spoke OF 1t.
81 thought IL strange that he
should have made the appointment
at the hotel under these circum-
stances. but / said nothing.
well, we went In, and was in
troduced with all formality to my
mother and sister. The situation
struck me as ludicrous 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 a boy. but hadn't
seen much of me lately. Then she
invited me TO be seated.
81 tell you, IL wasn't bit funny
then, although I can laugh over II
now. sat down and she told me
one or two anecdotes OF my boyhood,
at which we all laughed little. Then
we four played cards for a while.
When / finally retired / was cour-
teously invited to call again. l went
upstairs feeling pretty small and
doing a good deal OF thinking"
"And them" asked the young
mans companion.
"Then l made up my mind that
my mother was most entertaining
lady and my sister very pretty and
clever girl"
"And now7"
Nov am going TO call again. as
I have been doing quite regularly for
the last month. enjoy their COM
pany and ! propose to cultivate their
acquaintance"
! To be fashion able the new basque