The Irish standard., 1914-02-07
HIS OWN Medicine
BY J. A. TIFFANY.

BY J. A. TIFFANY.
Say, Joe. do you happen to have .
hundred in your clothesr'
Got it in the safe. father-which
Is just as handy. More. too. II you
want It,"
mo; thank you. boy. A hundred
will do me-"
As the father bocketed the five
$40 bills and left the Office, Joe Ker-
shaw looked after him with a proud
and aftectionate glance. then sigh
ed, as he reflected how much older
Mr.. Kershaw was looking this morn
ing.
This little money Transaction re-
minded him Of many similar ones
years ago. when the positions Of the
two men had been reversed.
"Funny!" Kershaw soltloquized.
Father used to object very strongly
to that term in your clothes,' when
ever had occasion to touch him N.Y.
self. But it's the first time, guess.
that he ever asked anybody for
money. and suppose he found the
phrase expressive"
Though still quite . young man,
and a highly proper sort of person,
there had been q time when Joe Ker.
shaw was as wild as the best-or the
worst-of the boys.
Many were the hundreds-the thou,
sands, for that matter-that the old
gentleman had been called upon to
pay out on account Of Joe's vagaries;
and they had always been paid with.
out murmur.
OF the most staid and exemplary
habits himself, Mr.. Kershaw had al.
ways treated his sons follies leni-
emily; borne them with philosophy. OF
old Puritan stock, he had prided him.
self upon the absence of any heredi-
tary tendency to dissipation in his
own family. and accounted for all the
boys vagaries on the theory of some
ancestral faint on the side of Joe's
mother.
Joe was not particularly ashamed Of
those days; though he was not in the
habit of talking about them, either.
He regarded 1t as "all in lifetime"
part of mans experience. Ii q
fellow was born to make a fool of
himself for certain number of years,
while he was young, he would do it
SO Kershaw reasoned. The only thing
he ever regretted about it was the
anxiety and pain he had caused his
excellent old father. Sometimes, Mr.,
kershaw had demonstrated with his
son. in mild sort Of way, over some
piece of folly more fragrant than
usual; but he had never refused to
cough up" and come to the rescue.
In money matters he had always been
liberal.
This morning Joe remembered the
last occasion on which he had gone
to his father for help out of his diff
f1culties. 1t was big sum that he
wanted. and as the old gentleman
signed his name to the check, he had
said, in a kind. quiet way:
Don't you think. Joe. it would
pay you to get married and settle
DOWN."
Il believe you are right, father"
he had replied, "but where's the de-
cent girl who would marry fellow
like me?"
There are lots of them, my boy.
You don't want to get into the way
Of thinking of yourself like that.
You're not bad fellow. All you have
to do is to pull yourself together and
settle down to hard work. It's really
astonishing how quickly people will
forget young mans peccadilloes,
when they see he's trying to go right.
You have brains and energy. You
can make your mark in the law, If you
like. believe in letting boy have
his fling, but you don't want to let
the follies of youth become the vices
Of your manhood, Joe. l don't want
to see you go to the dogs"
you are perfectly right, dad" Joe
had replied as he folded the check
and put it In his pocket. Il guess Ill
put the peg in and quit"
This morning Joe rehearsed that
scene. Almost word for word. He was
glad to have the opportunity now, of
accommodating his father with a hun
dred dollars. He was sorry the old
gentleman had not wanted a thou
sand.
BY the irony Of fate, Joe Kershaw,
the reformed rake, had been Impress
ed into the service of vigilance com.
mittee, which had been formed in
Swifton, for the purpose of purifying
the city Of some Of its gambling bells,
all-night saloons, and other sinks Of
iniquity," which, according to the pull
pit agitators, were being run in de-
fiance of law and disregard of de.
cencX
About ~ O'Clock that night, in
pursuance Of this committee work,
Joe Kershaw happened into one Of
the more pretentious Of the down
town saloons, to see what was going
on.
Looking for your father?' was the
first greeting he received. 1t came
from tipsy young gentleman in
evening dress, whom Kershaw knew
by sight and reputation.
mo, sir; am not" Kershaw ~.
piled, distantly.
well, Of course. I didn't know" the
young fellow returned with a grin and
. hiccough. But II you do want him,
he's in the side room th1Fe, entertain
ing Nellie Nimbell. the star at the