New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-05-10

10 live, but ! have IL license to driv,
il You would care to see it,
You look like IL gentleman r.
marked the stranger.
Il almost believe | am one" replied
christopher. Il should be delighted Il
think that you are right"
Every WE'LL said the other; II vii
engage you-for the evening. Yol
can take me where | wish to 20 an,
wait. If my chauffeur can bring IN!
ear round later, you can go; but il
amy case You shall have the sam,
money. What are your chargcs?'
For the entire evening, five
guinras,' said Christopher.
Good; that is settled" The gen
tl"lnan stepped forward, and the own
er of the red car and the chauffeur OF
the green one both sprang to open tn,
door for him. But he waved them
back.
Il shall sit with the driver" he an
%nounccd, with the air of one nccus.
toned to quick decisions, and never
to have them gainsuid.
'Do you know Desmond H~ouSe?" he
asked, when he was in his place, and
Christopher ready to start.
christopher replied quietly that he
did know Desmond House.
"Then drive me there, if you please,
and as quickly as you cam" said his
employer. Il am late in keeping an
appointment, and yet he added, 81
am not sorry that, with the best driv-
ing, we Shall be ut least twenty min
utes in reaching Desmond House. Do
you take my m%caning!"
"les. But you pay me the compli-
m"nt of feeling SOME slight curiosity
as to my reason for touting with my
cur in the streets for passengers" sug-
gested Christopher.
"iou have it. | should be pleased
if you would tell me how such Il
strange thing came about. But, of
course, if you do not choose"
"Why nOt?" laughed the young man.
"You shall know the whole story, if it
amuSpS you-and not Il penny extra,
over the fare. The trouble is that
you'll be disappointed, for, except in
one particular, it's a very ordinary
tale"
Suppose that you begin with the
n particular, since you are 81 oblig-
ing?' said Christopher's passenger.
at is that if l had failed to earn at
least the sum of five guineas before
twelve tonight, nothing could prevent
me from losing another sum-, amount
ing approximately to n hundred and
Sevcnty-five thousand pounds
"You are right" agreed the other.
THAT one particular is not ordinary"
He invited Christopher to go on
with the story.
"The hundred and seventy-ive thou
sand pounds-or thereabouts-are my
uncle'S," said he. "Also Il rather nice
house in the country, and n few other
things which l was brought up to be-
lieve would eventually be mine. But
my uncle heard stories about my life
which didn't please him, and they were
all true. SO he sent for me, and all
my deceitful meekneSS and sweetness
of name was of no use. He saw
through me. and told me l was an in
corrigible young scoundrel. Also, he
told me his plan for my future. 1t
was, to cut down my allowance from
eight to one hundred pounds a year,
just enough to keep me fed. clothed
and housed in decency, which, in his
opinion-and in mine. when l came to
think of twas more than l de-
AS for the bulk of his money,
my uncle had not quite made up his
mind where to leave it. The one thing
he thought he had decided upon was
not to leave 1t to me.
81 heard him through to the end
and then proposed a substitute plan.
| admitted the young scOundrel, but
denied the incorrigible. l said l
that he might give me a
chance to show that l had a back
bone. As proof of its existence l re-
the allowance, asking my uncle
10 keep his money and reserve his
Judgment. Said 1: If within a year
a reformed character-that is, if
Eve shown that I'm able not only to
my WI way in the world, but
% make it like a gentleman-will you
reconsider, and not leave the family
rouse and the money away from the
asst representative of your name?'
"'All right said he, its a bargain.
But l don't believe you can do it,
II believed l could. So I sold the
'urniture, books, pictures and orna-
nents in my chambers and got a tidy
sum. 1 also sold my motor
ar for what I could get. and bought
Inother-for what 1 hoped to get. Al
eady I was a fair driver; but l dis
-ppeared for months from public life
nd learned, in a good school for chauf-
eurs, how to be a first-rate one, and
n all-rOund practical mechanic as
veil.
"The end Of the trial year and the
nd Of my money were drawing to a
lose, when, to pile Pelion on Ossa, l
ad a letter from my uncle. He
'ished to know how much / had
armed during my probation. Nothing 5
ct said I, in my answer. Then came
wire. If l could not earn, and prove 5
0 him that I had earned, by my own .