The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-21
EVENING STORY
Gfven's Protege.
by WILL r. AMEs.

1n0iandpOllS paint ana wall paper
merchant and of one of the kind of
women who name their first borns
Archibald If fine and Gwendoline If
superfine. met up with Ras Goora. son
of CAiffa rag picker, in Washington
square.
Gwen was the ninety-six thousand
and first girls college graduate to
come from Indiana to New York to
soften the heart of the world with her
pen. Ras was the second young man
to come from Caiffa, Syria, with the
definite purpose of acquiring, within
six months. capital enough to buy a
licorice plantation.
The first Caiffa youth to achieve
this ambition had been Tufa Goora,
Ras's cousin. He had returned, after
a brief absence, with a small hatful of
the golden coin of the infideis, and
plantation of Hal Akab; also a sec
ondhand flivvers of the departing
French consul.
Eela Karhagian. sloe-eyed daughter
OF the Armenian doctor seemed DIS
posed TO condescend to Tufa under
these circumstances. Ras, too, had
yearned hopelessly for Eela. He de-
termined to PITT over performance to
equal or excel his cousins. He knew
OF a better plantation and a newer
Ford. The plantation he wanted was
SD near to town they could run into
the picture theater; if
And Ras would have made his adj
venturing voyage TO the other side of
the world even had he known positive
ly what had merely occurred to him as
probability-that Tufa's money had
been the fruit of a series of predatory
enterprises which made it by the
rarest of good luck that he ever re-
turned to Caiffa. He had got out of
New York just two jumps ahead OF the
police.
Ras himself was entirely without
prejudice as to the manner in which
he might possess himself of some of
the pelf of those villainously rich un-
believers in America. His one idea
was to get 1t and get back.
George Washington Ciphers would
not have trusted Goora,- pere, for
1O-cent paint brush If the latter, per
magician's carpet, had suddenly
walked in upon him.
Moreover, he would have kept the
keenest of eyes on old Ras senior, to
see that he didn't steal the knob off
the front door as he went out. But
Gwen Ciphers didn't inherit either her
father's suspicious temperament nor
his quick insight into human nature.
Gwen, tho she didn't suspect 1t, took
somewhat after her mushy mother.
So when ~Ras. hat in hand, APP
preached her as she sat on a bench in
the historic square planning wonder
full things for the world-to be put
in her book-Gwen did not shoe him
away, but looked at the paper he held
out.
Ras had great, soulful eyes. like
deer. and said. so pathetically, pits,
miss"
The writing read: 'Am strange
mans in crate country. Pies show
work. Am awful crate strong"
What on earth-where did you get
this ?" Gwen exclaimed. Ras shook
hiS head mo spik American"
wen, you poor soul. you've got
nice time ahead of you, sure. But
who wrote this?" Ras shook his head
again.
Gwen, by speaking very loud in
deed, in single words, and making
series of experiments in the sign Ian
guage, finally got out Of Ras the two
words, cook. ship"
''Well, you come with me-" Gwen
suddenly exclaimed; and grabbing
forefinger she steered him over to the
West Eleventh street pension" where
she lived with Madame Blanc a Swiss
conjuress. who knew how to change
cents worth of cat meat into a most
delecta BILE ,ragout. She dragged him
to the basement door. demanded to
see madame at once, and to that lady
said: Here's that house man you
wanted. You've simply got to- take
him"
Madame was a business woman
Ras was without English. He would
be worth no more than his board.
Ras, his deerlike eyes full of graft
tude, yearned to be shown work.
Nobody else ever learned the Ian
guage as fast as Ras Goora. These
people, I have often heard" explained
Gwen, have a positive genius for
tongues" Nevertheless she took a
mighty pride in Ras's accomplish
ment, for he was her pupil. A dozen
times a day he was at her door re-
ceiving tips-tips on English. that is.
In three months he was talking like
phon0graph record.
Naturally. Ras explained everything
to his benefactress. He was an altru-
list who lived for others. That's why
he was in America. Himself. he would
so many thousand times prefer to stay
in his own beautiful, dreamy Syria.
amid the olive trees and orange blos-
SONS. than to go forth among so
many.N many strangers. But his peo-
pfe-at, the poor. poor people!
Such a long time oppressed by the
wicked Turks. For them he had come
to America. They had no schools. He
had come to beg the money from the
rich. generous Americans for q great
children's school at Beirut.
To cut it short. Gwen possessed
eight thousand dollars, an auntly leg
acy: And the supreme court, itself
couldn't have convinced her that the
book she was writing would fail to
bring in other thousands shortly.
She was actually on the point of
signing a cheek for four of the eight
thousands, to be handed over to Ras
line Ciphers school. in far off Beirut.
when:
Sam Cody. the busiest man in In