Williams news., 1919-08-15

Copyright. 1919. by the Mcclure News
 paper Syndicate-s
 Miss Gwen Ciphers, daughter of an Indianapolis paint and wall paper mer- chant and 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 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 brief absence, with 8 small hatful of the golden coin of the infldels, and had purchased the most excellent planta- tion of Haj Akab; also the second- hand flivver 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 put over a performance to equal or excel his cousins. He knew of better plantation and a newer Ford. The plantation he wanted was so near to town they could run in to the picture theater; if
 And Ras would have made his ad- venturing voyage to the other side of the world even had he known positive ly what had merely occurred to him as a 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 returned 10 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 vilIainously rich un- believers in America. His one idea was to get 1t and get back.
 George Washington Ciphers wouldn't have trusted Goora, pere, for a ten- cent paint brush if the latter, per ma gician'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 fathers suspicious temperament nor his quick insight into human nature. Gwen, though she didn't suspect 1t. took somewhat after her mushy mother.
 So when Ras, hat in hand, ap- preached her as she sat on 8 bench in the historic square planning wonderful things for the world-to be put in her book-Gwen did not shoo him away, but looked at the paper he held out
 Ras had great. soulful eyes. like deer, and said, so pathetically, "Plis. mees r'
 The writing read: "Am strange mans in grate country. Pies show work. Am awful grate strong"
 What on earth-where did you get this?" Gwen exclaimed. Ras shook his head. "No spik American"
 well, you pOOT SOul, you Fe SOL nice time ahead of you, sure. But who wrote this?" Ras shook his head again.
 Gwen, by speaking very loud indeed, In single words, and making series of experiments in the sign language. final ly got out of Ras the two words, "cook, ship"
 Well, you come with me-" Gwen suddenly exclaimed; and grabbing Ras's coat sleeve with thumb and fore finger she steered him over to the West Eleventh street pension" where she lived with Madame Blanc, a Swiss ccnjuress, who knew how to change five cents worth of cat meat into most delectable 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 business woman. Ras was without English. He would be worth no more than his board. Ras, his deerlike eyes full of gratitude, yearned to be shown work.
 Nobody else ever learned the lan- guage as fast as Ras Goora. 'These people, have often heard" explained Gwen. "have positive genius for tongues" Nevertheless she took a mighty pride in Ras's accomplishment, for he was her pupil. A dozen times day he was at her door receiving tips-tips on English, that is. In three months he was talking like a phono- graph record.
 Naturally, Ras explained everything to his benefac ctreSs. He was an altru- fst who lived for others. That's why he was in America. Himself, he