The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-06-21
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Ovens Protege.
81 VIII Z. AMEs.

one OF the kind OF women who name
their first borns Archibald II fine and
Gwendoline II superfine, met up with
Ras Goofa, 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
gix months, capital enough TO buy a
ncorfce plantation.
The first Caiffa youth to achieve
this ambition had been Tufa Goora,
Rass cousin. He had returned, after
brief absence, with small hatful
OF the golden coin OF the infidels, ana
had purchased the most excellent
plantation of Hal Akab; also the sec
ond-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-
termfned to put over performance to
equal or excel his cousins. He knew
OF a better plantation and newer
Ford. The plantation he wanted was
80 near to town they could run into
the picture theatre; il
And Ras would nave made his ad-
venturing voyage to the other side of
the world even had he known positive
iy what had merely occurred to him
as probability - that Tufas money
had been the fruit OF series of preda-
tory enterprises which made II 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 I'M
believers in America. His one idea
was to get back.
George Washington Ciphers wouldn't
have trusted Goora, pere, for ten
cent paint brush If the latter, per ma
Iician'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 of
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 It,
took somewhat after her mushy moth
or.
So when Ras, hat in hand, approach.
ID her as she sat on bench In the
Axla a1o -f,anr a. Sal
things for the world-to be put in her
hook-Gwen did not shoe him away,
but looked at the paper he held out.
Ras had great, soulful eyes, like a
deer, and said, so pathetically, Pills,
incest"
The writing read: Am strange mans
IN crate country. Pies show work.
Am awful crate strong"
What on earth-where did you get
mis 2" Gwen exclaimed. Ras shook his
head. mo spik American"
well, you poor, soul, you've got a
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,
finally got out Of Ras the two words,
cook, ship"
well, you come with me-" Gwen
suddenly exclaimed; and grabbing
Ras' coat sleeve with thumb and fore
finger she steered him over to the
West Eleventh street pension, -
whore she lived with Madame Blanc,
= Swiss conjuress, who knew how to
change five cents worth of cat meat
into a 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
70 take him"
Madame was business woman.
Ras was without English He would
be worth no more than his board. Ras,
his deeriike eyes full of gratitude,
yearned to be shown work.
Nobody else ever learned the Ian.
guage as fast as Ras Goora. these
people have often heard" explained
Gwen, have a positive genius for
tongues" Nevertheless she took 4
mighty pride in Ras' accomplishment,
tor he was her pupil. A dozen times
day he was at her door receiving
dps-hps on English, that is. In
three months he was talking like a
photograph record.
Naturally, Ras explained everything
to his benefactress., He was an al.
truist who lived for others. That's
Why he was in America. Himself, he
would 80 many thousand times prefer
70 stay IN his own beautiful, dreamy
Syria, amid the olive trees and orange
blossoms than to go forth among Sc
many. many strangers. But his peo-
ple-ah. the poor. poor peoplei
Suchsa long time oppressed by the
Wicked Turks. For them he had CONC
. America. They had no schools. He
had come to beg the money from the
rich, generous. Americans for great
chfldrenss school at Beirut.
TO cut Il short, Gwen possessed
sight thousand dollars, an auftly leg
acy. And the supreme court itseli
couldn't have convinced her that the
book she was writing would fan to
bring In other thousands shortly.
she was actually on the point OF
1igning check for four Of tbs eight
thousands, TO be handed over to Ras
Goora as th0.nucIeus. of the .Gwendo-
line Ciphers school, in Tar OF Beirut
whens
Sam Cody, the busiest man in In.
dianaDolis founder made-tfnna IA