Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1919-08-21
Owens Protege
IL
By WILL T. AMES

Miss Gwen Ciphers, daughter of On
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 a
Caiffa rag picker, In Washington
square.
Gwen was the ninety-six thousand
and first girls college graduate 10
come from Indiana to New York to
soften the heart of the world with her
pen. Ras was the second young nan
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 infdels, and had
purchased the most excellent planta-
ton of Hal 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 o performance to
equal or excel mis- cousins. He knew
of a 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 adj
v~enturing voyage to the other side Of
the world ever 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 eve returned 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 manne 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 it 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. APP
preached her as she sat on q bench In
the historic square planning wonderful
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 a
deer, and said. 20 pathetically, "Plis,
meesI"
The writing read: sam strange
mans in CRATE country. Pies show
work. Am awful CRATE strong"
"What on earth-where did you gel
this?" Gwen exclaimed. Ras shook
his head. mo spik American"
"Well, you poor soul, you've got O
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 q series OF
experiments in the sign language, final
ly got out Of Ras the two words. "cook
ship"
"Well, you come with me-" Over
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
conjuress, 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 tha'
lady said: Here's that house mar
you wanted. You've simply got to take
| him."
Madame was a business woman. Raj
was without English. He would b.
worth no more than his board. Ras
his deerlike eyes full Of gratitude
yearned to be shown work.
Nobody else v e learned the Ian
| guage as fast as Ras Goora. "Thes'
| people, l have often heard" explaine,
Gwen, "hae a positive genius TO
tongues" Nevertheless she took
mighty pride in Ras's accomplishment
for he was her pupil. A dozen time
La day he was at her door receiving
~tips-tips On English, that is. In thre'
months he was talking like a phone
graph record.
Naturally. Ras explained everything
to his benefactress. He was an altru