The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 28, 1904, Page 6

6 THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. \S 5 7 - AN . LWl ; 5 72D SV OF A GENTLE STRANGER'S o z}%@ ADVENTURES /N NEW VORA N23. A THE CONFIDED 10 178 1527 5o T REZIRD HEE FIOTHERS WokDS, § [ L5 S0V 10 STrar v 2 L 7S IO BN AT PIARK. . e IZENDID FRODTCLION" splendid production of a famous pl resting from professiona She is, as I have said with Miss Lacquerre—p short, dear uncle, she is t saw. In spite of her se ple recreations as a relief fr work, and was, at the time I first met stein and eating lobster. She was richly attired, tho becoming to so distinguished consisting of little more than plained this by informing me the Van Aster’'s. To my deli s day’s races in an automobile Mr. Fayke: We had a merry party. Several other names I was not familiar, as they been Paris, they informed me, a thoughtfully ordered for me f and coming, the young lad es at other auto- mobile parties containing fri 5 « g that their severe artistic training does not suppr 3 ss of heart. For several days I'saw 1 nklyn—and found her s woman worthy of my real adora ations interested her, all my plans she approved, all my vi Finding my at- tachment to her of such a na in my thoughts, I have about concluded to offer h rt and hand. I was interrupted at this receiving a note from Mrs. Lac- querre asking me to call at once. I responded, and she questioned me ebout the distinguished friends [ have made, concerning whom, in relation to me, she said there was ent gossip. When I had finished naming and describi them M querre declared: “Reuben, ou have fallen into the clutches of as lively a gang of sharpers and ounders as New York can boast. “Your friend Faykerr really comes of a good family, but he was dis- owned by them years ago. He has several times been the hero of sen- sational press stories of scrapes which would have landed him in jail if swindled men—like you—would prosecute hi Of course they won't, and he impudently continues living by the indus of plucking geese. The others you mention are not actresses, but belong to the army of name- less parasites who find nourishment after their kind. For your sake, and because of my regard for your uncle, I warn you to beware of such cattle.” Upon returning to my hotel I found a message from Miss Franklyn asking if it would be convenient to loan her for a few days the sum of e same gentleman, five hundred dollars. She is to repay it from her first week’s salary as a , and now I recall i jb ? . star, yet is so distressed at the necessity of asking the temporary favor ; as looking with amuse- 2TV VS5 %emsE that she is nearly ill from nervousness, so is obliged to request me to right’s masterpiece, but at present is >urse she is the lady I have contrasted but highly intellectual. In f eature I ever ugh rather less completely than seemed n artist in so public a place—her waist yulder straps—but she ex- come from a reception at go with me to the next -ngaged for me famous actresses with whose a lunch Mr. Faykerr te en route, going st to any one. 1 rest, but cal economy, disposed to se and kin- in silence y are noted but to me superiority for erstanding of mat- is one which I | from Mr. Bob Fay- to our ‘academy at 1 llowed to ng which did not y receiving a c there came But I find that in b send the sum named. But I shall give her a pleasant surprise by takin mired me greatly at the ['DDMI‘W” y g\' the loan to her in person, so will delay the conclusion of this letter unx& but was kept from do- P my return. Dear Uncle Silas: I fear there is more guilt in this world than I was prepared to encounter, and that I must revise my judgment of some of my friends. I found Miss Franklyn, on whom I have just called, in a morning gown—it was six in the afternoon—of tenuous texture and some- d a party of friends that what untiddy appearance. dShc seemed more surprised than pleased to have v the city i § me respond in person, and excused her appearance by informing me that sad u\'eth Cx;vtgn‘cnr (\:zr}:xacll’: ?sz;?lcatlsl sat at a table to play, $0 I, too, sat down ana was asked by the man in bec:msé> of lon: rehearsals without salar;plhe haé bien oingeg to pawn age “of the Sy b o 3o charge, called-the dealer, how many chips I wanted. My friend kindly much of her extensive wardrobe. o 4 joit answered for me, and, I was soon playing with lively interest. I won a 1 asked her at once to accept the loan she had requested, and she re- er Mr. Faykerr remarked that as I was a student of sociology considerable sum, and thought of quitting, for all who win thereby crip- (eived it with assurances of a speedy return. She then said that she was m equakty with a pupil This was so natural that I ed, that 1 had been unjust in' my ted moral and int once, when he so e ke of him d me to dine with him ed. As I was st gladly took adva form it ‘might be well for me 1o study at ‘Brat hand. some oF or i fionier oF Setan; but 1 concluded fo play on and perbaps take all so much overcome by my kindncss that it would be painful for her to es of life_which have come under the condemnation of Mr. Je- Achin ST b ot sooti Tost: snd Smtel i Jevels wdh oot prolong the interview, 8o, regretting that I had no opportunity to make g » g played with cool calcu- the proposal I had in mind, I departed. At the front door of the apart- {1’:‘1 I fi“?-a‘sr:’c‘; e;:;:‘ffi A{“””‘i{_ !\tre? as )‘-'C}]ll as the Public Cen- Ilation, to my distress I did not win again. Again and again the dealer pent house in which she occupies somewhat restricted accommodations ed i 1 B gl 'Cf—uffif- 1“'11” my thoughtful friend, but gave me what chips I needed, never asking me for money, until I sud- T gaw that it was raining, and to my annoyance I found that I had left sed earn that any of the gambling plzc;s were open for in- denly realized that I was indebted to the game several hundreds—some ;o umbrella ir uliss Fran'kl n’s hall aving heard that all were closed by the vigorous methods of thousands, I confess, uncle—and I was distressed to an extreme degree. o % % ¢ sion employed by Mr. Jerome. I had no such sum with me, and in my confusion did not remember r. Faykerr assured me that there were a few left for the accommo- that I could draw 2 check until Mr. Faykerr thoughtfully reminded me, lation of gentlemen of an investigating turn of mind, and soon proved whispering, “If you want to quit you will find a desk with checks on it that he was right by taking me to a place of the kind. in the other room.” We bfia"‘ our s’“df“ ‘l’yh.'”e;,'(‘l"g the proprictor of the establishment, I was somewhat relieved to have the proprietor accept my check overhear before I secured my umbrella and fled, but I am compelled by ‘m‘"i i ."’,?“;‘"?, s “’I’“ character that he appeared like without question and with a polite invitation to call again and a wish for a sense of duty to admit to you, dear uncle, that I heard her mother af- Scholarly gentleman, and was able also to assume an amiable my better luck next time. I shall certainly call again; not that I ap- fectionately reproach Babe for mot having asked me for a thousand dol. (m:‘ attitude toward me. To my surprise he did not at once prove of gambling, but to a person of my stern and persistent morality it lars, remarking, “He is so easy a mark.” 2 gamble, but instead directed my attention to some very would be compromising with the devil to allow my money to remain in The young lady’s gleeful response was that she knew a good !h;ns (’ N I returned quietly, and finding the door ajar, as I had left it, entered, thinking not again to disturb the lady in her nervous condition. To my great confusion I heard her in an adjoining room talking in a joyful manner to another person, who, I judged from their manner, was her mother. I refrain from relating to you the conversation I could not but ble objects of art by well-known artists and curios of exceeding the hands of such instruments of evi i i i i i £ A 4 8 evil. I shall not only regain what I when she had it, and did not purpose to kill the goose which i Then he hospitably invited us to enter the supper room and lost, but win much more, as a lesson and rebuke to the man who so to lay so many g’olden eggs. e . i i partake free of a repast there set forth and served in excellent style. plausibly conducts the evil resort. This I can do by skillfully adopting the ing this and a little more it i s: i After al = ang a glass of clmmpagn‘c which a colored servitor of- plan-of betting next time on the very cards I lost on last time. B repeg,o‘irof;:;au;{x(ya:xr:xl;:;l]ag;nd rushed from the ro‘o:x:, un\n\gfi‘elcsa;y a‘n?x q N e, gucd i\l..x%vstcd that we see the ac‘lual gambling. We ascend- .. We spent some further hours of the might in studies of the lighter compelled to admit that Miss Franklyn's conduct is not free from suspi- \ 4/ < ;«.'a ric sv.la,.r»\z) o ma'rblc and bronze to a floor above, where a num- sides of metropolitan life, and, to my surprise, Mr. Faykerr was plenti- cion, I still feel that if her interest in sugar of the beet variety were Pl;(‘p- \ / er of patrons were engaged in playing a game called faro, Although it fully supplied with money, which he spent liberally—though he over- erly cultivated it would turn her thoughts from lobster and wine toward n,"" x\} purv?-(l?ed“l; carry my studies to 1}»0 cxtreme point of partici- 18oked repaying me the cost of the dinner. a life of greater sweetness and light. Neither can I forget that in speak- ' I e,? ‘:)]Cde\;’.‘L“e ?iard. ]of_ cl'mgcc.k Il decided to do so to be better . In the course of the evening, at’a restaurant where all the distin- ' ing of me to her mother she applied to me a term of endearment. She \ ped ounce the evil in a boo purpose writing about this sin- guished artists of the dramatic and operatic stage gather for supper, I was has frequently said to me that sfle dearly loves a lobster, and 1 over- ’ made acquainted with Miss Mayme Franklyn, fancifully nicknamed by heard her say to her mother, in speaking of me, “He’s such a lobster!” g her intimates “Babe.” She confided to me that she is soon to star in a Affectionately, REUBEN. 7