Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 290, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1913 — CHIVALRY AND LOVE [ARTICLE]

CHIVALRY AND LOVE

By WALTER N. WILLIAMS.

When Ned Graham, son of the old banker, got word by the butler that his father wanted to see him in the library, he’d have wagered five to one that he was in for a wigging, though he couldn’t recall that he had done anything to deserve one. ‘‘Sit down, sir!” ** The son sat down. “You are through with college.” t “Yes, sir.” “Or, rather, college is through with you!” “Same thing, sir!” “H’m! H’m! You came near being expelled on two occasions.” “Not my fault, sir. On both occasions I punched a fellow's head for insulting a woman.” “And you hadn’t been home a week when you had a row at a theater.” "Yes, sir. The manager wouldn't pay the salary due the soubrette.” “And you butted in.” “She needed the dough, sir. Her landlady was going to bounce her unless she squared up.” “H’m! H’m! I have learned that you were under arrest for a time the other day in Central park.” - “Yes, sir." “Some more of your chivalry, I suppose?” “I knocked a fellow's block off for pestering a nurse girl.” “Stop, sir—stop!” commanded the father. “What sort of talk is this? You punch a head! An acress needs the dough! You knock a man’s block off! Have you heard me use such expressions !” “No, sir, but you see you never went to college.” “H’m! H’m! I’m ashamed of you, sir! The next thing I may expect to hear is that you are in love with a chorus girl.” “Hardly, sir. They are going out of fashion.” “H’m! H’m!” “And it’s department store girls that are coming in.” “Young man, I didn’t send for you to talk flippancy! Haven’t you got the sense to realize that the age of chivalry has passed?” "If I married a saleslady it would be for love, sir.” “Bosh! Nonsense. In a city like New York there is no such thing as love!” “That’s a hew one on me.” “More of your slang! Listen to me. Are you going to take up business?” “As soon as my vacation is over.” “That is what I shall expect. Meanwhile, drop chivalry, drop love. If you get into any more scrapes I’ll wash my hands of you. Any family scandal hurtß the banking business.” “But if occasion—” “You let the occasions severely alone!” •It wasn’t that the young man was looking for trouble. It was that trouble was hunting for him. The next day after the ultimatum of his father he took a walk down to the shopping district in search of a pair of gloves of the latest shade. The girl at the glove counter was a nice girl. She didn’t have too many bangs or frizzes or rats. She wasn’t snippy. She broke right off a confidential conversation with her chum to wait on Mr. Graham. She referred to the weather and the tariff and the last Newport fooldance. She had nice eyes. She had a dimple in her chin! Mr. Graham had had five pairs of gloves shown him when he decided he could punch a man’s head fdr even looking cross-eyed at such a fine girl as that. At ten pairs he had almost decided that he was in love. Then came the interruption. The floorwalker came forward in a most important way and said to the girj: “Miss Stevens, are you employed here to sell gloves?” “Y-yes, sir!” she gasped. “Then sell them!” That floor walker didn’t look good <o young Mr. Graham. He saw fear in the girl’s eyes. The remarks might be discipline, but they were also insulting. He looked the ofhcial over and then said: “Sir, you must apologize to the young lady!" “What! What!” “You apologize or put up your hands!” “Miss Stevens, is this loafer your brother?” was asked. “N-no, sir!” she cowered. “Then I’ll have him kicked but of the store!” “Oh, hurry out before he comes back with the porter!” entreated the girl. “Don’t get nervous,” the young man replied. The floor walker and a husky porter came up and the former said: "Don’t tfirow hips all the way across the street, fttfike!” The clerks and customers of a department store are seldom treated,to a first-class scrap, but this was one of the rare occasions. The flopr walker and Mike and ihree others were beautifully laid out before a pqliceman came, and the reward of Ned Graham was the whisper from Miss Stevens: S “1 shall lose my place, but I thank you for defending me!” The peace and dignity of a department store had been outraged. That is almost as bad as a loafer to come along and kick- in the doors of a church. The banker's son was shoved into a ceil at the police station. He did not send for his father. Some one else notified the old gentleman, and he came hustling along.

“Young, man, I gave you fair warning!” be- shouted. “Yes, sir.” “And you went right off and started a row!" "No, sir. A floor walker started it” “It was about a woman, I hear.” “My chivalry was appealed to in the case of'a damsel in distress.” “Then let your chivalry get you out. of this! I hope the court will give you three months on the island!” The judge didn’t He had a floor walker for a neighbor, and the man kept a dozen chickens. Beginning with the rooster and ending with the youngest hen, they took turns crowing all night, and therefore his honor made the ' sentence only ten days. Young Graham served it out without a whine. When the prison doors were opened to him he saw his father waiting. "Is it a cure?” grimly asked the banker. “Do you want me to say with you that chivalry and love are dead in New York?” asked Ned. “I want you to stop making a fool of yourself! If you don’t make that promise you needn’t come home! 1 am not nmning an idiot asylum!” "So long, dad!" Two days later the father read in the papers that Ned had visited the department store and procured Miss Stevens’ address. It had not been sent with the bouquet that came to him while serving his sentence. He read that he had called at the young lady’s house. In about three days there “was more interesting reading. Banker Graham read that his son had got a job on a street car line as a conductor. That he was helping old ladies and children on and off. That he was punching the head of every pickpocket who tried to take his car. That scores and scores of salesgirls were going out of their way to patronize that line. “H’m! H’m!” coughed the old gentleman as he read. There was another brief Interval, and then he read that the chivalrous young Mr. Graham was looking for a furnished flat; that he was in receipt of 200 complimentary letters a day; that the romantic spirit of a great city was being aroused; that the dashing Ned would marry Miss Stevens within a month; that an old bachelor-philanthropist would give the loving couple a marriage present of $10,000; that the record of marriages was unprecedented. There were other “H’ms!” and then the banker sought out hiß son to say: “Ned, what are you going to do?” "Keep on earning two dollars a day till I get a raise.” “You are a fool, sir!” “And marry Miss Stevens.” “You ought to have Jerome after you as a lunatic!” “And convince you that there is more romance, chivalry and love to the square foot in New York city, than anywhere else in the United States of America!” “H’m! H’m Fred, come home!” “Why. father?” “Because I guess you are right!” (Copyright, 1913, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)