boys may now go home."
But Jack, as he took a glimpse on me, in all his Irish calibre he almost
screamed: Help! St. Patrick, what a metamorphosis is this? Is that you,
Father? You look now to me more like a butterfly out of a caterpillar
than anything in Ireland. Say, girls, calling his friends from the
outside, come in you girls, I take the honor to introduce you to the
Father ..., but, my soul, I am ashamed to call you Father, so
fashionable a gentleman as you look now. You shall not call me Father,
said I, as long as you see me dressed like a gentleman. I shall not,
Jack said, and with his girls took his departure, while George N., who
interpreted all this merriment, took a fresh white rose and put it in my
buttonhole. Let us go for lunch, said he and I followed gladly for I
felt it was a timely call.
As George N. is a bachelor he takes his meals in no particular place,
anywhere from Harlem Casino or Palm Garden or Manhattan Club to a ten
cent lunch counter. Today he took me into a dollar a plate restaurant on
125th Street. Before I was through with my dinner, George N. made the
remark to me saying "if you always enjoy the American cooking the way I
observe you doing, you will never starve in America, I assure you." It
was the wisest prophecy that George N. ever made about my future in
America.
After dinner we visited Grant's Tomb on Riverside Drive and on our
return he gave me instructions how to find the Waldorf Astoria hotel
where Aleck, one of his nephews had a position, and that Aleck would
make arrangements for the night for me and that the following morning
George N. would wait for me to discuss my plans for the future. I left
him and when I was in my room which Aleck provided for me, the time was
well nigh midnight.
After the day's excitement I hoped that a good night's rest would
refresh me anew and the next morning would find me prepared for the work
I chose to devote my future life in this New World. With a lightning
quickness my mind examined all my past life and with the same speed I
made my conclusions that there was no more any pleasure for me to look
back, neither was there any attraction in that garb which so often is
the representation of hypocrisy itself. I felt so happy for my decision
and with a grateful heart I bent on my knees in prayer to Him who lay
down His life for my freedom and my salvation, and as an evidence of my
good health, the night passed undisturbed in sound sleep and in
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