TALKS WITH A KID BROTHER
man. He felt benignantly sorry for all the others who were not also new men—but did not tell them so unless he knew them well enough. One night at a house-party in the Christmas holidays a very young New Yorker, of the would-be-wicked-variety—yes, he was a "paper sport"—tried to get the Parson to join with him in a game in the smoking-room with some of the older men of the party. The Parson thanked them for the honor, bowed politely and begged to be excused.
"What, and you a Kentuckian!" exclaimed one of the older men, who was shocked.
"It certainly does sound very incongruous," said the Parson, smiling urbanely, "but you'll have to manage without me, I reckon."
"Oh, come on, old man," said the paper sport.
"If I were playing," thought Reddy, "you would be an easy mark." But he only said, "Thank you, no." The older men had, of course, stopped urging him.
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