Life — May 9, 1907 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘LIFE : Arthur and His Toys | ITTLE ARTHUR, the boy magnate, had been out with his chauffeur all the morning getting fitted to a new automobile, and in the afternoon he had amused himself in his nursery playing with a lovely playhouse his mother had sent home the day before. It was fitted up with diamond- studded doors and gold floors and imitation food made out of rubies and other precious stones. But after Arthur had played with it for awhile, he tossed it aside and ran down- stairs to see his father and mother. It was coupon evening— that is, the first of the month—and Arthur's father and mother, with the help of the family servants, were busily engaged in cutting off the coupons into waste-baskets, to be taken later by the delivery automobile down to one of Arthur's father’s banks. “I'm tired of my playhouse,” an- nounced Arthur, impatiently, “‘be- cause it’s make-beliey “Tut, tut, Arthur,” said his mother. “You shouldn’t say such things. You've lived long enough in a mak: believe world to get used to it by this time.” “Well, I don’t care,” cried Arthur, petulantly, ‘I want areal house. ¢? Say, papa,” he went on, eager- ly, “why can’t you get me 4 a hotel—a real hotel,” he added, “with real guests, a real palm-room and real ladies sitting in it?” His father shook his head. “T can get you a real hotel, Arthur}” he said, “but I don’t know about real ladies. Wouldn’t you be satisfied with imitation ladies ?. That’s the kind they usually have.” “T suppose I should have to,” said Arthur, “if you couldn’t do any better.” The next morning Arthur's father got up bright and early—for nothing gave him greater pleasure than to fy his little son’s wish— and went out and bought a real hotel Arthur could scarcely wait to see it mamma went around in their auto to look at it, he clapped his handsin glee. “See, mamma,” he cried; “papa hasn't forgotten anything, Look at the automobiles to set in front and look at all the lovely chorus girls and imitation ladies he has ordered to go in it.” “Yes, Arthur,” replied his mother. ‘And you must be very careful, dear, when you place them in the hotel not to And when he and his = tub the paint off. Remember they are not like the inde- structible dolls you used to have.” Thanking his mother for her timely warning, Arthur was soon absorbed in his new occupation of putting everything in its place. He put the clerks back of their desks with big diamonds in their shirts and he put the bellboys where they belonged and all the chambermaids on their various floors : and the cute little pages who ran around and called out names. Then he put in his Wall Street branches—and he had to be very careful of them, for they were > very fragile—and his card furni- (— ture, and fitted all the palms into his palm-room and then put his bar into place. And then Arthur filled the hotel with guests and everything was ready. “Father never forgets anything,” said Arthur as he took his mother’s hand and led her out to look at his new toy. ‘See, mamma; everything is quite complete. > Isn’t it just lovely ? Look, here is a real drug-store, and see all the electric cabs, and papa has even got me some multimillionaires to go in the café—that shows what he can do, doesn’t it?” “Yes, indeed,” said Arthur’s mother, who had never seen a men’s café before and was very much interested, “and what is that head-waiter doing?” “Why, don’t you know ?” said Arthur, contemptuously, “But I forgot you were a woman, and can’t know all the things we men do. He's just leaning over the multimillionaires getting tips on the stock market. Why, mamma, I have no doubt that he is making twenty or thirty thousand dollars a week. That’s pretty good for a head-waiter,” he added, proudly, ‘although, of course, it isn’t as much as my autos cost.” “And what is that man in the suite on the third floor saying to the lady with him?” asked Arthur’s mother. “Oh, I'll tell you,” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly. “You see she’s really and truly his wife and he’s persuading her that she must stay in for the evening and rest. And you see that beautiful young lady waiting down-stairs in the corridor? Well, she’s a real chorus girl and she’s waiting for him to come down. And look, mamma! there's a real duke just come comicbooks.com