One day I ran across two of my schoolmates on the same errand. They were terribly down in the mouth or down at the heels, for they were completely discouraged, and their clothes had long since forgotten the press of the tailor’s goose, and their boots were in the last stages of decrepitude. They put me in mind of the fellows we read of in our Scripture lessons at school, who went down to Jericho and fell among thieves. “Well, boys,” said I, “come over and dine with me, and we’ll talk over old times.” They did not look into their note-books to see how many engagements they had, or say, “We’ll think it over,” or “We’ll see,” in that kind of society style you know, but accepted at once. After making a short call on one of the merchant firms, I found the boys in my room. We had a good feed, the best I could get, and they told me their experience. They had been at so many houses, run the gauntlet of so many kulies and babus, and had been snubbed so often by the mercantile gentlemen that they had scarcely courage enough left to look in at the door of a house again. Through the friendly influence of the dinner they confided to me that they had trusted “an uncle” with their watches and most of their clothes, and their money was nearly all gone, and if they did not get work soon they would have to sleep in the park, and then have a chance of being accommodated with apartments at the workhouse. “Yes,” said one of them, “if we were not Eurasians we could get situations at once, and one fat white face had the cheek to tell us that he would not employ Eurasians, as they were not trustworthy. How did he know that of us? It was a downright insult!” Again he burst out, and as we had not had any liquor whatever, he was clear-headed, saying, “Hell and fury! Who made us Eurasians, I’d like to know?” “That’s it,” said the other, “who made us Eurasians?” and they brought down their fists so hard onto the table that the bearer rushed in to see what we wanted. At this I changed the subject to our school days, and inquired after the boys of our set. Before leaving I told them if they did not succeed in a day or two, to come to me and I would let them have money to go home with; for the sake of old times I would not have them “run in.”