The Argosy, October 1906 — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

~ e a ~ - 408 ‘But; scan the items as he would, he could find in all the list no position suit- able to a-lawyer, or former business man and: baseball player, unable to.~ give references, and with one arm out‘of com- mission. ‘There were Ses jobs eli and 4 demand for office assistants, places which. he was easily competent to fill; but ih-every case previous city -experi- ence or, tinassailable® credentials were in- sisted upon—requisites with which Hor- ace was unable to comply, even though © his writing- hand had been in _working condition. = ~ The broken finger fkewise barred him from seeking manual employment, for he was not too. proud to swing a shovel, vand he felt stre that under ordinary -cir- “cumstances his “great strength would easily have secured-him work -of some kind. These avenués being closed to him, there was wothing left, as he could see, from his perusal of the help advertise- : “ments, but a position as agent or Can- yasser. Here again, however, his crip- pled hand was likely to. interfere with ¥sticcess,. especially if he had to carry:a ~— pack or kit of any kind, and, more than- that, he would be heavily handicapped by his unfamiliarity with the city. Besides, as he reflected, such jobs are usually paid by a commission or per-= centage on sales, and’he required some- thing which would: bring him in immedi- ate revenue. He comprehended very plainly that fifteen cents will not suffice long to cover one’s expenses in New York. . And yet, unless he resorted to down- right beggary, he could see no way in which he was to gét any more. | On the bench occupied by Clarkson was also seated a ragged, disreputable individual, perhapS forty or forty-five years of age, but looking a good twenty years older—a typical derelict of the. New York ‘treets.., He ‘was engaged now in keeping a -Weather-eye upon Horace, and as the young man laid, one by one, his papers aside, he pounced greedily upon. the prize. This was the fellow’s existence—to <—dream his hours away upon a park-bench, seeking forgetfulness in the news of the e sneered. THE ARGOSY. day as he ee it from the - dis- carded papers of’ his.more fortunate fel- lows. As lazy and Iotos-eating a style of life.as could well be imagined. Yet the chap must have some method of subsistence, thought Horace ;*’ there must be a:way for him to acquire the few pennies which sufficed to secure him a place to sleep and something to fill his stomach: - In -his. own Spadition of utter shigt "wreck; Clarkson now appealed to~ this vagabond, “Say,” ~hé began, sliding along~ the bench toward the other, “ tell sae how do you live?” The man looked up with a quick sus- picion. ‘. “One of them. reformers, eh?” he that you’re only wastin. your time, I won't go to no settlement, and that’s flat.”’. “-Vou're away off, my ‘friend,’ ? went “T am nos reformer and I » on Horace. haven't. the. slightest intention ~ es “ Then you’re a stéry-writer - lookin’ © fer ‘local color,’ or a newspaper re- porter,” annoraced theghobo with ,con- viction ; talkin’. I’m ‘gettin’ tired spinnin’ yarns fer youse. fellers, an’. gettin’ nothin’ fer it but a beer or two, while you knock down as much as fifty or a hundred dol- — lars. So; if you want anything out of me, youse can understand, you _gotter . pay for it.” Horace smilingly pulled the three nickels from his pecket and held them out for the other’s inspection. “There’s my pile,” he said signifi- cantly. ‘You've diagnosed my case wrong, old man. nor a novelist;.I’m broke.” ‘Yes, you are,” incredulously. look it, with them clo’es on gat 0 on, don’t you? ” “Looks don’t always prove everty- thing,’ retorted Horace. “ As-a matter ‘of fact, 1 have suddenly found myself stranded in this town, with fifteen cents to my name, not a friend to whom TIT can apply for assistance, and in addition a crippled hand, which will keep me from” engaging in any kind of work for three weeks or a month: Now, I appeal to you, 4s one who knows ehe ropes, to. tell “ Well, I’ll-tell you right now “and I ain’t a goin’ to do no. “You: * 3 ‘ 7@ I’m neither. a reformer ~ C (0) CS (ele) micboo