The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-06-20


for money. you know. and it was
s.bout this time that fell in with
Steve Ranald, who was in about the
same condition ID respect to funds
believe none of you ever saw him
did you? I-wish you had known him
lie was half French, and that account:
for some peculiar traits in his charae
ter. A magnificent looking fellow
with a certain kind Of facinatior
about him, that yen could not resist
conld not, l know. He led me intc
all kinds Of scranes. that never
would have thought ol going into
and it was impossible to blame him.
lie had such merry. light-hearted
way with him, when be chose, that
he took me quite by storm.
"Well. as | said, our condition was
about the same, financially, so We
joined together. aud rented room il
a very respectable neighborbood
We kept bacbelor's hall there very
comfortably. for ghile. while hunt
ed employment, aud be compounded
wonderful French dishes, on. Of moth
ing.
II suppose in my search OF EN-.
ployment, / had started out with
some vague idea Of becoming minis
ter to some foreign power, or post
master general, or something Of tha,
kind. Nv aspirations after declining
for several weeks, ike decreasing Sc
ries of geometrical progressions-ihs
Jete noir Of my boyhood-at last
pointed to an ordinary clerkship ia
some mercantile establishment as hap,
piness beyond comparison. Even here
| was doomed to disappointment, and
when gave up the struggle, had spen,
my last dollar that morning. All day
had walked throughkhe streets like one
lost Ny limbs were aching with
the unaccustomed exercise, and my
brain was in whirl. | knew one
mau whom my father had befriended
wears ago, in the days of bis prosperity
when the man wasia great distress
Since then fortunes wheel, had turn
ed, and nv father had died in power
ty while Mr.. Laclede, was one Of the
money kings of the city. Can you
understand why | would not go
to him, until every other resource
had failed Even then | went
slowly and very reluctantly.
| stood before the door in the gaslight,
watching the crowd as they came
and went, thinking some very bitter
things. it may be. But at last went
in, knowing that they would soon
close up for the night, and asked to
speak with Mr.. Lacledr.
'.He received me in his private of.
fee, where be was looking over and
fling papers, and. be left me standing
near the door, and went on with his
work, after looking up and saying,
Good evening There was some
thing repulsive about him | thought,
and / determined to try for the situa-
alton first, without saying anything
about who l was. So | stated my
business very concisely. He raised
bis spectaeles on his glistening FORE
head. referred from me to the paper
he he'll in his hand, aud from the pa
per to nae, and then said:
Young man, there is no vacancy,
and even il there were. for the past
two weeks there have been on an
average, twenty applications like
this per diem. You had better ap-
ply somewhere else"
"My hand was on the door-knob,
but turned around and looked al
him. Without knowing clearly how
the words came, ] said slowly:
al am Kenneth Lane, sir. My
father helped YOU once, in the great
est extremity of your life'
"His face flushed little, and be
interrupted testify:
'Ah, certainly! But you see,
Mr.. Kenneth Lane, | can't make sit
uations.'
II do not know what be was 60
ing to say shut the door, and
passed through the long rooms. pass
ed smiling clerks, who no doubt read
my errand and its failure in my face,
and out into the street l do not re-
member anything else very distinctly,
except that l seemed plunged sud-
denly into an alley, and from that,
into all kinds of low thorous hfares-
desperate places that | would have
shrunk from at any time. Twas con-
scious OF rushing along at times, and
then bIindiy cropping my way, drag
ging myself along slowly and painful
ly, was ir one of those latter moods,
wnen | was seized and brought to a
halt, by two ill-fayored villains, who
proposed to go through my pockets
10 gallant style. Apparently disgust
ed with the general emptiness of those
receptacles, they turned around to
The light.
Drunk said one of them, 'or
else fool, / didn't know which
Come, my covey,' said the other,
you are innocent, you are, and you'd
better skin out O. this afore you get a
tap on the head
1T was gloomy enough, boys, /
can tell you The sense of failure
"as horrible thing, and it had full
possession of me then. | was young
and mad fitted myself for some of the