Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-01-11

time. How a peasant OF the Ukraine
who never before in all his life hat
done anything but chop down fir tree
with his hatchet, as if by inspiration
in anticipation of the happy event
under imperial commands, of course
had made a complete set of automatic
soldiers, an army in fact, with music
and generals in front, and cavalry
and artillery. and how it all worked
the soldiers presenting arms, the cav
airy charging, the artillery cannonad
ing, and the trumpets blowing. Johr
Austin saw it all, and had even fol
the moment become godfather Il
some possible czar, when into one cor
ner of his picture there was protrudet
a little wan face that had not even q
doll, and the fancy was gone. Me
chemically walking along. John Aus
tin found himself quite suddenly annie
an assemblage of men and boys, al
wanting to be shipping clerks, in the
act of besieging business house
"There are people enough here,
thought John, "to furnish two mel
per package for every lot of goods to
be shipped out of the port of New
York for the next month. | wonder
whether in the present dearth of work
an advertisement headed Hands
wanted might not bring out Briareus
in person?"
Presently John had his innings
The faintest appreciation of the pos
tulant's presence on the part Of the
STRIPPING in Office who cast a rapid
side glance on John Austin, assured
the supplicant that his chances for Sc
curing the position were in the highest
degree predetermined.
"Perhaps that clerk" thought John
Austin, "has been bred up in the
house for that particular line of duty.
selecting shipping clerks, and exer.
cises his calling with some fine shad-
inos of discrimination. which 7 can
neither understand nor appreciate.
"You are too old, said the clerk.
"How too old?'
eve want a young man. Can't you
understand ?"
"Here is my name, with good refer
ences. May | call again ?"
"Perfectly useless" replied the
young man. But John had pushed in
to the clerk his rather dingy letter OF
recommendation, which told how the
bearer had really been confidential
clerk for twenty years in a respecta
BILE house, and how by their failure,
John Austin at the age of fifty, had
been turned adrift
81 say-no use at all for this" cried
the clerk, as he picked mp Johns
thumb marked paper, and tried to
shove it back through the pigeon hole
But John Austin had gone. His rude
reception as the possible incumbent
Of the position advertised for had not
disturbed him particle His expert
ence for the last year had been pretty
much the same.
John Austin went up Broadway
with brisk step. He would go to
the Cooper Institute or the Astor Lii
brary, and would pass some three
hours there. The temperature there
was always p7easant-he might read
book Then there was baker or
Fourth Avenue who sold very su
perior loaf OF bread for eight cents.
John Austin knew that, for he was
critical in regard to the staff of life
He passed a hack standing by the city
hall, and remembered when drivers
always said to him:
"Hack, sir ?"
THAT inquiry" thought John Aus
tin "depends solely on how man is
dressed. Once they used to apostro
phize me-" John now pondered about
clothes, and gazed at large poster
pasted against the front of store
which announced that for thirty days
and no more, the entire stock of cloth
ing would be disposed of at retail
John Austin loitered for moment
when two men came out of the door
evidently Hebrew priests, intent on q
clothing purchase.
It's no use, Reuben, nobody is com
ing along as the hand bills are no
distributed said one of them. "BrinG
out a stack of those small bills anC
get some one to distribute them. i
ought to have been done two hours
ago"
81 should be only to glad to take
the Job, sir l even think | have ca
liabilities for that kind of thing" sale
John stepping to the front.
"Well, you or anybody else re
piled he clerk; ''here, take hold,
and John had some ream OF paper
stuck into his arms.
SITS fifteen cents an hour until Z
o'clock. Now work your passage ant
deal 'em out lively. When all you
bills are out come in for more
Fifteen cents an hour! Sixty cents
that was bread for another week
John Austin went to work cheerfully
though perhaps scarcely discrimi
natingly, for he insisted on giving the
shabbiest and most poorly clad of th'
passers by his hand bills. If
thought John. 81 only had the faitl
of the Bhuddists who distributed pic
lures of the prancing horses to wear,
travellers, or gaily painted boats t.
those laundering at sea, every one o
these poor slimsy bits of paper, witt
probably specious announcements o
shoddy coats printed on them, woulC
bestow in an actual way on shiverlnl
humanity the heaviest kinds of ulster
and the warmest of peajackets."
What harvest John Austin sowe'
outside to be garnered inside will new
err be known. At four o'clock sixt.
cents was handed him, and he wa
discharged. Sixty cents would bu
him hot meal, and the man had NO
had one for week. He knew wher
fifteen cents would buy a coarse bu
satisfactory dinner. 1t vas thriftles
on his part. but he Owed down nar
row street leading to the North rive
in quest of food. Just block frou
Broadway street vender pushed
doll almost into his face. It was