Lincoln County advocate. (Canton, Dakota Territory, [S.D.]) 1876-1877, 1877-01-10

Christmas. II only l mad q doll TO
dress I" Il
"No doll? That's hard, little sister.
And is tomorrow positively Christ.
mas?' inquired John Austin, as if with
some vague idea, for the child's sake,
at least. that there was some possibility
of making Christmas movable hol-
day. .....a..
"Mother had saved some money to
buy me doll, but father is worse, and
the money had to be spent for cough
mixture"
"You do not say sol" The mans
hand was in his pocket. Had his twen-
ty-five cents by any chance been di
vided up then, there might have been
but twenty cents between him and
nothing.
Now John Austin was in the streets,
and the stupid fellow was wondering
over story he had picked up some
where, all about q great Russian Prince,
in the time of Peter the Great, who
happened to have been born about that
time. How peasant of the Ukraine,
who never before in his life had done
anything else but chop down fir trees
with his Ratchet, IS if by inspiration,
in anticipation of the happy event, un-
der imperial commands, of course, had
made complete set of automatic SOL
diers, an army in fact, with music and
generals in front, and cavalry and ar
tillery, and how it all worked, the SOL
ders presenting arms, the cavalry
charging, the artillery cannon
aiding, and the trumpets blowing
John Austin cav it all, and
had become even for the moment god
father to some possible Gar, when into
one corner of his picture there was pro-
truded little wan face that had no,
even 3 doll, and the fancy was gone.
Mechanically walking along, John Aus
tin now found himself quite suddenly
amid an assemblage of men and boys,
all wanting to be ship ,ing clerks, in the
act of besieging business house
"rhere are people enough here, %
thought John, Ito furnish two men 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 advrr
tisement headed Hands wanted might
not bring out Briareus in person ?"
Presently John had his innings. The
faintest appreciation Of the postulant's
presence on the part of the STRIPPING in
"ffice, who cast rapid side glance on
John Austin, assured the supplican.
that at least his chances of filling the
position were in the highest degree
trohlematical.
Perhaps that clerk" thought John
Austin, "has been bred up in the house
for this particular line of duty, selecting
shipping clerks, and exercises his cali.
ing with some fine standings Of discrim-
nation, which I can neither understand
nor appreciate"
"You are too DID," said the clerk.
"How to old?"
awe want a young man. Can't you
understand"
"Here is my name with good refer
ences. May I call again?'
"Perfectly useless" replied the young
man. But John had pushei in to the
clerk his rather dipgy letter of recon-
mendation, which told how the bearer
had really been confidential clerk for
twenty years in a respectable house,
and how by their failure, John Austin
at the age Of fifty, had been turned
adrift.
II say-no use at all for this" cried
the clerk, as he picked up 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 a particle. His expert
ence for the last year had been pretty
much the same.
John Austin went up Broadway with
brisk step. He would 60 to the Coop.
er Institute or the Aston Library, and
would pass some three hours there.
The temperature there WAS always
pleasant-he might read book. Then
there was baker on Fourth avenue
who sold very superior loaf of bread
for eight cents. John Austin knew
that, for he was critical in regard to
the staff of life. He passed hack
stand by the city hall, and remember
ed when cab drivers always said to
him:
"Hack, sir"
"That inquiry" thought John Aus.
tin. depends solely upon how a man
is dressed. Once they used to apos-
trophize me-" J,hn now pondered
about clothes, and gazed at large
poster pasted against the front of
store which announced that for only
thirty days, and no more, the entire
stock of clothing would be disposed of
at retail. John Austin loitered for
moment when two men came out of
the door, evidently Hebrew priests, in.
tent on clothing sacrifice.
cts no use, Reuben, nobody is COM
ing in as long as the hand bills are not
distributed" said one of them. Bring
out a stacy of them small bills and ge,
some one to distribute them. 1t oug ht
to have been done two hours ago."
II should be only too glad TO take
the job, sir. even think l have capa-
bililies for that kind of thing" said
John, stepping to the front.
d" Well, you or anybody else" replied
the clerk; there, take hold" and John
had some ream of papers stuck into
his arms.
"It's fifteen cents an hour until four
o'clock. Now work your passage and
deal 'em out lively. When all your
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, thou ID
perhaps scarcely discriminatory, for
he insisted on giving the shabbiest and
most poorly clad of the passers by his
hand bills. IT," thought John, IL
only had the faith of the Bhuddists who
distributed pictures of prancing horses