The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-05-03

/ Nell, as sald, our conQltlon was aO0uG
the same, financially, so We joined to-
gether and rented room in a very
cheap but respectable neighborhood.
We kept bachelors hall there very COM
fortably for while, while l hunted en-
ployment, and he compounded wonder
ful French dishes out of nothing.
81 suppose in my search for employ
ment, l had started out with some ague
idea of becoming minister to some
foreign power, or Postmaster-GeneraL or
something of that kind. My aspira-
tions, after declining for several weeks,
like decrea sing series in Geometrical
Progressions the bete noir of my boy
hood-at last pointed at an ordinary
clerkship in some mercantile establish
ment as happiness beyond comparison
Even here was doomed to- disappoint-
ment, and then gave up the struggle.
1 had spent my last dollar that morning.
ALI day | had walked from street to
street, from square to square. My limbs
were aching with the unaccustomed ex-
ercise, my brain was in whirl. knew
one man whom my father had befriend-
ed years ago, in the days of his pros
perity, when the man was in great dis
tress. Since then, Fortunes wheel had
turned, and my father had died in
poverty while Mr.. Laclede was one of the
money kings of the city. Can you un-
derstand why l would not go to
him until every other resource had
failed. Even then l went slowly and re-
luctantly. | stood before the door in
the gaslight, watching the crowds as
they came aud went, and thinking some
very bitter things, it may be. But at
last l went in, knowing that they would
soon close up for the night, and asked
to speak with Mr. Laclede.
"He received me in his private office,
where he was looking over and filing
papers; and he left me standing near
the door, and went on with his work, af-
ter once looking up and saying, Good
evening" There was something repul-
sive about him, l thought, and | de-
termined to try for the situation first,
without saying anything about who l
was. So stated my business very con-
cisely. He raised his spectacles upon
his glistening forehead, referred from
me to paper he held, and from the pa
per back to me, and then said:
"Young man, there is no vacancy,
and even if there were. for the past two
weeks there have been, on an average,
twenty applications like this per diem.
You had better apply somewhere else
"My hand was on the doorknob, but
turned around and looked at him.
Without knowing clearly how the words
came, said slowly:
4 am Kenneth Lane, sir. My father
helped you once, in the greatest ex-
tremity of your life
"His face flushed little, and he in
terrupted testify:
"'Ah, certainly! But you see, Mr..
Kenneth Lane. can't make situations
don't know what else he was going
to say. Ishut the door, and passed out,
through the long rooms, past smiling
clerks-who no doubt read my errand
and its failure in my face, and out into
the street. l do not remember anything
else, very distinctly, except that seemed
plunged suddenly into an alley, and
from that into all kinds of No Thorough
fares-desperate places, that would
have shrunk from at any other time.
was conscious of rushing along at times,
and then of blindly cropping my way
dragging myself along slowly and pain
fully. Twas in one of these latter moods
when was seized and brought to q
halt by two ill-tavored villains, who
proceeded to go through my pockets il
gallant style. Apparently disgusteG
with the general emptiness of those re-
ceptacles, they turned me around to th'
light.
"'Drunk, said one of them, 'or else
a fool, l don't know which
"'Come, my covey,' said the other
You're an innocent, you air, and You't
better skin out O this afore you get ;
tap on the head =
~ skinned out O this, and soon fount
myself leaving the city behind, ant
coming out on the broad fields, lyins
white and still beneath the light of tn,
moon. Then my sense began returning
and sat down by the side of the road
barred my head, and tried to look calml,
at my situation-or rather my want o
one.
"It was gloomy enough, boys, l cal
tell you. The sense of failure is a hor
rid thing, and it had full possession o
me then. was young, and had fitte'
myself for some of the higher, noble
work of life, just to be thrust back an
told that there were no vacancies
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