The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-07-17
BY LILY NJ. CURRY.

Pettigrew is one of the best-hearted
young fellows ever knew. He comes
TO dine with me occasionally, and We
Haye good, long talk afterward. He
likes me, i fancy. because, while SYM
pathizing with him in all his fortunes,
good or Ill, have never yet been fool
ish enough to fall in love with him.
The darkest days of all his life, he
gays, were those of the autumn in which
Itirst made his acquaintance-before
and also at the time that we roomed
neighbors in the top of that horrible
downtown building, scarce better than
q tenement. You see, cannot wholly
AVOID exposing certain Bohemianism
of my own past life while touching up
on my friends battles and bitterness;
nevertheless, that shall not deter me.
"The dark,s st days." says Pettigrew.
with sigh of thankfulness that they
have been safely weathered, "were upon
me when l found myself landed, that
chilly November evening, supperless
and penniless, in the drsary room had
rented during the afternoon of the old
Irish janitress. You know, l believe,
that had come West the June preced-
ing, secure upon the promise of good
position IN railroad Office, position
Which had turned out mirage, might
shy, leaving me in sad predicament.
A thousand miles away from the little
New England town l had called home
for twenty years, and where were the
Only people | knew or who knew me !;
with no relations or connections to
write to for aid; with S3.l7 i'll my
pocket. and nothing TO pawn. L stood
thus alone IN the great rushing Western
city, and endeavored to consider the
matter. Common sense introduced me
TO cheap clearinghouse and a morning
paper with column or two of adver-
tisements for male help, the most of
which responded to III nay most clerkly
hand The following week was fortu-
nate enough to obtain situation in
the notion department of Cheap
John store, where the lower classes
traded aud the vilest smells abounded.
I stayed at that place through all the
hot summer weather, earning salary
inst sufficient to pay my board. The
first of August the foor-walker got mad
and hal me discharged.
Il did some copying for week or so,
at . cents page. Then L went on the
atage, as suPernumerary, and learned
how to CARRY spear or q torch amaz-
ingly we'll. My healthy lungs availed
me now; 1 could below out the bass
part of the chorus of almost any light
ope,a, once / had learned it. though L
didn'e know one note from another on
paper, and had never taken q singing
lesson in my life.
so OIL and on, along through August
and September, / made enough to keep
life and body together and shoes to my
feet. Then came October, but nothing
to act or sing in. l did some more
Copying and bridged over into Novem-
Der, and landed one bitter night in the
room where you first knew me. 1 was
tired and hungry enough to do almost
anything / remember ed having read
about some poor devil of newspaper
man who hesitated one night for an hour
Or two, not knowing whether to cut his
throat or to sit down and write a funny
paragraph, and who finally did the lat
ter and was very successful the rest of
his life. l lit the gas to warm the
room and crawled into bed, trying to
be thankful 1 had not to sleep in the
gutter. The els nothing like compar-
ipg yourself with people worse off.
Many sine I've gone along the street
with an empty, gnawing stomach and
made myself positively happy by pity
ing some poor cripple or blind beggar.
And, mind you, all this time had been
watching out for a respectable situation
at any work.
Next morning L got MP and said to
my, elf, 'Pettigrew. this won't do.
You've got to have some breakfast, and
where will you get it? That's the
Question 1t was pretty cold, but
L dressed and went down into
the street, where it was much
warmer because of the sunlight. L
turned into the heart of the city, pom
dering the dubious prospects of break
ing my fast, and casting wistful eyes
upon such alluring signs as We give a
piece of pie with every 15-cent meal
II had walked but a few blocks,
when heavy hand fell upon my shout
der. and, turning, L beheld the familiar
face of fat basso who had been n
chorus comrade of mine in the last
dpern. Possessing phenomenal voice,
though one as uncultivated as my own,
he had been engaged to GO upon the
road with the company, and had not
seen HIM for month or more. / was
glad to shake his pu Icy hand and greet
him with How are you?' 'First-rate,
con iIlering, he replied. But it is no
great fun travelling when you make SO
many one-nght stands. We've had
precious little sleep but what we could
snatch on the cars. And such jumps !
Khree hundred mics and the like; and
even If we did get to any hotel in the
morning. and thought we could take q
nap, they'd call rehearsal
Z" Is that so said i. Well, at least
you've had better luck than L. How
NJ that?' said he. Nothing said I,
with groan. 1 moved yesterday,
and Eve Jus got up. Haven't had any
breakfast yet Neither have l. said
he. Come and take yours with me. >
Il needed no second invitation. The
good soul ordered layishly, and we had
a.su ',strntial layout.
What are you doing nowY he
asked, rs we left the place, and were