Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-01-10
HOW HE EARNED A LIVING.
BY Erred EAYHAM.

seeming necessity.
What are these mysterious mortals,
we say, who toll not. neither do they
steal, who have no property nor any ap-
parent source of income, yet they wear
clothes, eat meals and sleep under
good roof, like the rest of us?
We have habit of speaking with con-
tempt of these people, as though they
were beneath us in the social scale.
Are we not really in secret little
envious of their originality and cour-
age ?
If one should, for example try the
simple rule Of ''put yourself in his
place"
You, now, who make a living by
some occupation, commonplace but rell-
able, suppose you were to wake up to-
morrow in strange place, without
money or friends, and with all work
prohibited-what would you do? How
would you arrange about breakfast, and,
subsequently, about dinner and supper
and bed, and then numerous meals
and beds thereafter? Would you not
be frightened Would you not be at a
loss what to do? Well, that is where
you would show your inferiority to those
of whom we speak.
1t must be admitted that they could,
if they wished, earn plain, honest liv-
exercise of all our wits, exist week aft
er their fashion? En- efet, there you
have the whole matter.
Before | undertook a study of these
singular beings [ had always thought Of
them rs class by themselves, pursuing
for the most part similar methods. To
live without work, constituted in my
mind profession, like law or the minis
try. | wronged them. | did not APP
preciate their 1ecund originality. There
is no profession that is common to them
all, but each has his own, complete in
itself, unique and delicate as the minia-
ture carved work of the Japanese.
To tell of them is to tell of individuals,
not of the class.
There was one who recently came to
live at the very respectable boarding
place of the present writer. He was, as
the naturalists would say. an excellent
experimentation young, good-looking,
Well-dressed and correctly hammered.
There are some of this class who havoa
low habit of making pretence Of earn
ing living; They will maintain an
SION" or something of that kind, on
the door. To no such stupid vulgarity
did Richard" Kerth descend. Not
even q suggestion of work cast a cloud
upon his title of gentleman"
had known something of the prevl-
Gus career of Mr.. Kerth, and when he
took possession of two of the best rooms
i'll the house [ hastened to make his
acquaintance. He treated me with easy
condesCensiOn, and soon offered to bor
row money of me.
did not loan Mr.. kerth any money.
1t was, indeed, for a long time, source
of quiet satisfaction to me that while
number of others, in plain view on all
sides, were being taxed for the support
of this American peer, [ was exempt.
But one day, when | was being meas
.urGd for an OverCOat, my tailor asked
me what | knew about Richard Kerth,
and told me that he owed $50 on suit
of clothes. I answered Shearsby that |
thought he had better charge it
up to profit and loss. He Immediately
proceeded to do so. The overcoat which
| ordered was more expensive by IS
than [ had expected, and possibly
about nine other of Shearsby's Gus
toners suffered n similar amount of in
direct taxation.
AS time passed [ gained more and
more Of Mr.. Kerth's confidence. |
knew just enough about his past per-
formances to make him think that my
silence was q useful commodity, and he
sought to purchase it with frankness.
He was, however 10th to betray his
secret all at once, but prepared me be-
forehand by various significant hints
to appreciate better its mysterious ma
ture.
One evening, when he was smoking
one of my cigars before my fire, he said,
Il am getting very hard up; must raise
some money"
/ said, "how will you do it ?"
81 have q method of my own" he
answered, (Which [ apply whenever /
am in need of ready cash"
''What is it hke?"
He smiled with the smile of sphinx
as he replied
81 call it system of ABSENCE
On several occasions he made use of
phraseology similar to the above For
example, once he said to me: II get
good enough living out of not being in
certain places at certain times" Fur
Their he would not explain.
About this time his creditors, of
whom the crop seemed to be perennial.
began to press him close, and it was
evident that, unless the ready cash
should presently come to the rescCc, he
was lost, that is, lost III the same wav
that he had been lost many times be-
fore In the nick of tine the money
came, however, and he proceeded. with
the skill of = practical debtor. to make
small stream of cash irrigate a vast area
of credit. This being accomplished. he
was ut ease again; and one night, over
bottle OF wine and cigars, he told me
how he had raised the money,