Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-03-13
HOW He EARNED A LIVING.
BY FRED BAYuAM,

BY FRED BAYHAM,
We who earn our living by hard
work naturally regard with a good
deal Of interest those who manage to
dodge this seeming necessity.
What arc these mysterious mortals,
we say. who toll not neither do they
steal, who have no property nor any
apparent source OF income, yet they
wear clothes, eat meals and sleep
under a good roof, like the rest OF us?
We have habit OF speaking with
contempt OF these people, as though
they were beneath us in the social
scale. Are we not really in secret q
little enviou3 OF their originality and
courage1
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
reliable, suppose you were to wake up
tomorrow in q strange place, without
money or friends, and with all work
prohibited-what would you do?
How would you arrange about break
fast, and, sub jequently, about dinner
and supper and a bed, and then num-
erous meals and beds thereafter?
Would you not befrightenedP Would
you not be at 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 living, as we do; whereas
could we by the exercise of oil our
wits exist n week after their fashion?
En- effet, there you have the whole
matter.
Before undertook q study OF these
singular beings had always thought
of them as a class by themselves, pur-
suing for the most part similar meth
DDS. To live without work, consti-
tuted in my mind n profession, like
law or the ministry. | wronged them.
l did not appreciate their fecund orig
inality. There is no profession that
is common to them all, but each has
his own, complete in itself, unique and
OF the japanese.
To tell of them is TO tell OF invidu-
ais, 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 naturalsts would say an ex-
eellent specimen-rather young, good
looking, well-dressed and correctly
= l..
class who have low habit of making
pretence of earning living. They
will MAINTAIN an Office with "RRal
Estate" or Commission" or some
thing of that kind, on the door. To
no such stupid vulgarity did Richard
Kerth descend, Not even q suggestion
of work cast a clod upon his title OF
gentleman"
/ had known something Of the pre-
vious career of Mr.. Kerth. and when
he took possession OF two OF the best
rooms in the house l FASTENED to
make his acquaintance. He treated
me with easy condescension, and soon
offered to borrow money OF me.
did not loan Mr.. Kerth any mon
ey. 1t was, indeed, for o long time
source of quiet satisfaction to me that
while q number of others, in plain
view on all sides, were being taxed for
support of this American peer.
was exempted. But one day, when /
was being measured for an overcoat
my tailor asked me what knew about
Richard Kerth, and he told me that
he owed $50 on suit of clothes. I
answered Sheasby that l 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 So than had OK
pected and possibly about nine other of
Searsby's customers suffered similar
amount of'indirect taxation.
As time passed | gained more
and more of Mr.. Kerth's confidence.
j knew just enough about his past per-
formances TO make him think that my
silence was 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 it's mysterious
nature.
One evening, when he was smoking
one of my cigars before my fire, he said;
81 am getting Tery hard up; must
raise some money"
said, chow will you do it9"
al have q method OF my own" he
answered, (which apply whenever i
am in need of ready cash."
what is it lilIe2"
He smiled with the smile OF sphinx
as he replied:
al cali it a system of absence"
On several occasions he made use of
phraseology similar to the above.
For example, once he said to me: 81
get q good enough living out OF not be-
ing in certain places at certain Shines"
Further he would not explain.
About this time his creditors, of
whom the crop seemed to be perennial
Began 10 press him close and it was