The Forrest City times., 1891-02-06
THE SCAPEGRACE.

l Ne who earn our living by hard work naturally regard with ,l good deal of interest those who manage to dodge this seeming necessity | Nhatar 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 good root 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 a little envious ot their originality and courage?
 If one should, for example, try the simple rule of put yourself in his place"
 1ou,now,wh who make Il living by some occupation, commonplace but relia- ble, suppose you were to wake to- AAsoihN" I'll h PistIC. 0iNhoab 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 a bed, and then numerous meals and beds thereafter? Would you not be frightened? Would you not be at q loss what to do? Well, that is where you would show your inferior ity to those of whom we speak
 Itmust be admitted that they could, if they wished, earn Il plain, honest living as We do; whereas could we, by the exercise Of all our wits, exist q week after their fashion? En effet, there you have the whole matter. Before l undertook n study oi these singular beings, l always thought ot them as n class by themselves, pur- suing, for the most part, similar methods. To live without work con- stituted in my mind profession like law or the ministry. I wronged them. 1 did not appreciate their fecund originality. There is no pro- | fession that is common to them all. but each has his own, complete | in itself, unique and delicate as the miniature carved-work ot the Japa- | nese.
 To tell of them is to tell of individ. 1 uals, not oi the class
 There was one who recently came to live at the very respectable board. ing place of the present writer. He 1 was, as the naturalists would say, an excellent speclmen-rather young, | good looking. well-drassed, and cor | rectly hammered. There are some of this class who have low habit oi making preteuee of earning liv- 1 ing. They will maintain an office with Real Estate" or 'Commis- sion" or something of that kind. on the door. To no such stupid vulgar ity did Mir. Richard kerth descend. | Not even n suggestion of work cast n cloud upon his title of gentle I man.
 had known something of the pre- vious career of Mir. kerth. and when he took possession of two of the best rooms in the house hastened to l make his acquaintance. He treated me with easy veondescension. and soon offered to borrow money of me
 1 did not loan Mir. kerth any money. 1t was indeed, for a long time, source of quiet satisfaction to me that while number of other: 1 in plain view on nll sides, were being taxed for the support of this Ameri can peer, l was exempt. But ont day. when l was being measured fol an overcout, my tailor asked m'
 what l knew about Mir. Richard
 Kerth, and told me that he owed
 fifty dollars on suit of clothes.
 answered Shearsby that thought h,
 had better charge it up to profit ant
 loss. He immediately proceeded tt
 do so. The overcoat which Iorderet
 was more expensive by five dollar
 than had expected. and possibly
 about nine other of Shearsby's GUS
 toners suffered similar amount O
 indirect taxation.
 As time passed, gained more nne
 more ot Mir. kerth's confidence.
 knew just enough about his pas
 performances to make him thinl
 that my silence was useful com
 modity, and he sought to purchas
 it with frankness. He was. however
 10th to betray his secret all at once
 but prepared me beforehand b.
 various significant hints to appre
 ciate better it's mysterious nature.
 One evening. when he was smokinl
 one of my cigars before my fire, h
 said: Fl am getting very hard up; must raise some money"
 Isaid: "How will you do it?''
 "I have . method ot my own," h