The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-02-06
CHAPTER I.
A TASTE OF RICHES.

J.
and allows virtue to grope in vain for it's
reward. The good man who avoids evil
,nly because he does not see its allure
ments, will also miss great deal which
is both desirable and permissible in this
/, world.
With so much by way OF preface it
may be safe to say that the young man
who will now be introduced had led an
exemplary life without finding any sat
| isfaction in it. He had taken for his
guiding rule tho advice of Schiller that
1 happiness is to be found in the daily per-
formance of task of routine. It will
be remembered that the same eminent
Gentleman advised writing with ones
, Get in tub of ice water, but most OF US
10 not like it. There is, however,
r-eat deal of value in the routine idea,
,ut the trouble with it in practice is
hat many people do not know what to
,ccupy themselves with after the daily
! TASK is done.
William Russell was one of these. He
mad held clcrkship for eight years, on
2 slowly-increasing salary, and had been
| temperate, frugal, and Industrious. He
had as much interest," in his work as If
be had been q car-horse; but he would
rather have been employed than idle.
Thinking he regarded as an unsafe oc-
.upation for man who knew how to
analyze the facts of existence, as he did.
That was the trouble: he knew how to
analyze them but he didn't know the
facts. He had long ago given up ambi-
ton, friendship, love, and many other
sweet and profitable things because he
regarded them as delusions!
Then came a day when he began to
regard the consultations of his daily task
of routine as delusions also. He was as
good q sample OF the discouraged young
man as could have been found in New
York. He had hitherto maintained
certain contentment bolstered up by
prejudice in favor of his own philosophy;
and when this thin support gave way
there was no mending it. About this
| time Russell lost his clerkship. natu-
ally enough. perhaps, for q man=in that
condition of mind is not valuable en-
ploye. He did not regard the loss OF
the position as calamity, and he made
no attempt to get another. He simply
lived on his small savings without any
plan whatever for the day when they
should be gone. II any suggestion of o
life worth striving for should come to
him, he would awaken his energies II
not, they should sleep,
| He occupied the time in strolling
about the city studying life in various
| forms. In reality he knew but little Of
what was going on in the world. He had
given most of his leisure to books, and
had continued studies of philosophi-
cal nature which he had begun at
college. He cultivated the acquaintance
of few men and no women. There was
not single household in the great city
where he was ever guest. II there had
been doubtless he would have obtained
new and better ideas of many common
comforts and pleasures. But his early
life had been SO unfortunate that he had
no recollections with which to stimulate
a desire for domestic scenes. Indeed it
was his special infiiction that he had no
desire for any thing.
| The impression made upon such man
by first sight of the interior OF the New
York stock exchange was wonder that
the game of stocks was played with SO
great an exercise of physical activity.
He had expected to see calm, cool
headed assembly of gamblers, and this
is not what the stock exchange looks
like from the gallery, on lively day.
1t bears more resemblance to football
match where the crowd has broken upon
the field with the intention OF killing
the referee. Russell was surprised tc
| find himself much interested in the ath.
letic side of a brokers' business. He
was q muscular young man. and the
sight appealed to him strongly. Fol
more than an hour he watched the busy
scene, and played the game of stocks in
his mind-a method much to be preferred
to any other.
He had five-dollar gold piece In his
pocket, and not another penny in the
world. 1t did not occur to him to seek
out bucket-shop and take q desperate
cnance with his last coin; he was only
wondering what brokers' life was like,
and whether it was worth the living. He
strolled down to tie door, and observed
with genuine curiosity those who passed
in and out. The younger men especial
ly interested him, they were so much
superior in every way to his expecta-
ton. Instead of the victims of a nerve
destroying life, he saw a lot of jolly fell
lows who were apparently full of mem
sal and bodily vigor.
1t may have been tho revolt Of q
healthy body against sluggish mind,
or simply the contagion OF the activity
around him; but, whatever the cause,
he felt for the first time suspicion that
he had discovered career which would
please him. He had o general idea that
The social life of these men was notwhat
ne would desire, but he began to be in
aoubt whether he really knew much
about it. He was conscious Of desire
70 learn what 1t really was. Only one
way suggested itself, and that was by
inquiry, but he had q natural hesitancy
about stopping one of these favored
young men on the street and asking him
whether he found existence satisfactory
on the whole, and II so, why. He won
,,dered if any truthful picture of a brokers'
iifecould be found IN book, and wheth-
er in that case his Ave dollars would keep
nm alive long enough to read 1t.
Ills attention was distracted from
These ideas by the sound of conversa-
ton rnind him. Three or fonr young
men W .om he Immediately placed in
the genera Wall street class. we're talk