The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-31

III FMW1Ry~N ~A1EVZ #SU4A1V WVAVU IA law
vlIA yyMkl1--eS8R = itself began to take
MggkkMSHHISIy sssW@ on q doubtful look.
NXyfFzsA sSSNEEsJsGX and next thotuns got
Z 1sSAtfSxNf fAtigued and pres
emily run down and
stopped. His frst effort was toget an
upper clerkship in one OF the depart
msnts. where his Oxford education would
come into play md do him service. But 10
stood no chance whatever. There, COM
potency was no recommendation; political
backing, without competency, wsa worth
six Of it. He was glaringly English and
that was necessarily against him in the
political centre of q nation where both
parties prayed for the Irish cause on the
houss-tops and blasphsmed it In tho cellar.
BY his dress he was a cowboy; that won
him respect whom his back was not turned
but it couldn't get a elerkship for him. But
he had said in = rash moment that he
would wear those clothes till the owner or
the owners friends caught sight of them
and asked for that money, and hia con-
soisnco would not lot him retire from that
engagements now.
AT the end Of a week things were begin
ming to wear rather q startling look. He
had hunted everywhere fer work, descend
ing gradually the scale of quality. until ap-
parontly he had sued for all the various
kinds of work q man without q special cali
ing might hope to be able to do, except
ditchinR and other course manual sorts
and had got neither work Nor the promise
of it. .[ .v4S
He was mechanically turning over the
leaves of his diary, meanwhile, and now
his eye fell upon the first record made after
he was burned out:
II myself did not doubt my stamina be-
fore; nobody could doubt it now, il they
could see how I am housed, and realize that
l feel absolutely no disgust with these
quarters, but nm a. serenely content with
than al any deg would bio in 4similark ken
mel. Terms $25 d week. I said I would
start at the bottom. Ihsve kept my word"
A shudder went quaking through him,
and he exclaimed:
what have / been thinking of! incoming
along a whole wsek, and these terrific sx-
psnsos climbing and climbing all the time!
[ must end this folly straightaway."
He aettled up at once and went forth to
find less sumptuous iodgings. He had to
wander to and fro and seek with diligence,
but he sucoesdad. They made him pay in
advanos-$4.5o so; this secured both bed and
food for a week. Tho ~good-natured, hard
worked landlady took him up thres flights
of narrow. unoarpsted stairs and delivered
him into his room. There were two double
bedsteads in it, and one single one. He
would be allowed to sleep alone in ono of
tho double beds until some new boarder
should come; but he wouldn't be charged
extra.
So he would presently DO required to sleep
made him sick. Mrs. Marsh, this landlady,
was very friendly and hoped he would like
her house-they all liked it, she said.
"And they're q very Moe set Of boys.
They carry en- q good deal, but that's their
fun. You see, this room opens into this
back one, and sometimes they're all in ons
and sometimes in the other; and hot nights
they all sleep on the roof when it don't
"Ths seasons so early that they've already
had a night or two up there. They get out
there tbs minute it's hot enough. If you
You'll find chalk in the side of the chin
ney, whore there's q brick wanting. You
just take tho chalk-but OF course you've
done it before"
ooh, no, 1 haven't
why, of course. you haven't-what ana I.
talking about? Plenty Of room ON the
plains without chalking, I'll be bound.
Well, you just chalk out a place the size of
n blanket anywhere on the tin that amt
already marked eff, You know, and
that's your property. You and your
up tho blankets and pillows
and fetching them down again; or one
cnriies theIn up and the other foIches them
down-you fix it tho way you like, you
know. You'll know the boys; they're over
lastiuG soeiablc-except tho priEtar. He's
the one that sleeps in that single bed
the %strangest creature; why l don't believe
you could get that man to sleep with IN
other man, not if the house WAS afirc. Mind
you, Pm not just talking, ! know. The
boya tried him to sac. They took his bod
out ono night, and go whom he got home
about three in the m~orning-he was on a
morning paper then, but he's on an evening
ono nowhere wasn't any place for him
but with tho iron moulder, and If you'll
believe me, he just set up the rest of the
night-he did, houest. They gay he's
thes'ra awful particular. You won't mind
my saying that-you-you're English?"
yes"
Il thought SO. / could toll j. by tho way
you "mispronounced the words that's got
as in them, you know. suoh as saying loft
when you mean 'laff'-but you'll get over
that. Hs's n right down good fellow. and u
little sociable with the photographers boy
and the calker ana the blacksmith that
works in tho navy ward. but not &c much so
with tho Others. The fact ia, though it's
private, and the others don't know it, he's
II kind Of an aristoc. at, his father being n
doctor, cnd you know what style that ia
IN England ! mean, bocauso in this country
a doctor amt no very much. even if he's
that, But over tAere Of course it's different.
So this chap had q falling ont with hia
father, and waa pretty high strung, and
Just cut for this country, and tho first ho
knew he had To get TO work or atarve.
Well, he'd been to college, you sec. and so
he Judged he wns all right-did yousay any
thingp" II
mol only sighel.''
And thete's whore he was mistaken.
Why, he mighty near starved. And l
reckon he would have starved. sure enough,
If some jour. printer or other hadn't took
pity on him and got him II place aa APP
prentice. SO no learnt the trade. and thcn
ho was all right--but it was " close call.
Once he thought he hnd got to haul in his
pride and holler for hia father and-why,
you're signing again. In anything the
matter with you2--does my clntter--"
''Oh, dear no. Pray go on--I like it,"
Yes, yen soc, he's boon over here ten