The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-23
MY BEGGAR.

ABOUT ten years age, LINK, utSt h10s
him. l remember it very distinctly. though
/ can't fix the date. However. that doesn't
matter. 1t was on Fifth avenue one hot
summer evening. was feeling very much
out Of sorts because l had been chasing
around for several hours feE e man whom
he CITY editor was very anxious that
should interview concerning certain as
toundipg revelations" made IN the paper
that morning, all tending TO snow thaE ne
was an uncomfortable and unmitlgated
rascal If men who happen 80 become alb
sorbing, # temporary, objects of pubic in
terest only knew what extreme annoyance
thew cause painstakinG and haTovorking
reporters by leaving town or hiding them
selves when tie demand for news OF them
is greatest. am sure they would be more
cOnsiderate.
II my beggar had had any suspicion Of The
mood | was in be would have passed me by
on tie other side of The street and tackled
some other fsllow. But fate had ordained
il otherwise. Ny first impulse was TO tell
him 10 90 10 the devil II isn't 6atterng TO
reporters vanity 10 have a beggar solicit
aims Of him. Be likes TO think that he Is
such a Wije-aWake looking fellow that no
beggar would imagine he could tahe hlm H.
I didn't tell him 10 60 TO the 0eVIl, De-
eause something in his manner restrained
me- That something was suggestive 81 Tue
breeding OF the gentleman. l couldn't helps
noticing, too, that although his clothing was
quite up TO the standard OF shabbiness
usual i'm 0eggaTs, there was deficiency IN
dirt he began at me in French:
"Pardonnez moi, monsieur. parlez Yous
Francais?'
His bearing, his gestures, his accents were
al so cOufOundedy polite that let almost
ashamed 10 tell him that / didn't speak
I'll Flrufx rlf7ft hn g q .
20 a confession of inferiority. But then l
remembered in time to save myself that
Doliteuess is a trick that ali trenchmen
have, so l told him. IN an appropriately
brutal Saxon sort OF a way, that didn't
sneak French. and that II ne wanted 10 get
ANYTHING cut of NE be would have 10 spin
his yarn in English, and be precious quick
about it. TOO.
he did spin his yarn in English. which
fmprOved wonderfully as lie got along, but
50 many French mSnneTlsms did be mix
with il that dld not appreciate the slsnlH-
canoe Of that fact until afterward. de said
that he was a dentist; that be had come
from France some nine months previous
With a little money which ne naQ saved up,
expecting 20 win fame and fortune ID tile
New World But he found neither one nor
the other. he WAS unable to get work OF
any sort. his last penny was spent, and for
the past week be had been under the pain
ful necessity Of begging to keep himself
from starving. and. as a gentleman, could
understand how keenly he felt the humiha-
ton Of bis position.
AN of when / listened to with proper
skepticsm. I asked HIN why he hadn't been
10 the French Consul he had been there,
but The French Consul could do nothing for
him. Why didn't be go to the French sOei-
cites. then?
"Ab, monsieur, go to us society and
90 TO Eat society, and Zls society send me
zere, and Eat society send me here, and l
find nOZZiD Zere, and l find noZZin here and
l have no money. and / walk, ard | Walk, till
Ze tired feeling and re hungalre make me
stop or ! must die"
His voice Quavered. there were traces OF
tears in his eyes. But still l didn't sue
cumb. / had met beggars before who could
have made good living as actors II some
one had started them on the right track.
''Ah. monsieur" be continued pathetic
ally, Il am no more young; Ze SHOWS Of re
UiBtalTe Z-y come on my head. he raised
bis hat with despai-iug gesture, showing
his sCaDty gray locks. But, 10 on sleuT, he
added, "ZcTe is s0meZin worse zen Ze hun
gaire of ze body. l hai no friends; 1 haf no
home; / sn stranger 10 e strange land
l haf Ze heart hungaire."
1t was that, to use a slang phrase, that
fetched NE. l couldn't stand that thought
OF the heart hunger IF a friendless and IN
fortunate Frenchman in a foreign land. My
sseptcism vanished, and / TejOiced 10 think
that l badn't entirely lost faith ia that in
stinct Whic' teaches man 10 discriminate
between a brother man in distress and
vulgar impostor. l took my beEgar 70 a
restaurant and treated him 10 q good din
ner. ard though l wasn't hungry I ordered
something myself just TO keep him CON-
psnY and save bin from feeling embaT-
raised. And when / shook hands with him,
wishing him good luck aud bidding him
keep a stout heart, slipped dollar into
his hand.
An that night I was on excellent terms
with myself. found that | had risen in
my own estimation just 80 per cent. l never
before obtained So much satisfaction out OF
SO small an expenditure Of cash. | had
made an excellent investment. [ only re-
GREETED that / hadn't given him my address
and told him to come and see me whenever
he found re heart hunFaire" getting the
better OF him.
At frequent intervals during the next
week L INDUCED 10 spasms of self-laudatiOn
whenever 1 thought OF how / had treated
my beggar. In Imagination l saw my dol-
lar turning to fortune in my hands. But
those spasms ceased very suddenly. At the
end Of The week / ran across my beggaT
again. il was on Third avenue and quite
late at night. Ye gods! was it possible?
BE had actually forgotten me.
/ was too indignant for a moment TO say
anything. Ny pride was deeply hurt H.
stead OF being able TO pat myself on the
back and congratulate myself on being 3
fellow. l should have TO confess 10 myself
that had been most egregi0usy sold"
While rejecting how | could best make
him realize the unutterable loathing and
contempt which felt for him a magnificent
scheme OF revenge occurred to me. / got
him 10 spin his yarn 10 me in English again.
He told 1t just as affeetingly as he had told
Il before, but this time 'Ze heart hun gaire'
didn't touch any responsive chord in My
breast. 1t was just all that could 10 &c
rtfv,fo E 70, al a..
Vited him to accompany me to an sll-nighi
restaurant nearby, where the victuals sold
were exceedingly cheap and of correspond
iBgly execrable quality. BE didn't exactly
jump at the invitation, but still he ddn'i
decline It. ! ordered & bowl OF something
for him. which, according to the bill Of fare,
was clam chOwdeT. But it would have re-
CURED chemical analysis to determine just
what 1t was made OF. Ny beggar found
that his hunger had entirely vanished when
be had consumed less than half OF il, and
politely asked monsieur" to excuse him.
That was my opportunity.
See here, you miserable old sWindler,"
exclaimed, Il am going to teach you les
son. You got dinner out Of me when you
first uuioaded your pack Of lies on me. and
if it was worth q dinner then 1t is worth q
dinner now. I'm going to order big one
for you, and il you don't swallow it all aud
polish the bones clean I'll call in police.
man and have you arrested and sent 10 the
island for six mon tbs"
His eyes flashed and he Kissed out some
choice French oaths. For a moment he
looked every inch man, and feared tina
be intended TO show fight / didn't wish tc
get into physical encounter with him, be-
cause that would have involved me In dis
grace inevitably. however it termin ated
Therefore | was very much relieved when
with shrug OF his shoulders, he became
again the beggar-my beggar.
told the proprietor what my scheme was
and be entered into 1t with great zeal and
spirit. and told several of the customers
what was going on. They tarried to see the
thing through and declared that 1t was rs
good as any 1O-eent show on the BoYery
Before that unfortunate Freuchman, it was
evident that he was Frenehman, was per-
mitted 10 leave the restanFaut he mas pia de