Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-13
ADVENTURE ENDED.

Five or six men had gathered il
Harvey Greer's rooms at the Benedic
one rainy Sunday afternoon smoKin!
and telling yarns:
Everybody had told some wonder
full story of his exploits, except tn,
athletic Jack Wilmer, who sat. bis
and calm and imperturba bic, putting
away at his corncOb pipe.
''Look here. Wilmer" said Greer
'this won't do. ANY fellow that,
led the tough life that you have must
have lots Of things to tell. Come
brace up and give us story: W.
want to be amused"
"Never had but one extraordinary
adventure" said Wilmer, land thai
was chiefly remarkable for the way it
ended. You won't like it,"
'Come, give it to us"
"Take drink Jack, and begin"
Wilmer took his pipe from his
mouth ana stretched out his franc
in his chair.
well. you see' he said, sit was
when l fist came to New YORK.
was having a pretty hard time of it,
without money, friends or any educa.
tion to speak Of like you fellows that
have been to college. There wasn't
much that l didn't try my hand at
from porter in hotel to clerk in a
big clothing house on Sixth Avenue;
but l gave that up pretty soon
couldn't stand lifting clothes on lit.
tie dudes that could have carried
with one hand. Good thing got out
of it. too, because if it had lasted
much longer l should have knocked
some Of them down.
"But while l was clerk l had a
room in cheap lodging house on the
east side near Third Avenue-E Eight
Street, l think it was. 1t was on
the first floor, the back room, as
stuffy and hot little hole as you
ever saw and was there all summer.
1t had one big window in the back
and there l used to spend most of my
time when l was in the house, trying
to get breath of fresh air and look
ing at the dingy courtyard that be-
lOnged also to the house back of us
on Seventh Street 1t was like a
well, paved with stones, the children
used to play in it and the women
hung out their clothes
One awfully hot day in July about
s o'clock in the afternoon l was sit
ting there in my shirt sleeves, drowsy
and sleepy with the heat. Not hav-
ing anything else to do, I had sheet
OF paper before me on which | idly
scrubbed over and over again my
name, John Wilmer, in my own
peculiar scrawl-that looks like the
trail of fly that has Just crawled
out Of an inkStand.
l was very drOwsy and mad as hops
with yellow haired woman at a
window who was calling out as she
lifted the lid of box that had been
hung out of the window to serve as a
refrigerator
"Maggie, do you want me to bring
the potatoes, too? Maggie, Maggie,
why don't you answer"
On the fire escape o! another house
two children were having a fight
My eyes closed for moment when
suddenly in the quiet came gust of
wind. l looked up in time to see the
paper before me blown out of the
window across the courtyard to the
window in the basement where man
was sitting. The man picked up the
paper, looked at it carefully tor sew.
eral minutes and then taking piece
OF paper from book seemed to com.
pare the two, looking from one to the
other with satisfaction. He then
put them both back in the book and
sat down again, looking over at me
from time to time. He was big
red-halred and red-bearded fellow
whom had often seen before at that
window but l was very curious to
know what was his interest in my
handwriting
swell, a few evenings after that
was taking my dinner at a cheap eat
ing house on the Bowery. 1t was as
hot as blaZeS; the doors and windows
were all open, the flies coming in and
sticking in the butter and to the pink
and blue tissue paper hangings on the
walls. l don't know what they have
those things for, unless it is to keep
the flies from feeling homeless But
there was something that made me
feel uncomfortable aside from this
and ! didn't know what it was until
/ turned around and saw, sitting at
another table, the same red headed
man who had been at the window
and who had been so much interested
In my writing. He was staring at
me enough to bore two gimlet holes
through my back and that is what
made me so uncomfortable. Thought
maybe he was detective who was
after me for something tho l didn't
know what l had done, so got up
and went out. The sun was down
and the gas was lighted. People and
children were swarming outside just
Nike the flies l knew the man was