Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-06-20

OslsiSe o hestauf9nts but Never Begged
from n Hungry Looking Man.
He was a wretched looking chap, SO
thinly clad that he was really an object
of pity. He had sought secluded cor.
ner at the entrance of q cheap restaurant
near Herald square, and for awhile it
seemed as il he had chosen the spot
merely to escape the chilling blasts of
the cutting wind. Many men passed
into the place. but he spoke to none.
Finally one who had just completed his
meal came forth. The man started for
ward, hesitated moment and then re.
sared his former position. Soon another
nan. apparently in a great hurry, came
froE; the restaurant, butroning his coat
as he walked. In moment the poor
fellow stood in the way and barely had
ne uttered his request for help when he
was rewarded with a dime.
A moment later group of young
men in very high spirits passed into the
restaurant To an ordinary student they
would have been just the right men to
approach for aims, but the beggar saw
then. not. 1t was only to certain men
returning to the street that he made
himself known. 1t was but the work of
a moment to pick an acquaintance with
the fellow, and when he found 1 was
interested he talked freely OF his plan.
Il had to do good deal of thinking
about it when l first started in," he
said. Il can: get work now. and when
l have work can only keep at it for n
little while on account of rheumatism.
When l saw | had TO beg, l thought I
might as well do it right or not at all
II you know anything about mems faces
and clothes, You don't have to do any
gresswork at all. can tell long before
get near man what my chances are
with him, and if don't think that it
ten to che will get something l don't
try him, for there's no good in wearing
yourself out and getting common. Some
fellows 60 along the street and try to
touch every well dressed man they meet
They couldn't do anything worse. for
everybody sees what they're doing and
knows they are professionals and steers
clear of them. The only time to go up
against well dressed men as straight
thing, without regard to their faces, is
when they are full! and feeling happy
over it.
The average we'll dressed man or
woman is the hardest kind of person
to hit. They do lots for charity, but it's
in different way-societies, schools
for kids, kindergartens and missions
and they think they are doing enough.
II any one hits them on the street, they
put them down for professional You
have got to judge the well dressed peo-
pie By their faces and general manner
and let their clothes count for nothing.
Whenever l have to do any street
work, l always select the people of the
lower middle classes, who don't put on
any front-women especially. mean
people who live comfortably. but haven't
got any too much money to spare. Say,
you may think I'm stringing you, but l
would rather have one nickel from one
Of them than 4 quarter from fellow
who could stand it and had it to burn.
Funny, but l feel just as sentimental
about that sometimes as if was earn
ing it. and l would earn il if / had the
chance.
Now, you take this stand of mine
here today. There's three men who gave
me sometlinS-two nickels and Il dime.
l have been here half al hour and I've
only struck five men. / missed two.
Well, three ont of five don't look like
bad guesswork, if you want to call it
so. does it? This is the cheapest res
taurant in the neighborhood. There's
the Imperial, Marlborough and all the
other big hotel restaurants l could
have taken, but I'll bet wouldn't have
got thing from the people who came
from any of them. The men who go in
here don't pay over % or 80 cents for
what they eat. and I'm willing to take
my chances with them right along.
Il always wait till man comes ont.
Some people think it ought to be the
other way, for the reason that a man
who was hungry would be more apt to
give out of sympathy fer the man who
was hitting him for money for some
thing to eat. But didn't figure it out
that way. You see, these are pretty
hard times, and there's more people in
hard luck than there ever was before.
Now, it's bad enough to be in hard
lnck, but it's worse yet to be hungry,
and when man is up against both
games little things will bother him that
wouldn't affect him at all if he had his
stomach full. reason that pretty near
" every man who comes in here is eth.
er in hard luck or else he is miser
who don't want to spend any more than
is actually necessary. II it wasn't so,
You know they would all go to the big
restaurants in the hotels. for you know
rs we'll as do that the right kind of a
man likes good things to eat and nice
clean service if he can afford it.
We'll, l am onto the misers, and
leave them alone When the decent
man comes ont. he feels better for hav-
ing had his dinner. He is ready for
business, and life is great deal bright
er to him than it was half an hour be-
fore. / ask him to help me He says to
himself: Well, feel pretty good. This
fellow is in worse luck than am.
know what it is to feel hungry. won't
miss the nickel very much. and then l
get it. When he hands il to me he feels