The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-08-31

Outside a Restaurant, but Never Begged
From a Hungry Looking Man
He was a wretched looking chap, so
thinly clad that he was really an object
Of pity. He had sought a secluded cor
ner at the entrance of a cheap restaurant
near Herald square, and for awhile IL
seemed as IL he had chosen the spot
merely to escape the chilling blasts OF
the cutting wind Many men passed
into the place, bnt he spoke to none.
Finally one who had just completed his
meal came forth The man started for
ward, hesitated a moment and then re-
sumed his former position. Soon another
man. apparently in a great hurry, came
from the restaurant, buttoning his coat /
as he walked In moment the poor
fellow stood in the way and barely had
he uttered his request for help when be
was rewased with dime.
moment later a 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
them not. 1t was only to certain men
returning to the street that he made
himself known. 1t was but the work Of
moment to pick an acquaintance with
the fellow, and when he found / was
interested he talked freely Of his plan.
II had to do good deal OF thinking
about il when / first started in, he
said IT can't get work now. and when
have work l can only keep at it for
little while on account of rheumatism.
When l saw had to beg, | thought /
might as well do it right OF not at all
If you know anything about mems faces
and clothes, you don't have to do any
guesswork at all can tell long before
/ get near a man what my chances are
with him, and if don't think that it's
ten to one will get something don't
try him, for there's no good in wearing
yourself out and getting common. Some
fellows go along the street and try to
touch every we'll 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 60 up
l against we'll dressed men as a straight
thing, without regard to their faces, is
when they are full and feeling happy
over it.
1.-The average we'll dressed man or
woman is the hardest kind Of a person
1 to hit. They do lots for charity, but it's
. in a different way-societies, schools
: for kids, kindergartens and missions
: and they think they are doing enough.
I. If any one hits them on the street. they
i put them down for professional You
/ have got to Judge the we'll dressed peo-
e pie by their faces and general manner
e and let their clothes count for nothing.
d whenever l have TO do any street
), work, l always select the people Of the
y lower middle classes, who don't put on
a any front-women especially. / mean
y people who live comfortably, but haven {
% got any too much money to spare. Say,
% you may think I'm stringing you, but
would rather have one nickel from one
d of them than quarter from fellow
10 who could stand il and had it TO burn.
E. Funny, but l feel just as sentimental
5, about that sometimes as If | was earn
N ing it, and would earn il if l had the
y chance
lie Now. you take this stand Of mine
here today. There's three men who gave
e. me something-two nickels and dime.
l have been here half an hour and I've
C. only struck five men. l missed two
IL Well, three out Of five don't look like
w bad guesswork, if you want to call i
e. so, does it? This is the cheapest res
or taurant in the neighborhood. There
oy the Imperial, Marlborough and all tn
ne other big hotel restaurants | coulG
80 have taken, but I'll bet l wouldn't havl
got thing from the people who cam
from any Of them. The men who go il
here don't pay over 25 or 30 cents 70
what they eat, and I'm willing to tax
IN my chances with them right along.
ne Il always wait till man comes out
s. Some people think it ought to be tn
other way, for the reason that a maj
ne who was hungry would be more apt {
es give out Of sympathy for the man VIII
was hitting him for money for some
u thing TO eat. But 1 didn't figure it on
Y. that way. You see, these are prett
H. hard times. and there's more people i
h. hard luck than there ever was before
d. Now, it's bad enough to be in bar
&C luck, but it's worse yet to be hungry
~ and when man is up against bot
us games little things will bother him tbs
m wouldn't affect him at all il he had hi
stomach full. l reason that pretty neai
IN ly every man who comes in here is eitl
er in hard luck or else he is mise
al who don 4 want to spend any more tina
is actually necessary. II it wasn't 81
~ you know they would all go to the bi
restaurants in the hotels. for you kno
ng as we'll rs do that the right kind Of
Do man likes good things to eat and ni'
70 clean service if he can afford it.
Iht "Well. l am onto the misers, and
SUI leave them alone. When the decel
by man comes out. he feels better for ha
en- ing had his dinner. he is ready f
rks business, and life is a great deal brigh
ieo er to him than il was half an hour b
fore. l ask him to help me. He says
an himself: Well, feel pretty good. TIL
'ou fellow is in worse luck than l am.
ow know what it is to feel hungry. l won
!. miss the nickel very much, and then
am get il. When he hands it to me, he fee
leo better for il, and he looks it, too, and
the he has been doing things that are n