The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-10
A FRIENDLESS MAN.

VI L1y GJ4k6z4&4E sCCA-
ing employment, tall straight man. |
with hair slightly grizzIed and a stiffness /
in one leg His clothes were shabby, and 1
had apparently been made for q smaller /
man. for his WaIstcoat and his trousers re- /
fused to meet, and round his waist was I
wound a red bandanna handkerchief He /
apoIOgiZed for this rreguIarity, on the I
ground that the possession Of only one
shirt rendered it difficult for his Laundry /
woman to get TO work as frequently a.
was desirable But his collar was ire
proachable, his mus5ache was waxed, and
amid the wreck of his fortunes, he had
chung TO his eyeglass, which he screwed
into his right eye at intervals From the
waist upward he looked like retired colo
mel From the waist downward lie pre-
sented the appearance Of a sandwich man.
But as the head is of more import than ths
feet I concluded that ne was a gentleman
and offered him a cigarette and u drink
He accepted the cigarette and smoked it
with somewhat feverish haste As r0l
drink, he would take q lemon squash
1T is better TO drink nothing stronge4
when one IS looking for work, - he ey-
planned; lit may prejudice possible en-
pIoyers-"
"'How long have you been looking for
work." I asked.
Three years, - he replied ST have an
gwered hundreds of advertisements, pawned
my clothes to pay the postage and worn
out my shoes tramping the city. But
keep pegging away, and it viii soon end
1t is 4 sort of-penance, . he added reflect
lively, contemplating the ash of his ciga-
rette-
What are you?7 asked
"a failure-a5 present." he replied.
with a quiet laugh but I have been
most things"
''Teu me-"
''First was medical student at Shelf
field; then ran away and enlisted and
served IN the Indian mutiny. After that
got a place as medical officer on an
American ship. On the west coast OF Afri-
ca I caught yellow fever, was deserted by
my comrades and had Co walk 300 miles
before I picked up another ship. After
that L went to Paris, completed my med
zeal studies and took my degree OF bachelor
Of science. Since that have done every
thing you can think Of I have invented
face powder that was advertised in all the
papers and brought me in $50 week IN
til my business partner bolted with the
secret and the cash I have been an artist,
q Snowman agent, assistant editor OF
scientific paper which died, as it were, in
my arms; 1 have been in nearly every
country of the world and know French,
Italian and Spanish as well as English,
not to speak of Greek and Latin"
why not PUT your experience into
book?''
s'Aht Do you remember an article in
The Pail Mall Gazette some years ago on
The Real ''She?'''''
Il remember it very we'll
81 wrote that For had come across
Obeah women in Africa who were every
bit as wonderful as Rider Haggard's She.
Only Rider Haggard, in Difference to Eu-
ropean taste, had made his heroine a beau
tiful white woman instead Of a hideous
black beldame- I wrote that at the request
of Mr.. Stead, ard Immediately a promi-
nent firm OF publishers offered me $50 down
and royalty for a book Of adventure on
the lines of She Here IS the letter"
He handed me the letter.
'sAnd you wrote the book?''
HNO- My health broke down and had
to 60 into a hospital had had nothing
to eat for five days, and IL nearly finished
ne. When came cut and went to the
publishers, I was too late"
And where are you living now?''
chapel I have cubieIe all to myself and
pay sixpence q night -
"a dosshouse, in fact?''
''Some call it that. But there are better
men than myself there Tney have serv-
ices, and so forth, but take no notice Of
them The curate is a good fellow but an
ignorant man Would you believe it2''-
he dropped his eyeglass and turned with
flashing eyes on me-'she cannot perceive
the difference between Greek aorist and the
Greek perfect
is II impOrtant-in view OFF,
Important, sir? See hereI' and he
drew from his pocket a worn copy Of the
revised version of the New Testament and
laid it before me- Passage after passage
was scored and corrected On the margin
and at the fOoe OF the columns were noted
the MSS. from which the corrections had
been made. 1T Is my version of the re-
vised version I tell you the revisers knew
no English and very little Greek. 1t has
taken me years to complete, but it viii be
ready in q few weeks now"
''But how do YOU get hold of the MSS
Of the gospels2'
q have copies of many of them in my
locker at the-at home The rest find at
the British museum in my spare time
and have had lot OF spare time in the
past three years.
My friend pulled at a fresh cigarette
while reflected on the incongruity of q
Greek scholar in a dosshouse.
why is it?' I asked, THAT a man OF
education, experience and capacity can I
get work when he wants it?''
81 know no one, . he replied. 81 sup
pose am the most friendIess man in Lon
don
but a man of your knowledge, who
doesn { drink who
He turned suddenly On me and looked
me in the eyes
''Ah, that's itI'' he said 81 ought tc
tell you that. Some years ago I married
unfortunately It was not her fault
and she s dead now. But I had trouble.
And drank. don't do things by halves,
and was drunk all the time for two
years. Now it is three years since I touched
anything stronger than claret-and the
man who lives where live can't often at
ford even cIaret- Well, weIl-three years
Of penance should atone for It, shouIdn' Z
it? I shall get some work before I'm toe
old to do it. -
Then he rose and went out, with hi: