Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1903-03-06
BROKE in FRISCO.


near due now, I'm going to Sit down and
write the first few chapters Of that book
! I've had IN mind for long time pasi
Towns I've Been Broke ln. remarked
New Yorker, VINO is now a sedate and
settled citizen. "rhe information I've
picked up at first hand on this topia
ought TO make readable and instructive
stuff for young fellows POSSESSED Of the
restless spirit
There are lot Of mean towns in ihs
/ United States for a man to 70 broke IA;
but for real craeginess and hopelessness
and noway-out-ness just try going broke
in San Francisco and see how near you'll
get to taking the hop off the pier.
The reason is that it's SO hard 70 break
away from the place You see, that bunch
Of mountains between San Francisco aud
the Mississippi river Is there to stay.
You can't walk over em, either rs
case Of ride when you want to leave saa
Francisco, and it's case, likewise, oi
paying for your ride If you don't hap
pen to have the little pastehoard when the
conductor comes around and looks you
IN the eye, of you go, and you're pretty
liable TO get ditched in a patch OF cactl
Or a section of sagebrush or q bit of desert
just about 2l2 miles from nowhere at all.
The conductor doesn't care for your
sensibiites at all Conductors who run
over-the-mountains-an deserts trains from
San Francisco are real cruel heartless
persons, so they are. They don't mind
it in the least If they have TO pass by
your bleaching bones, where they've
dumped you 1896 days in the year.
They're ealloused to all that.
You can generally stow away on one
Of the Panama boats, bat then it's case
of coalheaving when the purser nails you,
and then you're dumped when you get
down to the isthmus. It's pretty hard
to stow away on enc Of the up-boats on
the other side Of the sthmus. | ought
to know, but that's part Of another narra-
tive
"rhe last time found myself broke in
San Francisco was about y years ago.
1 don't believe | was ever worse broke
in my life. There came an evening when
l walked along Kearney street with about
the most stupendous desire TO eat that
I'd ever known up to that hour. The
restaurants certainly did look warm and
bright and glowing to me that evening
Il walked around aimlessly until
passed the Palace hotel looked into
the brilliant cafe Of that hostery and saw
chaps lolling back in their places, the glow
Of the candles on their faces and the
petals OF the roses falling gently to the
tableco.hs.
az tnmk, said Il to myself, that
shall take dinner this evening inside here.
The Palace is good enough for me
80 walked into the cafe Of the Pal
ace. / objected to several places the
headwaiter picked out for me- thereby
showing that naughty individual that I
knew what was what and gaining his re-
spect from the jump. / told him that I
wanted the right kind Of waiter. aud he
picked out the best man on his staff
and sent him TO me
'I went through that Palace cafe menu
from soup to nuts, and there weren't any
wines on the card that suited me- That
is, l intimated to the headwaiter, after
sampling nearly all Of the wines, that the
Palace seemed to be pretty shy on good
vintages.
"'Tll be within the shelter of the Five
, Courts IN something under half an hour
! reflected with great eomplaisanee wheA
had ordered the waiter to bring me three
Of the best Reina Nictorias m the house
for dollar, and had just finished the
last piat of champagne, and stood ready
for the coffee and cognac. But | was
, liable lo've turned up there sooner or
: later, anyhow, and the Five Courts is a
pretty good old sort of jail to strike with
a replete stomach.
"The waiter brought me my cognac and
coffee and cigars, and | lit one of the
T reinas and started in to smoke peacefully.
{ 4 s'pose it'll get into the papers, l
! mused, about the chap with the iron nerve
, who walked into the Palace cafes and
consumed about S23 worth Of solids and
{ liquids and then cheerfully admitted his
l.. L. r. a. j
on the whole, such was the pleasant in
! fiuenee OF that swell feed, the eontsmpla-
: tion seemed to me to be rather diverting.
81 was pursuing this thought with ell
of the ease in life, my waiter meanwhile
Z standing at a respectful distance wait
ing for me TO ask for my check and toss
E him a couple-dollar bill as a tip, when
] I noticed fellow with a Vandyke beard
! seated at a table about 30 feet to my
{ right, gazing pretty hard at me. He
looked and looked and looked at me.
. "Trhat fellows probably the house de.
E teetive' I thought, and he has tumbled
4 to the fact that / am about to swing the
8 house for some s23 worth of viands and
e drinkables. However, let him detect. II
doesn't make any difference to me wheth-
+. er I'm yanked to the Five Courts by a
z hotel detective or by a.
c "Just as l got this far the man got up
s from his table and walked over to mine.
s His face gradually lighted up as he drew
s closer to me, and it was one broad grin
+ when he held out his hand and called ma
. cordially by my front name.
Il knew him then right away He was
I q chap I'd known in New York number
= Of years before. The last I'd ever seen
: Of him was when I'd gone on his note for
: 500 at time when he got mixed up ia
. a tangle with his firm on account Of gam
bling
He'd jumped without ever making tie
note good so that when IL came due I'd
had to pay it myself. I'd always felt
pretty sore on him for that job, and I'd
had it IN mind for a number Of years to
I do several ana divers things to him ii
! ever I met up with him again.
"Under the circumstances, however,
! received him with calm cordially, and he
) Immediately began to explain to me aboHt
. that note for 800, while he looked sheep
ish Said that only year before he'd
: mailed a check for $500 TO me, and tina;
it had come back to him, as / hadr'
/, been in New York to receive IT,
1 aHe was having an kinds Of prosperity
on the slope, he said, and asked how they
were coming for me- Never better, |
! told him, and then he reached into his
\ breast pocket pulled out bis wallet and
( handed me two nice, clean 800 notes,
\ fresh and crisp from the subtreasury
THAT, however, was bullluck. for Of
3 an tough propositions in the way Of a
/ town 10 90 broke 10 san Francisco is in
oiaaa hr itself H-M 81 sun