Evening star., 1903-11-07
HIS START IN LIFE


though well under fifty, Ii a noted figure in
the railway world. "The lads that we
meet up with nowadays are so marvelously
| wise and UP to date, it is so utterly out OF
the question to fool them; they seem. in
short, such finished men Of the world 'n
miniature that 1 never cease to wonder
| where and how they pick it all up. I've got
house full Of grown boys myself, and
declare that they are a great deal more
hlase than 1 am. Things that still amuse
| and entertain me have long since become
bore to them. And am quite certain that
any imposter could still befool me great
deal easier than he could any OF those
boys. There seems to be no kinR whatever
of city life that they don't know. Now
adays in fact, boys know so much that
doubt If they have as much fun during
their youth, and especially during their
early manhood the boys of generation
ago did
II got to thinking of all this when I took
on a few extra young men-most of them
under twenty-in my office the other DAY.
They were well-groomed lads held tpem,
selves well, looked alive and alert, anu
seemed to be smarter than steel traps Ihe
sight of them made me think of what a
'Rube of a boy was when 1 took my hEst
tcb-it was with the same railroad tnat
am still connected with, by the way.
II was fifteen years old and small LOT my
age 1 was born and brought UP in little
Michigan town. When ! was fourteen !
made up my mind to Jerome snor.hdnu
writer. l peddled new spapers ana uiu
chores to get the money to attend snort
hand school twice a week In Letroll.
studied shorthand for about SIX hours
day and bamboozled all of the BOYS IN i- .t.e
town to dictate to me when L got 10 tht
point where 1 could take dictation. In just
one year 1 was an expert sten'grapher.
not only an amanuensis stenogfa'IeI W.
able to take speeches. Yet was ftoout 'ar @
uncouth yap OF country poJ oS e
you heard tell Of.
NV mother had a relative who was an
auditor for a railroad that had lts heau
quarters in Omaha. She wrote % nun -, ~,
she had a son who was an expert shcIt
hand writer and typewriter anu WI"
wanted job The auditor didl 1emeIn
Der how old I was. if he ever knew, au"
my mother didn't tell him IN ner o,ah. ,e.,t.
| He wrote to me to come along TO Omana
| and he would put me to work III the raii
roads Omaha Offices He 1nclosed ie.'. =,
| for me to present to the railroad agett A M
| Chicago, so as to get Iaispo' '"'i'ii ~
well when l left the little Michigan
| town for Chicago 1 had exactly S2o.3o IN q d
huge wallet that had belonged to my Ialhei.
I kept it inside my shirt. the money was
what remained of my own savings as news
! and chore boy. I had. besides. one OF those
| big oId-fas shioned black-glaZed bags, Whlch
| contained all of my clothes and other pos
sessions. o,,.o
'0The train was late in getting to chicago,
| and it was after office hours when arrived
| there NV idea was to get that transporta-
ton from Chicago to Omaha ana 20 ~ iasi ei,'
| through. So started to lug my big black
glazed bag through the Chicago streets 10
the office of the railroad agent to whom
had the letter calling for transportauon. l
was as I say only a small boy, and the
things were so dreadfully heavy that had
to drop 'em about every half square anu
rest. After about an hour, noWeVeL'
reached the Office. 1t was then o CLOCK az
hod
home The janitor gave me his house ad-
dress 1 determined to start there lmme-
| diately. But I had no idea OF taxing
street car to his home address; Ihe reason
| for this was that I was afraid to- show my
money or to break bill. l had spent the
So cents for food on the way to Chicago,
and l had five $5 bills left. Nothing IN lhe
| world would have induced me to expose the
wallet containing them on Chicago street
car.
so 1 walked to the agents house, which
was away over on the South Side or chi
cago. 1t makes my arms ache now even 10
think of that Journey. 1t took me three
hours to get to the house and three hours
| to get back. l had to drop the heavy bag
and the heavier Typewriter three or four
times in each block. 1t was IL o'clock when
| / pulled the agents door-bell, and the
wooden paved street was as quiet as death
| 1 thought it would be all right to pull the
| bell at that hour-didn't know any better.
| 1 rang for ten minutes before the agent
| poked his head out of the second-story win
| dow and gruffly asked what was wanted.
| I told him.
| "sG'way, boy growled the agent. What
| the dickens do you mean by ringing me up
| in the middle of the night on such an eX-
! cuse? Come to my office in the morning,
| and I'll look at your letter.
"And so there was nothing for me to do
| but pick up those two awful burdens and
walk down town again. / didn't know
| where to go, but I wanted to get where the
| lights were.
at was o'clock in the morning when I
reached my destination. I was just about
able to stand up. what with fatigue and
! sleepiness l was also pretty lonesome for
| home. l was decidedly sorry that l had
| ever learned to be a shorthand writer. 1
| thought of my cozy bed at home-and then
| l dropped my black-glaZed bag and sat on
| it and blubbered.
II was doing this when huge figure of a
| uniformed man-whom I know now, but
| didn't then. to have been one of those Pink
| erton men who still patrol the Chicago
| streets a night-swung by me, carrying his
| lantern. He saw me, and heard my sup
pressed blubbering.
What ails you, SON.? he asked me in
kindly sort of way.
Nothing to cry about, laddie,' said the
| big man. All you've got to do is to go to
a hotel-I can direct you to cheap one
and get in nights sleep, You've got the
money for that. haven't you?'
That's just what I'm afraid Of, I re-
piled. I've got so much money with me
that I'm afraid to go to a hotel-afraid I'll
be robbed
oh. no chance of that, SON. said the
big Pinkerton, good -naturedly. Come
along The place I'll take you to is dead
square. I'll carry your htings-great Scott,
heavy gear for little chap like you to be
lugging. and the fine fellow picked up my
black glazed bag and lea the way around
the corner to one of the few remaining
places with lights still going. A decent
looking young fellow was behind the hotel
desk.
Jack said the uniformed Pinkerton
man to the hotel desk here's lad I've
found who wants a nights lodging. He
was afraid to go to a hotel for the reason
that he has a great deal of money on his
person and he doesn't want to be robbed.
of course. Better have the lad hand his
money to you to put in the safe if it's SO
much
well, I don't care to be responsible for
a great sum of money, said the hotel night
clerk looking at me in wondering sort of
way How much is it. SON?
It's twenty-five dollars. sir l replied
No neither one o. them laughed-they
were both thoroughly decent fellows. and
so they didn't laugh. l doubt not however
looking back that they both wanted to-
They merely exchanged amused -glances.
"'Oh WELL. 1 wouldn't mind assuming
that responsibility son. said the hotel
clerk Let's have it