The sun., 1904-05-15
"NYAWK."

To THE EDITOR OF lHE oUS-oU' Eight
years go this May left "the city that soon
roes about something else" had Just swal-
lowed my fourth absinthe. It was we'll toward
afternoon when the idea Of a noble resolve
hit me.
The noble resolve was this: I would be a
mysterious disappearance.
Il will 20 away" said l; Il will be no mora
seen; will become a newspaper sensation
my name will resound through the land, and
tho bulletin boards will tell how not yet
have been found already. 30 did ".
disappeared. It. was easy.
with profound craft chose the Fort Lee
ferry. 1t was not so well kept In those days
as It is now. / took a car. and-to return the
favor tho car took me to Paterson. Then
another car took me to the end Of tho route,
1t was small place called Lnwood.
"Linwood." said I. lis where pass out Of
human ken"
Well, I did, all right. The hrst Job got
was cleaning up around the hotel My salary
was what nobody else wanted to eat. Liks
~Freddies Slate" tof the early 'sos) Slept
in the barn" But my heart was buoyed with
hope, because knew that sooner or later tn.
trumpet call OF notoriety would begin to
sound.
Every morning, regularly. I used TO 60 over
10 the station to see the train come in. Also
the papers. You can ina gine how eagerly
i sea nned the first page. Then the second.
Then the personals. Then the ads" There
was nothing doing.
At that time was pretty well alone in tb,
world. being bachelor. an orphan and nearly
everything else. as far as relations go; but
still had had two alleged poems IN weekly
comic paper and story In a serious monthly.
and was rising young writer" I wonder IL
there are as many now as then were But, az
some one of the Victorian novelists has it:
This is weakness!' At any rate was not
altogether unknown.
There was, however. an evident lack Of
nose experts employed on the New York
press at that time. because they never, with
their accustomed thoroughness. found out
that had been lost Why. even the police
did not know it after a month had gone by!
Discoura ged, dishea rtened. ] gave Il up.
The world Marches On" said I, captalizipC
both words. 10 myself Men have been for
gotten before Look at China" thought
that a somewhat sly and academic touch,
Then went to'work.
Eight years go was 1895. There has been
whole lot doing since then stuck it out in
Linwood for year. then jumped to Pater
son. Having had a long experience in front
Of bars l thought could oficiate behind one.
found the point of view different. but man.
aged to hold fast until 1898. when the war
with Spain broke out and promptly enlisted
with the Fourth New jersey. We got as far
As Washin stoh and then to a Southern caTnp.
But had lot Of fun and we landed in Jersey
City tthe headquarters of the regiment) with
bells all over us. Those were stirrine days, in
1893, even II 1t is a bore to talk about then,
now. in 1904.
Well, I got my discharge aud went hunting
for job. The first one was an assistant
purser on line OF steamships running to
South American ports and Mexico ! got a
beautiful coat OF tan the first trip. and low
fever the second. The boat was on touched
at Philadelphia and was taken ashore on a
stretcher to the hospital. was there three
months.
Leaving the hospital. had to look for an.
other Job. I got it after pretty nearly starving
to death. After much hunting I was taken
on as reporter and covered some Of the big
gest stories in Pennsylvania. including ths
mine strike Of two years ago. All the while
no matter what was happening around me-
l used to read the personal columns for news
Of my "disa ppearance. But they remained
opaque. even reached the point OF asking
the Philadelphia police II an alarm had ever
been sent out for me. With their character-
istic placidity they pored over their records
but could find nothing have since found
out that their lack Of information was founded
on absolute truth. No alarm was ever sent
out for me- Eheu!
So came back to N'Yavk. write it that
way because that s the way all good New
Workers. pronounce it.
just for fun, yesterday went into the same
place where eight years ago had had the
four absinthes. Everything Was exactly
the same. including the barkeep.
went over and held out my hand I had
been through much since had seen him ana
was somewhat moved.
DO you remember me?" asked.
Sure. I remember you." replied the bar
keep How are they runnn'?"
New York is a big town.
YoHKvILLE CENTRE
NEW YORK, May "a.