Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-23
.PLUCKY LAW STUDENT
Poor Missouri Youth Lives In Tool Shed to Pursue Studies.
STRUGGLED LONG FOR EDUCATION

Befriended by Boss Stonecutter, Goa
 Iumbia University Student Pays No
 Rent For Coop In Stone Yard-s1eeps
 on Bed of Bare Plan1rs, Often With- BuiltTabIe and Rack For His Books. Too poor to pay for the cheapest fur- .nished room in New York, A. L. Carter, twenty four years old, student in the
 law school of Columbia university, is living in stonecutter's tool shed with
 ill few paces of the university build
 ings says the New York World. His abode stands in stone yard on
 One Hundred and Nineteenth street,
 near Amsterdam avenue. It is nine
 feet long, eight feet wide and seven
 feet high. The sides and roof are com posed of one layer of pine boards cov-
 cred externally with tar paper, which
 keeps out the rain. There is sad little
 window looking over the rocks to the north The only means of heating the place is an oil stove, usually fameless to economize fuel. Here the young man, grimly resolved to fit himself for the law, pursues his studies.
 Last August young Carter arrived in New York. from Columbia, Mo, a grad uate of the State University of Missou- ri, where he had gone through four years course During those four years and ever since he was sixteen years old he and poverty had been inseparable companions. At the university he SUD- ported himself by doing all kinds of odd jobs. Thrown upon his own re- sources by the death of his parents when he was sixteen, he became a book agent in Marshalltown, la, where he was born. He earned enough selling books to enable him to live while a stu dent in a local normal school and to pay his preliminary expenses in the University of Missouri When gradu- ated from that institution New York called him, and he made his way there.
 Beyond a liberal supply of good health, determination and pluck he ar rived in New York with barely enough to pay his matriculation fee at the law school. At first he took humble bed room in house at 10S West One Hun dred and Sixth street, but, failing to get work, he had to give this up. He hunted in vain for room at $1 week, which was all the expense he dared to incur.
 A friend in Missouri had obtained for him position as night librarian in the Columbia law library at small salary, but his duties and pay would not begin until the college term opened. It was then August One day Carter's eye lit on the tool shed The proprietor of the stone yard is William Algle, a man of big stature, and, as the poor student found, big also of heart. He was over seeing his men at work when Carter approached.
 T would like to hire that little house." said the student to the boss stonecutter.
 "That houser' laughed MT. Algie; its tool shed. What do you want it forT
 'To live in"
 'Well, now, it wouldn't do at all for you,' returned a.r. Algle, surveying the tall, neatly att.reI stranger.
 "oh, yes, it would." the other said. When fellow is poor, is student and has made up his mind to push ahead, any old place will do to live in. I'll give you dollar week for it."
 The stonecutter, puzzled, shook his head. He was unable to comprehend why this young man was willing to live in such dreary coop.
 "Let me have it." pleaded Carter. q can't afford anything better"
 'All right" said Mir. Algie at last, but not for dollar week. You can have it for nothing"
 And nothing is the rent that the stu dent has been paying since last Au- gust. As soon as he got possession he began to put his house in order. He built wide. sloping shelf on one side. and this is his bed It is of bare blanks, and a thin blanket and some old coats are his only covering.
 Why he doesn't freeze to death [ don't know" said Mir. Algie. But when one is young he can stand most Still, I don't think he could have stood some of those cold nights we've had if-well. if I had not put that tar paper on the outside"
 Mir. Algie is proud of his student. He Is fond of thinking of him along with Lineoln's career from a log cabin to the White House and Garfield's similar journey from the towpath. Carter has built himself table and racks for his books. Some of the volumes that looked down from their rude perch the. other day were "Burdick on Sales" "Gray on Property" and Lawson on Con- tracts" In other respects there are signs of a students den, but the place Is indeed a wretched abode.
 ~And yet" the brave tenant said, aft might be worse. I might not be able to live at all and go on with my stud les. So far as the necessities go, the list is very small. Of course 1 wouldn't live here if I could do better. But | can't. and there you are.p
 n..usf.. o, W.s.t.-~-s u-3e,~