Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-10-23
EvEhIHe SHORT STORY.
lucky MEME"

on d DSuCu III d llllle CuDDy-HOit PAR
titioned off from Heinzman's clothing
establishment cutting dow garments
that were too large and cunningly
inserting strips of cloth where they
we're too small. He was alteration
man.
From seven till six it was snip and
stitch, snip and stitch, with his back
to the small panes of tR6 widow,
which were whitewashed as a substi-
tute for frosted glass, Nothipg-to look
at when the stitching didrnPktequire
his attention but the ~soufcsVfsage of
Ike Cohen, the presser, and the dingy
and fy-spotted fashion plates on the
opposite wall, breathing ID stuffY eat-
mosphere of shoddy accentHatsd eby
the steam clouds that arose from lke's
iron, listening to likes dolorous com
plants all day.
But them said Meme" sit amt
all sittin' still with your legs cramped
up under you. | get a chance to
stretch 'em wunst in awhile an that
makes a pleasant change. And how
good the air does taste when you
get outside! There's folks I've heard
kick about the air around here, but
| tell you | enjoy every breath Of it
when | get it."
You're ground down into der dust
und you don't know i'd" growled Ike.
N"Vhat is life for you, und for me?
Doll und sweat, doll und sweat, und
for What? For choost bread to geep
der souls in our bodies, while der gabi-
talist-"
Don't be too blamed hard on the
capitalist, Ike" laughed Meme
I'm a capitalist myself. don't live
on just bread either. I get butter on
mine an Irish stew an pork an a
steak once in awhile, an put a lit
tie money by at that"
"Ill know where to gone when l
want a hoondert or So" sneered the
presser.
ANY time you want a little cash
come to me an I'll fix you out, Ikey."
said Meme" 81 didn't say a hun.
bred. l amt got quite that far along
yet; but l expec' to if l live long
enough"
How mooch hat you got!"
"Clost on to $50"
Cohen grunted. where do you geeb
id?" he asked.
"In my trunk" replied Meme"
Den you dake my tip" said Cohen.
still sneering. Bring i'd down n
pud id in der bank. Id ain'd safe to
have sooch a sum. Somebody will
bragg into dat drunk und den where
will you be?'
"Where l was eight years g when
first began to put by" said Meme"
and began-to whistle as he worked.
That $50 should by rights have been
the 500 he spoke of or ever more,
but Meme" had claims upon mis-
wealth. Any distress was a claim
upon him. So it was hat he had
worked hard and lived hard and his
eight years of hard labor and self
denial had brought him only $50 at
the end. Even that hurt his con-
science at times. He would never
have kept that, had it not been for
his feverish ambition some day to
open up a little tailor shop somewhere
in the country. Meme" never spoke
of that ambition, but it had become
the dream of his life.
likes caution worried him. Suppose
he were robbed! Suppose some sneak
thief in the boarding house should go
through his trunk and steal the tailor
shop in the country! He tried to dis
miss the thought. but it required to
him again and again. The bank idea
struck him as rather sensible. He
1-rnr, 140I AAnl ar nathan In
knew the porter who cleaned the win
dows, That porter looked like an
honest man. And then the bank had
been doing business for Is years to
"Neme's" knowledge. He thought it
over and decided to open an account
with the institution. So the next
morning he took the small roll of bills
from the trunk and put it in his in.
side coat pocket.
On his way to work-in the car or
on the street-that $50 disappeared.
There's no use cryin' over spilled
milk" said Meme" to himself, when
he realized his loss. IF it's gone, it's
gone"
He had to pass the bank and as he
did so he saw the porter coming from
the opposite direction and-well, the
smile came hard and something rose
in his throat and choked him.
Hello, 'Neme!'" said the porter.
How yah keepin' yo'self?" His white
teeth flashed out of his extensiveogrin.
Somehow that grin seemed TO geon-
sole Meme immensely, but he was
thoughtful at his bench that day and
his whistle died away quickly after he
took thought to pipe up
What's de matter NIT you, 'TNeme?'
asked Cohen more than aonce and with
a real solicitude that seemed odd In
that misanthrope. 500
"Oh, nothing" replied nt'Neme."
"Under the weather maybe, but I'll be
all right tomorrow"
But it was when Meme" once more