The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-18
TIE EVENING STOR r
PhIIanthropx Fen1illine.

be expected is that she viii be kind
| hearted and have desire to reform
the world and elevate the moral
| standing of humanity generally.
Miss Sheffiin had that DESIRE In
visiting New York city she had many
many times observed hard-up looking
men who We're seemingly drifting into
| careers of Wickedness because there
was no one at hand to encourage
/ them and hold out a helping hand.
She had often been tempted TO ad-
dress them, but her brother Ben hap
/ pened to be along, or she had seen
some policeman watching her, or the
hard-up looking men had made a
sneak as she was about to stop.
1t was when brother Ben went to
Europe on business that the sister de-
4 termined to carry out her long cher
ished plans. She had the time and
the money, and the steamer was
hardly clear of Fire island when she
was in the city with her trunk and
/ installed in a boarding house where
/ she had been acquainted for num-
! Der of years In confidence she told
/ the IandIady of the object of her visit.
It was all very well for Mr.. Carnegie
to donate Libraries and for others to
endow hospitals and colleges, but
when a man was walking the streets
of New York with hunger gnawing at
his vitals and hope gone out OF his
heart, of what use were such PUBIC
institutions to him
IF you don't make q fool of your
self then ] don't know how to make
i hash. replied the practical and level
| headed landlady, as she remembered
the names of few hard-up men OF
the scores that had taken her in for
g. few weeks board since she had been
/ in the boarding house business.
But how can I make a fool OF
myself, as you term it2 was asked
1T speak kindly and encouragingly
! - 4acnT1ffaer
| if I help him to q situation; il 1 give
him the opportunity to earn an honest
living once more. where can you
criticize? ?"
Never you mind. You've got money
and you've got heart, and I've notn-
Ting further to say"
i If she had had anything further 10
say it would have done no good. 1t
wasn't two hours later that Miss Shelf
fin set out on her quest She hadn
far to look. Any one who is seeking a
homeless, hopeless man from 25 to 10
years of age can find him IN uppe~
Broadway at any hour Of the day or
night. He Is there, and looking for
good thing.
Miss shef1in found one leaning up
against the railing in front of a drug
store. His face betrayed gloom and is
general attitude disconsolation, and as
he looked in the bottles In the window
he seemed to be wondering which held
| laudanum and which strychnine. She
| was ABOUT 10 ADDRESS MIN WuSu a pam
clothes detective came from the other
direction and said to the man:
Now, then, out of this, or III run you
in
on, YEARLY. He moved like one hurt
and Inundated. He moved down toward
the East river, as If he would take
header off the dock and end it all. Miss
ShefT1in followed after, and at the cor
ner she overlook him and said:
You seem to be in trouble. sir, and
If I can assist you / shall be glad TO do
So
He had tin-horn gambler and free lunch
written all over him, but the old maid
eyes detected no sign. He looked at her
for a minute and wondered what sort
conscious that he had struck one of
/ those good things he had read about
and heard tell ola female phtlanthro-
pist. Removing his hat and deepening
| his hopeless look, he replied:
Miss, I have been out of work for
weeks and weeks, and so help me
| heaven! I have had no food for two
days I was thinking of throwing my
self under street car and ending It
How wicked to think of taking your
own life!''
But of what use to live and walk
the streets penniless and hungry? Didn't
you just see detective drive me along
like a dog?"
Il did and I felt almost like shooting
him. Please follow me to my boarding
house and tell me your story"
He followed. He winked at an ac-
quaintance as he followed, and his wink
was returned. He ran across the land
/ lady as he entered the house after Miss
| Shefflfn, and he heaved a sigh Of relief
as he found her face unfamiliar At
the same time, however, he realized
that she was not q philanthropic land
lady-not one to be taken in by any
| ordinary tale of distress.
Sitting in the parIor beside the old
maid and working up all the pathos he
could. the tin-horn man told his tale.
It was one that brought tears to her
| eyes He was honest enough to plead
| guilty to embezzling $50 from his EN-
ployer to bet on the races, and pelitent
/ enough to say that nothing on the face
| of the earth ever again should lead him
into crooked paths If he could get
new start.
She had been the first and only one
/ to speak q kind word. She had been
/ the first and only one not to condemn
| him too strongly and to lead him to be-
/ lfeve that his crime might be condoned
and a new start made He was told
that he should have free room and board
until he could look around Advertise
ments should be put in the papers to
aid him. Miss Shefflin herself would
go TO various stores and offices and use
her personal influence.
II wish you joy of him. said the land
| lady when thu arrangements had been
completed and the young man had gone
out to make his first application.
please do not be SO hard-hearted.
Mrs. Thomas was the reply. 1T is
| a genuine case of distress, if I ever
! saw one. Imagine an educated. intel
ligent young man. willing to do any
thing to earn his way, being compelled
| to walk around hungry for two days in
this great city"
'T can't imagine it,
But why would he lie to me2"
ssWhy have a hundred just like him
| lied 70 met"
"I tell you, Mrs. Thomas. that human
nature is good, If you viii only give It
| chance IF I hadn't spoken to the
young man he would have been dead
l - q