The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-11-21

SEd Tale al BnrHnrs MO Vsssos- /
cred That He WashsFaisure.
"1'm a failure" he said. moodily, !
as he borrowed fourth cigarette
from the half~haked philanthropst. !
eand pretty soon II Will be too cold
for me 10 sit around the park or 10
sleep out Then what can | do2 |
amt crooked I've cut that all out
Yes sir. I'm SO good now that it's
getting on my nerves. The next thing
you will hear about me is that ! was
Killed as an inherent bystander.
"You know now | used To work
the cars a little. Not much | had
not the sand Then | tried fiat work
under a teller that knew his business
But | never got beyond anything on
nay own hook except an overcoat in
the hall The bunch was, onto me,
ard wouldn't have anything to do
with me They thought. maybe, I'd
become a stool pigeon and send some
OF them up the river. Say, YOU know
this Siberia the hikes are always
talking about? Well, it amt one-two
three with what they can hand you
right here in New York city.
THE dicks all know me, though
they didn't have anything on me.
lie 6icks had passed the word down
20 Them The gang wouldn't have me
as they'd grown leery And where do
] tie up with honest people? They'd
smell that Ia been crooked SO there
was poor cuss without friend
in the world except when I'd
panhandled a nickel and the bartend-
er would let me talk with him until
II was spent
"Eesides that I'd got wise to the
fact that the fellows | used to run
with were going to frame me up so
as TO get me out of the way / knew
] Vas pretty near all in, and | guess
that was what put the nerve into
me tie try to pull off something on
biz scale. IT came about this way
A lineup man tried to break me into
his work but / couldn't climb a pole
anymore than pig could But he
gave me the fire-escape end of it a
couple of times. and once | saw some
thing that gave me the bunch. I'd
fixed the window pully and was COM
ing down when I looked in a room
and saw a woman who was counting
something in one of those square
black. TIN cash boxes. There was a
little pile of money at her elbow
and she stroked the stuff in the cash
box and then closed the lid down
and locked it. without putting the
coins back Then she went and hid
the box under the range, Well, the
lineup man gave me a nickel for
walking the fences all morning with
him, and told me to chase myself.
| blew the nickel and there | was
without cent without dinner and
without a place to sleep.
SO that night, before the ianitor
locked mp, ! got through the cellar
and hid behind a barrel in the back
yard. About IL after all the lights
had been put out for an hour, |
went up the fire-escape and got into
that window Did | get the cash box?
Yep. | got it and | was near dead of
fright before | got into the streets
again. ] met flatties everywhere, and
was scared by them and lodged them
all night | didn't dare so anywhere.
! didn't dare to stop to break the
thing open, SO just kept moving
until | got to Crotona park, there, In
the Bronx all the way from the low
er West Side and that box under
my arm. ! lay down in the bushes
until it was light, and then / sat up
and smashed off the cover with a
rock
What was in it? Coupons from
soap wrappers. lay down and cried
Yes | did ] cried like baby and
was so sick my heart kept choking
me, as if ii had swelled up into my
throat, | begged some breakfast
the people in the Bronx wouldn't
give me a cent of money and walk
ed back The first thing Flanagan,
the cop on that beat, had me and
charged me with robbery He didn't
have anything on me and they turn
ed me out Some Kids found the box
he next day, and then | heard what
he hullabaloo was about There was
false bottom in it. and under the
thing there was about $500. Say,
wouldn T. that make you want to be
malefactor Of great wealth? l
cried again. But | put it up to my
self and decided | wouldn't try TO
turn another job; no, sir, not if there
was a million in it, I'm a failure
and ! know H. | can't even be a
thief
Have YOU ever tried to get a
job and do some honest work." ask.
ed the half-hakcti phifanthropist hes
itatingly, at the same time placat-
ing him for the insult by giving him
he rest OF the cigarette.
Nav he said dolefully; I'm
down and out / can't even rob 9
Dutch woman who collects soal
wrappers What chance would ! hav,
against those fellows who are al
ways compelling With Rockefeller
MORGAN and the rest? If ! amt gooC
as thief Ia be worse as an homes
man
He shambled offs for his wear,
eve had spotted policeman in tn
oning The half-baked philanthropis
meditatiyely finished his smoke
thinking of the hopeless mans pre-
dicament the while Then he reache,
for his watch 10 see the time
II was gone.
The virus Of reform had no
wholly taken in this case. Ney
York Press