Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-04

love her better than my life, yea even better than
my church.
'Your son may have inherited the passion. their
children might inherit it. No-no-My God, l
couldn't stand it, couldn't couldn't
"Is that all, sir? You very bitter, Mr. Rad,
cliff but that is your belief l think you are sim
cere You have never had an opportunity of see
ing different side. 1t has always been turned
from you I know understand
"Dannie, my boy" he whispered as If to himself
"We have hard fight before us, but trust your
poor old governor, we'll win boy, we'll win
"Mr. Radcliff, I want to take you back little
in my career. / want to try to show you am not
as black as you have painted me-"
81 do not remember my mother at ALL she died
when was mere child. My father was drunk.
en- brute. / remember him only as tyrant
ran away from home, such as it was, when was
fifteen, and worked my way to this city where |
secured position with firm which is now one OF
the largest and most successful concerns in the
east
"I started as Office boy. I was ambitious then.
7 worked hard and faithfully all day, after work
I attended night-schoo there learned book-keep-
ing and with this knowledge was promoted to as.
sistant boolkeeper They only had two then,
suppose they have twenty now
zone day the head boobkeeper was discharged
and was given his place. was twenty years old
when received this last promotion For year
7 worked along on salary of fifty dollars month,
but the work was constantly increasing, often
worked until after midnight so as to keep my
books up to date and in perfect order FINALLY the
work became so heavy that could no longer han
die it alone, and I asked for an assistant at the
same time pleading for an increase IN salary.
was given both without murmur. married soon
after receiving this promotion, married on sixty
dollars a month I young then and unafraid
"My assistant was the senior partners son, and
before he had worked with me month saw
clearly that he was incompetent which fact re-
ported to the manager. That was my nrst great
mistake. He had half the firm to back him up,
had nothing but my record and found then, tnat
records count for very little against senior part
ner'S sons.
"From that day they commenced to freeze me
ont of course they could have discharged me
then and there, but they preferred to have me re-
sign 1t would not be so embarrassing or nearly so
difficult as to fake up some reason Tor throwing
me out.
salary of forty-fve dollars a month. | could not
leave l could not look out for another position
then, my wife was ill., must have every cent
could possibly lay my hands on, so as TO ouy her
the things she must have if hoped to save her
life.
81 went to my employers and stated the circum-
stances Did they help me when they knew was
down? Oh no. they merely said they were sorry
but that they had been forced to cut salaries as
business had been very poor of late. They lied
They were doing more business than they mad ever
done before
thousand dollars out of the safe and went directly
to a gambling house. fully realized the FISK !
was taking but it was all or nothing then VIII
not burden you with a detailed account OF that
night 7 won; my luck was phenomenal left
the house at four in the morning winner by three
thousand dollars. ~
'My son was born and my wife died that night
7 was too late I was thief and a gambler was
no longer clean honest, upright young man. My
wife dead my home wrecked. my honor lost, ana
what was the cause? Gambling? Oh, no; the
senior partners wanted my position, ana What
the senior partners son wants, he gets
"I changed from boy to a hard, cold, cynical
man If nv employers had been within my reach
that night I would have killed them hated
7 tr1Gt M