The Washington herald., 1909-05-09

called upon for d specification Of II
probably he would have h0undered. He
was not clever at analyses Of words
To be really frank. he was not clever
at anything. Certainly it was not life Of
which he was tired, because he was
healthy and optimistic. and had learned
that men and places and things were
usually Of a pretty good sort Nor was
he tired Of being a millionaire. Il wasn't
bad fun. and IL was inexpensive, for be
ing a millionaire. on a mLhonaire's in
come is. by ratio. one Of the cheapest
occupations in the world
The 1t" Of which he was tired con-
sisted OF so many things that it was
somewhat diAuse and hard to put your
finger upon Principally il was perhaps
having 20 do nothing that he really had
20 do To particularize a DIT, ''ij'' in
clUdcd seeing bis name in the newspa-
pers. girls whose fathers and mothers
were annexationists, the fathers and
mothers themselves. automobiles. yachts,
dances. operas. city houses. country
homes, house parties. camps, Europe.
horse shows. Florida. gymkhanas. and
oh, lots of other things. de wanted 10
do something that was different from all
these, only 10 find that the occupation
open 10 q young millionaire are pitifuIy
limited That is. plain. ordinary OccU-
patiOns. His matter-of-fact mind did not
run 10 sensations. II he wanted 10, OF
course he could go out and discover the
north pole or found national univer-
sity, or penetrate Tibet or establish IN
eccentric charity, or Go anything else
that was peculiar or cost money But
that sort Of Thing did not appeal 10 the
mind Of J Thorncroft Hopkins. which
was sedate. orderly. and. beyond doubt,
commonplace. So conservative was that
mind that for a little while he feared it
vas becoming sensational when he real
lied that ne was tired Of the things which
he had been doing
Under parental guidance II might have
leea different. but his mother died when
he was a little boy. and his father Just
rs he left college Whatever plans
the senior Hopkins may have had
he did not live TO disclose. All ne did
was 10 leave J. Tncrncroft an education
firmly imbedded in a steel plant. about
which young Hopkins had 10 need 70
wcrry. True, he had a sister, but she
was married TO millionaire situated in
the same commonplace way as himself
s. she did not count
J. Thorncroft Hopkins rarely cid any
thing hastily. so he thought about this
matter Of being tired for long time.
Ihen he went 10 see his lawyers
4 am going away he said. For a
year al least; perhaps longer. Where2
Oh I don't know definitely; all over. I
guess. Just came 10 tell you 10 look
after things while I am away. Money?
Why. III sead for it when I need some
Yov needn't worry If you don't hear from
ne much. I'll be all right Investments?
DC whatever you think best about that
Let it stay where 1t is. If you like Well
good-by--
And thereat J Thorncroft Hopkins
walked out Of the Offices Of his LAWYERS
with an uneasy. pleasurable feeling that
he was PROBABLY very great liar
What's the name. sir2'' asked the man
ager briskly.
James T. Hopkins
Any references
NO. sir. I didn't think about that"
rs customary Any experience2-
"No."
we advertised for somebody with ex-
perience- It's usually too much trouble
breaking in a green man Habits goody'
I think So"
Gambler
''No. sir
Play the horses?"
No. sir
Married.
No sir
Live with your folks7"
NO, I'm boarding
The manager devoted five seconds TO a
scrutiny of James 7 Hopkins and three
seconds TO thought.
Come around tomorrow morning he
said. and I'll let you know whether 7
can give you job II be frank and tell
you that If anybody who can show some
experience conleSs along in the meantime
you won't get It
Hopkins picked up MS hat and walked
out. mildly excited The uncertainty Of
his immediate future was not displeas-
ing Tomorrow he would either be hired
or looking for place somewhere else. It
was his nearest approach TO a game Of
chance. He hummed tune as he walked
Up town 10 his boarding-house-
II was a new thing in his life when ne
tUmbled out OF an iron bedstead IN a hall
room at s O'Clock in the morning and
began 70 dress. It was equally novel to
breakfast at in a dining-7Oom half filed
with other young men who were appar-
emily clerks. and young women who
might have been stenOgraphers, and other
persons Of various ages who were likely
enough, all sorts OF things. An early ride
down town in an electric car was an alb
solute innovation. Surely. adventure was
coming upon him fast.
Wen try you" said The manager
But you'll have % make good, under
stand"
Thank you" said Hopkins.
You'll get SO a week
Hopkins nodded. being a little too ex-
cited to speak
Il vas s O'Clock that evening when he
started up town 10 the clearinghouse
reviewing in his mind the things ne had
been dong all day He was amazed at
his oWn cspability. He had sorted papers
rearranged books, carried samples. an
sWered the managers bell. stamped let
tels- POSlru tAltiL, opened ctilei iclleISs
hand3d messages TO telegraph boys. eat
en- q quick lunch. studied letter files
peeked into the labyrinth Of a card IN
dex. found out whom people wanted to
see-in fact it was hard 10 think Of any
thing he had not done
All week he did these things. over and
over again, and gradually he began 10 IN
derstand why he did some OF them. On
Saturday night there was a SO bill in his
pocket He changed this on the way
home and handed SIX 10 his landlady
who smiled and said something gracious
about young men who were good pay.
James T Hopkins wss a business man,