The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-05-13
CHAPTER /
The Price of Two Dinners.

= HEN first 7 met F'araday and
M Sot mixed Up, so to speak, Ia
" v bis affairs. including the
matter OF the green lamp, I
/ was undeniably down on my luck
Don't sheer, please There is such
an element IN human affairs as luck
blind. indiscriminate Iuck-whether or
/ rot You have been taught 50 TO believe.
Men Of years and experience, who have
been through the mill and are wise in
their etion-presumab Us
I that there is no such thing as chance.
I or luck Tor whatever you choose 10 call
/ it}. that ones success in life depend
/ solely and proporGonately on ones own
/ exerVicas.
But It isn't So
/ 70 matter who tells you that. dom
/ believe him: there is Iuck-bIind. bat
tering- brutal luck IS well As the other
+ kind
know bec1use I have been through it
sll-both kinds
I undercone one reverse AFTER another in
! such headlonE. GREATNESS succession
that they left me EaspinE and dazed on
the lowest rUnE Of the ladder. where ii
/ seemed as though couldn't possibly get
any further into the depths, but did.
! And then, quite accidentally. and
/ certainly by reason of no foreJhought
/ OF endeavor Of my own. have stun
! bled across one thing OF the other which
I has set my feet firmly IN the path %
/ prosperity once more.
Take the past year, 10 make cut my
/ case
/ Ia the spring I was holding down
/ 4 reportoriaI Job on the biggest papel
/ in New York. and getting the bes
i money Of any newspaper man in q
/ similar position was steady and
/ reliable. for 7 am neither a lazy mol
/ a drinking man-probably solely be
/ cause 7 have no taste either for IosfinE
I or e cIoUded brain
That my services were appreciated b
ny employers was proved BY the fac
that on the first day Of April my salar1
/ was increased, Voluntarily, 10 per cent
And then, not ten days later, TIT
/ owner became possessed OF an eco
nomicaI devil. or seven Quite uuac
couutablv. too. The order came throuSi
from the business Office 10 the city desl
70 cut down the staff
Myself and three OF four Others wh'
were making a comfortable living, ~
even a rrife more-as is always thr
case-were the first TO 90 The ak al
ways falls first on the sleekest necks-
Il was q surprise. Of course. but
DIDN'T woZy very much Sereneiy con
fdent that I would obtain immediate
employment, I laughed. put on my haJ
and sauutereE cut Of the office
I I failed TO realize. naturally. tha'
was IN for q run on the bank
/ Well, from that day on for mani
weeks I met with one unvaryin- pro
/ Cession of ejections-both IN persoT
and in manuscript
There was not one editor IN towT
hut knew Lucas Hammond, f1attere,
/ myself. and all assured me that the1
/ would only too gladly engage m'
under different circ- instances. a.
things were, however, they were SOFT
. and so forth
T became Disguised stiGeued M
upper Iip. and determined 70 try ul
hand al "Free-lancing which means
straight fiction for the ma gaines an,
special articles for the Sunday sheets
ard the most beaTt-breakinE OCCupa
ton that ever man was fool enough
] to undertake
I Except under circumstances quits
abnormal. which includes the posi-
bilitv OF your being that abnorrnality