Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1911-04-07

! ing down my weekly checks. bad luck
| to you not to have man who could
earn them"
His desperate honesty touched
SpauIding a tritie. AT the risk of not
seeming a business man to himself be
inclined obviously to relent, to give
Duncan another chance.
Duncan" he said. what's the trou.
ble?
81 thought you knew that: thought
that was why you called me in with
my route half covered"
"You mean
81 mean can't sell your line"
"WhyT
"God only knows. I want to badly
enough It's just general incompe-
tence, presume"
What makes you think that?"
Duncan smiled bitterly. expert
ence" he said
you've tried-what else?"
"a little of everything. all the jobs
open to a man with a knowledge OF
Latin and Greek and the higher mathe-
matics-shipping clerk, timekeeper.
cashier. all of EN-"
And yet Kellogg believes In you"
Duncan nodded dolefully. "Harry's a
good friend We roomed together at
college That's why he stands for
me-"
'TIe says you only need the right
opening
And nobody knows where that Is.
except my fortunate employers. It's
the back door going out for mine every
time Oh. Harry's been prince to
me. He's found me four or five jobs
| with friends Of his. like yourself But
! don't seem to last You see, was
brought up to be ornamental and If
regular rather than useful. to blow
about in motorcars and keep a valet
busy sixteen hours day. and all that
sort of thing. My fathers failure
you know about that?'
Spauding nodded. Duncan went on
! gloomily. talking great deal more
freely than he would have talked at
any other time-suifering. in fact. from
that species of auto-hypnoSis induced
by the sound Of his own voice recount
ing his misfortunes which seems eSpe
| cially to affect a man down Oh his
luck
THAT smash came when was five
yeaf, out If lOiiege--fd lie yer thought
Of turning my hand to anything in all
that time. I'd always had more coin
than could spend-never had to con-
slider the worth Of money or how hard
it is to earn My father saw to all
that He seemed not 10 want me- to
work; not that hold that against him.
He'd an idea I'd turn out genius OF
some sort or other, | believe. Well.
he failed and died all In a week,
and.I found myself left with an ex-
tensive wardrobe. expensive tastes. an
impractical education-and not so
much of that that you'd notice it-and
not cent. | was too proud to look to
my friends for help In those days-and
perhaps that was as WE'LL sought
jobs on my own Did you ever keep
books iE a fish market?"
No" Spaulding's eyes twinkled be.
hind his large. shiny glasses.
But what's the use of my boring
you?" Duncan made as if to rise, sud-
denly remembering himself.
you're NOT Go on"
81 didn't mean to. Mostly, / pre-.
sumo, I've been laundering round an
explanation of Kellogg's kindness to
me, in my usual Intellectual way. but
l felt an explanation was due you, as
| the latest to suffer through his mis-
| placed interest in me-"
Perhaps" said Spaulding, II am be-
ginning to understand. Go on, I'm
interested About the fish marketf'
"Oh. just happened to think Of 1t as
a sample experience, and the last OF
that particular brand. got 50 week
and earned every cent of it inhaling
| the atmosphere. My board cost. me