The Washington times., 1911-05-19
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
ONE WAY OUT
49, BY WILLIAM CARLETON
Copyrighted, 1911. by Small. Maynard & Company.

/ and as for the latter I could see no
comparison.
worse than the suburbs. 1 would be
surrounded by an ordinary group of
people who had all the airs of the lat
ter with none of their good points.
I'd be hedged In by conventions with
which was now even In less sympathy
than before. I wouldn't have exchanged
, my present freedom of movement and
independence of action for even the
best suite In the most expensive apart
ment house in the city.
Not for a hundred dollars a week.
Advantages? What were they?
Would higher grade of wall paper,
more expensive set of furniture and
steam neat compensate me for the loss
of the solid comfort / found here by
the side of my little iron stoveP Was
an electric elevator a fair swap for my
root? roo Were the gilt, the tinsef and the
SoTed SoIe cSSrnets S worth the privilege 1 en-
Ing what / pleased. doing what /
Pleased? Was their apartment-house
ITlenoship, however polished, worth the
simple simple genuine fellowship I enjoyed
could such life offer me for my souls
here?
couldn't see how in a single respect
could better my present condition ex-
cept with, the complete independence
that might come with a fortune and a
country estate.
And middle ground, assuming that I
could afford II, meant nothing but the
undertaking again of all the old bur-
denS had just shaken of
Ruth, the boy and myself now knew
genuinely more people than we had ever
hetore known in our lives. And most of
them were worth knowing and the 9TH
knowing.
We were all pulling together down
be sure. but all with a distinct
ambition that was dependent for success
upon nothing but our own efforts.
was In touch with more opportuni-
ues than ! had ever dreamed existed.
All three of IT'S were enjoying more ad-
Vantages than we had ever dreamed
would be ours. NY. italian was i'm
proving from day to day.
L could handle mortar easily and nat
urally and point JOINT as well as my
instructor. I could build a true square
pier of any size from one brick to
twenty. [ could make a square or
plgeon-hole corner or lay out a brick
footing. And was proud Of my ac-
complishment.
But more interesting to me than any,
thing else was the opportunity I now
had as a foreman. to test the value
of the knowledge OF my former fellow
workmen, which I had been slowly ac-
Quiring.
l was anxious to see II my ideas were
pure theory or whether they were prac-
tical. They had proven practical at any
rate In securing my own advance. This
had come about through no such pull
as Rafferty's.
1t was the result of nothing but nv
intelligent and conscientious work in
the ditch and among men. And this,
in turn, was made possible by the ap-
plication of the knowled ge picked up
and used as had the chance.
1t was only because I had shown INV
employers that ] was more valuable
as foreman than a common laborer
that I-was not still digging.
had been able to do this because.
having learned from twenty different
men how to handle a crowbar. for in
stance. I had from time to time been
able to direct the men with whom
was working, as at the start / myself
was still digging because that was all
he knew.
/ had learned other things. I had
learned how to handle Anton.
I had no idea that my efforts were
being watched. I don't know now how
I was picked out. Except, of course.
that II must have been because Of the
work 1 did.
At any rate I found myself at the
head Of twenty men-ah italians. all
strangers and among them three or
fNAr Just off the steamer. My first job
was on a foundation for an apartment
house.
OF course, my part in It was the very
humble one of seeing that the men kept
at work digging. The work had all
been staked out and the architects
agent was there to give all incidental
instructions.
He was a young, graduate
of technical school and I
took the opportunity this Of
fered-for he was a good natured boy
to use what little had learned in my
night school and study his blue prints.
At odd times he explained them to
me and aside from what I learned my
self from them II helped me TO direct
the men more intelngently.
(COntinuation of This Story VIII 8s
Found I'm Tomorrow Issue