Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1911-12-29
FOUR YEARS ON. ROAD
NEW JERSEY YOUTH HAS MOST
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE.
Leaving Home With rs Cents, James
IS O'Nell' Worked at Almost Every
thing imaginable In All Parts
Of the Country.

Four years ago James O'Neill left
his home at 254 fork street, Jersey
City, with exactly 70 cents In his
pocket. Before he returned to his
nome few days ago he travelled all
over the country and had a working
experience In countless capacities in
nearly every large city in North Amer.
lea, where most of the time was spent
he Is now working in the auditing de-
partment at the Waldorf-A Astoria and
he declared that 1t felt good to be
home again. says the New York Her.
aid.
Since I've been away" he said, Il
nave worked at everything imagtn-
able, from managing five and ten
cent store to waiting table In a tea
garden In Japan. | never knew there
We're 80 many different ways of max.
ing living until | got away from
nome. learned, too 1t doesn't pay
to be particular If one wants to eat
regularly
mad some amusing and likewise
tragic experiences. In Portland, Ore,
Tor instance, | was floor walker In q
bird store. That was tragic for was
discharged for eating bird seed. 1t
looked as good as breakfast food to
me, for food and | had been on the
outs for several days before l got the
Job.
AT lumber camp In Canada | got
| INTO a shooting scrap and nearly lost
my life. French-Canadian, with
whom | had several disputes, became
intoxicated one night and fred three
shots at me. His aim was unsteady
and the bullets went wild. but they
whizzed uncomfortably near my head.
I Il had another narrow escape when
two OF my companions were killed
within 40 feet of me as we were steal.
ing ride on top of a freight train in
New Hampshire. The accident hap
pened about midnight and | did no,
know they were dead until their bod
les were found by the trainmen al
daybreak They had been struck al
the train entered a tunnel. | remem
bered hearing some one ahead shou
a warning: fell fat on top of the ca
as the train whizzed into the tunnel
\ and that saved my life
I II wanted to see the world. partic1
4 larry this country, and did not re
; main long in any one place did nc
have trade and it Is easy to undel
y stand l was called upon to do man
i things to earn a livelihood. hert
ed sheep in Montana. stood watc
Adn a New Mexico concert hall, worke
! for a florist and billboard poster !
Los. Angeles peeled potatoes on
flake, steamboat between milwaukee
q and Chicago. sold real estate in Ne,
4 Jersey. was housekeeper on Texa
Y ranch. drove mules in a Pennsylvania
mine. clerked In a coffee shop in New
Orleans. worked In various hotels II
Florida. harvested In North Dakota
managed@a novelty store in Evansville
Ind. = worked in, blacksmith shopaiI
Ohio, was, a farm hand. in Missouri
worked In. distillery, in Illinois
| groomed horses in Kentucky and pu
! in time in a sawmill in Tennessee
40 Mr.. O'Neill said he did laundry worl
Ibis OWN creeks and streams IL
nearly every state in the Union He Is
! proud of the fact that never once IN
-four years OF rowing among strangers
was he obliged to beg for food, he
did not communicate. with his family
while he. was away, and an otherwise
happy homecoming last week was
marred when he arrived and found his
father died a year ago. He considers
his worldwide experience invaluable.
but says he will never leave here
! again, except on the dollar excur.
sions.r limited to two days