The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-12-29

Caught in the swift OF the busy
,ltys midday rush, engulfed in Broad
rsy,s swift moving flood of hustling
humanity, jostled unceremoniously
4, the careless, Indifferent crowds,
encouraged from stemming further
No tide Of pushing. elbowing men and
gomen who hurried up and down the
reat thoroughfare. Howard Jeffries,
tired and hungry and thoroughly dis
usted with himself, stood still at the
corner of Fulton street, cursing the
luck which, had brought him to his
PRESENT plight.
II was the noon hour, the important
fine Of day when nature loudly claims
her due, when business affairs, no
matter how pressing. must be tenn
uorarily interrupted so that the hui
man machine may lay in a fresh store
ii nervous energy. From under the
portals Of precipitous office buildings,
mammoth hives of human industries,
which to right and left scared dizzily
from street to sky, swarmed thou
sands of employees of both sexes
clerks, stenographers, shop girls, mes
sanger boys-all moved by a common
impulse to satisfy without further de-
lay the animal cravings of their phys
cal natures. They strobe along with
quick, nervous step, each chatting and
laughing with his fellow, interested
for the nonce in the days work, ma
King plans for well-earned recreation
when five o'clock should come and
The uptown stampede for Harlem and
home begin.
The young man sulleniy watched
The scene, envioIs of the energy and
actiyity Of all about him. Each one
b these hurrying throngs, he thought
utterly to himself, was a valuable
nit in the prosperity and welfare of
ae big town. No matter how humble
is or her position, each played a
art In the business life of the great
ay, each was an unseen, unknown,
Ut indispensable cog in the whirling,
duplicated mechanism of the vast
Eorld metropolis. Intuitively he felt
lAat ne was not one of them, that he
iad no right even to consider himself
laslr equal. He was utterly useless
anybody. He was without position
anoney He was destitute even of
afed Of self-respect. Hadn't he
Fonlsed Annie not to touch liquor
gam before he found a job? Yet he
- already imbibed all the whisky
salen the little money left in his
PICKET would buy.
'uYoluntarily, instinctively, he
lisnk back into the shadow of a
norway to let the crowds pass. The
"tments were now filed to over
wing and each moment newcomers
@a me side streets came to swell |
y human stream. He tried to avoid |
.1'slVation. fearing that some one
sat recognize him, thinking all
@4a read on his face that he was
%s seif'confessed failure, one of
y, iacompetents. In his painful
auVOnsclousness he believed himself
csnosure of every eye and he
~ q ne thought he detected on
s,a faces side glances of curiosity,
'.aiseration and contempt,
\. aof was he altogether mistaken.
u laan one passer-by turned to
y MS direction. attracted by
pecuiiar appearance. His was a
Y ~ seen every day in the com.
4 s1sa ustrict-the postgraduate
81 ss nan out at elbows. He was
II, iaeed and apparently about rs
u age His complexion was
4, luu ais face refined. 1t would
/, wen handsome but for a droop-
N. !. oiute mouth, raich denoted
n, = average weakness of char
#sh,hne lace was thin, chalk-like
Slh ~ .A q color and deeply scanned
ii teittale lines of destination.
y sct,. uCles under his eyes and a
- Watery look suggested late
b,sh ~ oVerfondness for alcoholic
syna- as His clothes had the cut |
s,Sby sns 'e talIors. but they were 1
i ANN aaa needed pressing. His linen
e,sd and his necktie disar.
In, nus whole appearance was l
4 Il and suggested that reckless. &
aorsl, .,lad which comes of general
ward Jetfries knew rna+ ~ ,,.,,, : +
AM yet like most vonng mon |
Il d ~, W weak, he insisted that he t
asar ~ = nsId altogether to blame.
sErions " ne despised these sober. S
"a ~, people who seemed con. b
ID + - the crumbs Of comfort S
vas suem' What, he wondered Il
we're ts secret of getting on?
atsd y, suey able to lead such well [
far ives ss when he, starting out n
NJ On eater advantages, had &
We Lv ae Knew well where the Il
d ch.. ~ his damnable weak. Il
vas cter, his love for drink Il
sas il hia Lor everything. Il
y Tbsaa tault If he were born b
ssel,es az. people who behaved b
calm u got on. he sneered. W
Y Who ,o,, u"os,nmonplace tempera- u
y Ae,r nd no difficulty In con- m
fsAt simn, laser Instincts. They Il
VET thar because they found W
90 wrong Their vir. fr