Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-12-21

a minute a hundred men will jump
forth and hammer and saw and toll
from morning until night And the
results Of all their labor will be mine
/ because while they work for you, you
belong to me. 1 could buy men, WON
en- or souls with you-but I won't.
am just going to breed you l am go
| ing to breed you until you get me an
other like yourself, and then l am go
! ing to do it all over again. And you
viii never get away from me on this
/ earth, either" He turned to me with
that disgusting leer Of his.
Tom, how many of these beauties
have you saved up?"
Not any And it doesn't look as
! though I ever would at the price I pay
| you for second-class board and Iodg-
/ ings." He leaped to his feet in a
/ quivering rage, for the moment made
! speeches. by my unprecedented in
science in daring to resent his insults.
/ But his voice came to him soon
/ enough. Grimacing like a chimpan-
zee he fairly squealed in his anger.
| "Second-cIass lodgings, You never
/ had enough money in your life to buy
quarter of it. And you never viii
have, either, you spendthrift. If
/ didn't charge you for your living you
would have just that much more to go
/ to the dogs with You ought to thank
me for it. Second-cIass board! You
will be glad to get bone to gnaw yet
you puppy" Suddenly he subsidized
] to a sheer and began smoothing my
coat over like a prospective buyer OF
old clothes.
This suit. how much did it cost
you, huh?"
Fifty dollars"
And the rest Of that trousseau that
you wear around in the mud, includ
ing the overcoat?"
4 don't know. I never figured il
up. Probably seventy-fve more"
He sat down with a thump and sal
glaring at me as his voice gradually
rose again.
a hundred and twenty-five dol
lars worth Of dry goods on your bacl
as you strut around the streets! AnC
on your salary!" He popped up like
a jack-in-the-box and stood before me
Iscarecrow-like, with arms outstretcheC
and his clothes hanging in shapeIes:
pouches from his slat-like frame.
Look at me- This suit cost mt
nine dollars and I have worn it for {
year. My shirt cost 40 cents, m,
collar six and my necktie eight. Meal
to say I am not as. well dressed a.
your"
THAT is a matter of personal opin
ion. Anyway, it is none Of your bust
ness so long as pay you for my liv
ing. At any rate I have never had tt
ask you for money" He reached for
ward with his long arm and began
humping me on the chest with hi
bony knuckles.
Hey! Wouldn't you though if yol
thought you could get it? Wouldn'
you though, Mr.. Peacock, with you
fine clothes, if you thought you coul,
wheedIe a dollar out of me? But yo1
know your Uncle Abner amt foo
enough to let you have it. I'd rattle
trust it to Bruce, for with all his foo
ishness he has got twice the sens
, that you have. He takes chances an
some day may win a fortune, Will
[ you only spend, spend, spend. Get
cent from me! I'd like to see you.
! With a quick run ne gathered up tn
, money, showed it into the safe, spu
the combination until it ratified like
roulette wheel and faced me agai
with his nose wrinkled. I faced hiT
in a boiling rage For while I ha
always cherished the natural and Il
, climate hope that I, as his next c
{ kin, might some day profit by reaso
, of his accumulative iRstincts, he coul
have left his money strewn broadcas
! throughout the house from the tim
had first come to live with him an
, | would not have touched a dollar c
, it, even had known l never would
I even suspected. Furthermore, non
/ had a better reputation for honest
: than myself, and his everlasting trea
/ ment of me as a potential thief ha
= always nauseated me. Not caring ho'
:. he might regard the act, I drew th
2 key to the front door from my poke
/ and flung it on the table before hin
;. 1t was the only key to the house
/ had ever possessed and its surrende
S left me without means of entranc
4 but without another word I stake
y out into the opeL, banging the doc
{ behind me. Never had I been in
a more villainous mood than now as
4 strobe through the trees on my wa
= downtown.
/. I desired to see Bruce again. I we
e concerned to know just what turn HI
n dependency might take, and I though
j, that might cheer him up bit Knoy
: ing his usual place of habitat in h
hours Of recreation it was not long b
d fore l had located him. He We
1 bumped up buzzard-like in a semi-pr
< vate room of a cafe, his hands SCUM
g ing the depths Of his pockets and b
Il chin resting upon his breast. A COG
tail, apparently untasted, stood on Il
e table before him. I sat down on Il
It other side of the board, noticing TIL
d his eyes were closed.
u He had the general appearance of
It man who had been drinking. Orc
II narily immaculate of person, he w
d now semi-disreputable. He had n
shaved that day, his necktie was di
Il arranged and his hair rumpled Ho'
It ever, as l had never known him to !
a. the worse for liquor, l was incline
o to give him the benefit of the dou
d in this case and ascribe his unkemI
n ness to breeding over his misfortun