The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-12-29
He Was Type Not Every Day in the Commercial District

tue was nothing to brag about. II
was easy to be good when not ex
posed to temptation. But for those
born with the devil in them it came
hard. It was all a matter of heredity
and influence. Ones vices as we'll as
ones virtues are handed down to us
ready made. He had no doubt that
in the Jeffries family somewhere in the
unsavory past there had been a weak,
vicious ancestor from whom he had
inherited all the traits which barred
his way to success.
The crowds of hungry workers grew
bigger every minute. Every one was
elbowing his way into neighboring
restaurants, crowding the tables and
buffets, all eating Voraciously as they
talked and laughed. Howard was
rudely reminded by inward pangs that
he, too, was famished. Not thing
had passed his lips since he had left
home in Harlem at eight o'clock that
morning and he had told Annie that
he would be home for lunch. There
was no use staying downtown any
longer. For three weary hours he had
trudged from office to office seeking
employment, answering advertise
ments, asking for work of any kind,
ready to do no matter what, but all to
no purpose. Nobody wanted him at
any price. What was the good OF
man being willing to work if there
was no one to employ him? A nice
lookout certainly. Hardly a dollar
left and no prospect of getting any
more. He hardly had the courage to
return home and face Annie. With
muttered exclamation Of Impotence
he spat from his mouth the half-con-
sumed cigarette which was hanging
from his lip, and crossing Broadway,
walked listlessly in the direction OF
Park place.
He had certainly made a mess OF
things, yet at one time, not so long
ago, what brilliant future lie
seemed to have in store for him! NO
boy had ever been given Detter
start. He remembered the day ne
left home to go to Yale; he recalled
his fathers kind words of encour-
agement, his mothers tears. An Il
his mother had only lived! men,
maybe, everything would have oeen
different. But she died during MS
freshman year, carried on suddenly
bv heart failure. His father maFrieu
again a young woman 20 years MS
innior. and that had started every
hing off wrong. The old home lie
,ad gone forever. He had felt IKE
an intruder the first time ne "en'
,oo,o and from that day his father
.oof had been distasteful to him. Yes,
hat was the beginning of his haFu
uck He could trace all his mlsloi,
rnas hack 70 that He couldn't STAND
or stepmother, naughty SeHnI ho
ambitious creature WIN
,ad little sympathy for her preueceS
lar , lila and no scruple in show d!
or s clllut anu
ng it. ,,,. pohert :
Then, at college, he had met ROPER S,oss.
underwood the popular upper Claso
nan, who had protested to-, to take nonns q !
reat fancy to him. He. a timiu S9u hS .
eastman. was naturally hattelea ina =, :
~ 4risndship Of the dashing' fasclnat :
ae iFie and thus commenced
,st unfortunate intimacy when s .r u~u +
rouxht about the climax to idsr tPO%
Is"l The suavs. amiabls Underwood oou.
'Som hs soon discovered to be q gen
a nUm i" scoundrei. borrowed ms ms
' smsn, and Introduced him into the the
sporty. sst an exclusive ,,,., V alsowsnce
hich, thanks TO bis liberal al,S xrh a
ON home. he was welcomed