Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-08-03
CHAPTER l.

~ NAS
Caught in the swirl Of the busy
Eity's midday rush, engulfed in Broad
ways swift moving food OF hustling
humanity, jostled unceremoniously
BY the careless, Indifferent crowds,
discouraged from stemminS further
the tide Of pushing, elbowing men AID
women who hurried Wy and down the
great thoroughfare. Howard Jehries,
tired and hungry and thoroughly dis
Eusted with himself. stood still at the
eorner Of Fulton street, cursing the
luck which had brought him to his
present plight.
1t was the noon hour, the important
time Of day when nature loudly claims
her due, when business affairs, no
natter how pressing, must be tenn
p%orarily interrupted 80 that the hui
man machine may lay In q fresh store
Of 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, stenograthera, shop girls, mes
Henger boys-all moved by q common
Impulse to satisfy without further de-
lay the animal cravings Of their phys
ical 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, envious of the energy and
activity of all about him. Each one
in these hurrying throngs, he thought
bitterly to himself, was n valuable
unit in the prosperity and welfare OF
the big town. No matter how humble
his or her position, each played a
part In the business life of the great
city, each was an unseen. unknown,
yet indispensable cog in the whirling,
complicated mechanism of the vast
world metropolis. Intuitively he felt
that he was not one OF them, that he
had no right ever to consider himself
their equal. He was utterly useless
to anybody. He was without position
or money. He was destitute even Of a
shred Of self-respect. Hadn't he
promised Annie not to touch liquor
again before he found a job2 Yet he
had already imbibed all the whisky
which the little money left In his
pocket would buy.
Involuntarily, instinctively, he
shrank back into the shadow Of q
doorway to let the crowds pass, The
bavements were now filed to over
flowing and each moment newcomers
from the side streets came to swell
the human stream. He tried to avoid
observation, fearing that some one
might recognize him, thinking al
could read on his face that he was
a sot, a self.confessed failure, n Of
ufe'B incompetents. In his painful
Relf-consciousnsss he believed himself
the cynosurO Of every eye and he
WINGED as he thought he detected OF
certain faces side glAnces Of curiosity
oommiseration and contempt.
Nor was he altogether mistaken
More than one passer-by turned t.
iooH in his direction, attracted BY
his peculiar appearance. His was
type not seen every day in the com
merclal district-the postgraduate
college man out at elbows. He wa
S~mooth-faced and apparently about q
e Of age. His complexion wal
fair and his face refined. It woul'
have been handsome but for q droop
ing. irresolute mouth, which denotes
more than average weakness Of char
aeter. The face was thin, chalk-hk'
In its lack Of color and deeply seame'
with the t~ell-tale lines of dissipation
Dark circles under his eyes and
peculiar WateFy look suggested lat
hours and oYerfondness for alcohol
Y~efreshment. His clothes had the Gu
of expensive t~ailors, but they wer
shabby and needed pressing. His line
Wss soiled and his necktie disal
ranged. His whole appearance wa
careless and suggested that reckless
ness of mind which oomes Of generI
generalization.
Howard JeffrieS knew that he waS
failure, yet like most young m"
mentally weak, he insisted that b
could not be held altogether to blam'
Secretly, too, he despised these sobe'
industrious people who seemed col
tainted with the crumbs OF comfol
thrown to them. What, he wondere
idly. was their secret Of getting on
How were they able to lead such we
regulated lives when he, starting OF
with far greater advantages, ha
fsileG1 Oh, he knew we'll where til
trouble lay-in his damnable weal
ness of character, his love for drinI
That was responsible for sverythin
But was It his fault II he were Dor
weak? These people who behave
themselves and got on, he Sneere
we're calm, commonplace temper
msuts Who found no difficulty In CO
tYolina their baser instincts. The
AIa right simply because they four
\ aaaAeR thar to do wrong. Their VI