The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-07-20
CHAPTER /.
The Rich Young Man.

A rich young man sauntered
down the street. At the street
corner he paused, and counted
his entire fortune.
There were three crumpled
bills, some loose silver and a
ntckel-no more. For many a day
he had watched his small store of
money disappearing. He had
economical, fighting every inch
of the way as the balance ebbed.
So when he saw Adversely wait
ing for him on the far side of his
three dollars and eighty cents, he
faced her calmly and was not ter
rified.
There was no. immediate an
-swer from the surrounding at
mosphere. A newsboy came down
the street; he STOPPED to observe
the young man standing by the
street curb.
Want a paper, mister?" he
suggested at length.
The young man nodded. The
boy proffered the paper and re-
ceived the money.
Son." said the purchaser,
suppose you had four dollars,
and no more, and no chance of
getting any more, what would
you dor"
The BOY answered promptly.
I'D blow il in"
The man on the curb laughed.
why" he demanded, wouldn't
IT be better to make IL last just as
long as possible?"
No." his companion observed
contemptuously, "a guy never
gets no fun out of bein' a tight
wad. None o. that in mine. I'd
take them four bones and drop
'em all at once so they'd make a
noise big enough to hear a block
away"
The man looked at him and
nodded.
Then what?" he said. That's
not the end of everything"
After that you're busted, amt
your"
Undoubtedly"
when you're busted you can't
get any worse. You got to get
;. better. Amt that so?"
But while the man was digest
ing this philosophy the newsmer-
chant darted away after a gentle
a
behind the corner of the street.
WELL" the young man NUT
tered, that's the way 1 feel, too.
I'll be a gentleman tonight. To-
morrow, perhaps, [ can get a job
in a department store"
He was hungry for just one
more meal in the haunts of civil
lization, and he presently found
himself before a well-lighted hos
telry. A man turned the revolv-
ing door for him as he entered.
His air of being on the point of
spending all the money there was
made such an impression that he
was shown to a table by a win
dow. Brooke stretched his legs
luXuriously under the table.
1t was a tremendous occasion
for a man who had been an exile
from the comforts of civilization
for a long while. The strains of
the orchestra lifted him out of
himself into a more rarefied at
mosphere. II was not until the
rooms began to thin out and he
was smoking his cigarette that he
descended to earth. He noted
that IL was his last cigarette, and
permitted himself to wonder what
steps the world would take to
provide for him at breakfast time
on the morrow.
The trouble with Brooke was
that he had invented something.
The second trouble was that some
thing was a useful article-in a
word, a new species of concrete
pile. If he had invented some
small and frivolous thing, such
as a can opener or a tie clasp, he
would have found ready sale for
e.
A hand was laid on his shout
der.
Mr.. Brooke" said a voice,
''you linger long after your din
ner."
Looking up, the young man
recognized a gentleman named
Sprague, a lawyer with whom he
once had some dealings.
Brooke rose and greeted him
cordially. II have an appoint
ment." he said, with my guar
dian angel"
The lauvor arnflo ssVVhat do