The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-30
SLIPPING BACK

- Annie had taken him early one
morning. and the young doctor said,
"All right and not to worry. Annie
had hurried home to her other three
children. her disordered fiat, her eter-
nal problems of food and rent and the
rest of it. Yes, it must have been
about this time. For without warn
ing word was sent quite casually from
the hospital that the baby bad died
And Annie for once gave up. She
went about silent and dazed sitting
for hours just looking out of. the win
dow, not hearing the clamor Of Rob-
bic and Dave, or the crying Of Anna.
Il should have kept him home" she
would say when Bernie tried to rouse
or comfort her. Il might have known
it. It's my fault-my fault" re-
peating it over and over in fruitiess
agony of self-blame.
Nor was that dreadful time the
worst that came as the years of their
marriage wore on. The firm Bernard
worked for failed and again was he
faced by that deadliest enemy to
young married mans process the
necessity of getting immediate en-
ployment.
No matter what the unfitness Of
the labor may be, nor how lean the
wages, hurry. hurry, get something,
take anything, lower your price before
some other applicant underbids you,
fight for 1t, grab at it-GET 1T, or
you and your family will suffer and
die!
How we'll Bernie remembered his
last days work at the chemical house,
his last collection of his pay, his last
taking of his hat and overcoat from
the peg on the Office wall, his good
bys" and his well, so longs" and his
Good lucks," as he separated from
\ the other fellows to hit again the
weary trail of the job.
Doggedly he resumed it, trudging
from office to office, hoping, expecting,
failing-and hoping again. Times were
bad, people told him. The sudden out
break of war in Europe made capital
wary. Business failures were report
ed daily. Going concerns were dis
charging men, doubling up cutting
expenses to the bone Real estate
and building operations reached a
standstill, and wherever Bernie went
the business seemed to be in some
way contingent upon the dark war
outlook In every place work, when
offered at all, was of maximum heavl-
ness and minimum wage.
Bernie didn't know Kipling, but
s~-pon the fourth day of the weary
search suggestion of the thought
He travels the fastest who travels
alone" seeped into his mind. Instant
ly he was ashamed of it and whipped
1t from him, for he loved his family
with clean and honest love. 1t kept
coming back and nipping at his weak
ened spirit like some vicious bird OF
prey to a creature too spent to fight
The last establishment he visited
that day was a tobacco factory where
a shipping clerk was needed immedi-
ately.
"Experience?" asked the man lacon-
ically. Bernie's answers were eager
and ample. The man noted the eager
ness, the tiredness and also the in
telligence in young Carroll's face.
Can you start right away-early
tomorrow morning."
"Oh, yes, sir" Bernie would have
started that night if necessary.
"All right. Salarys twelve to be-
gin"
Demands heart sank, Twelve dol
lars. Before he could say anything
the manager went on briskly.
y .It's really only an assistant clerk
II want. There's no packing or heavy
Work. Like to try it,
But 1--we been getting sixteen
right along"
For how long?' asked the man