The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-11-23

I0Slftf-yyNl siithiiS shp
of disaster of all the
neighbors. Even his fa-
ther and mother, with past
years of toll rapidly be-
ginning to tell upon them, were pes
simistic of his chances of success, nor
could they resist expressing their fore
bodings.
The old folks loved their boy too
well to reproach him for his desertion
Low In the first flush of his young
manhood. but their hearts did ache al
thought of the separation.
"You'l soon get tired OF all that
hurly -burly there in the city, Tom"
mis- old father told him. "And when
you do. ! want you always to remem-
ber that we've still got place for you
back here at the old homestead. 1t
mayn't be as fine and snowy as lots
you'll see there in the city, but it's
more the sort that the good Lord in.
tended you for. Ma and | are hoping
tie best for you, son, but-when you
sio find out that your fortunes not
sway off there-just pocket your pride
end come back here to us who love
you"
So young Tom left the farm with
shining eyes and high heart and ad-
ventured into the great. far-away city
In quest Of fame and fortune.
How he Jared there and all the sor-
ry disappolntments that repeatedly
overlook him during that year of alb
sence would be long and narrowing
story to tell. He chased his rainbow
to its end, yet found the tabled pot of
gold not there as he had so confidently
and blatantly expected.
Tom made applications for all sorts
of office positions only to find himself
quickly rejected because of his lack
of experience In those specific lir
"Weu, anyway, I'm young and hus-
ky and used to hard manual labor"
Tom consoled himself. II can at least
get job VIZ piurne+racting gang, as
| teamster. That will suffice to keen me
| going for a while until the sort of po-
| sition l want turns up."
But even in those lines of work the
| green country boy found himself sud-
denly brought up short against blank
wall. He had no references as to past
|
| hire him after once finding out that he
had no union card.
| Huddled in his shabby overcoat on
| street corner in the squalid section
| of the city-the icy wind wtlstling
around him and biting through his
threadbare garments-poor Tom stood
on the evening before Christmas. won
| dering where he might find a shelter
in which to sleep that night without
freezing.
| just how long he had stood there
shivering in the chill wind on the
| street corner-bitterness against the
great, unfeeling city ranking in his
heart-Tom did not know. He was
startled from his moody reverie by
hearing a hoarse, wheedling voice at
his very elbow, saying what was In
tended as a confidential tone:
| How'd y'like a nice hot feed and
some coin to Jingle in yer pants. bo?
Amt hungry, are ya?"
/ Whirling about, Tom saw that his
| accoster was an under-szed, burly fell
low with tough, truculent visage and
hands showed deep into the side pock-
cts of his coat. He wore a battered
cap with the visor pulled low down
over his eyes and spat malevolently
! upon the sidewalk each time before he
| spoke.
| How'd y'like the idea, huh?" he re-
1terated in his raucous, grating voice,
Siding closer as he spoke and casting
wary eye up and down the nearly
deserted, gloomy. wlnd-swept street.
Tom regarded him with distaste and
undisgulsed mistrust. He looked like
a typical thug. But misery cannot be
too fastidious about the company IL
keeps Finally Tom scowled blackly
and answered:
whats that to you, anyway?"
well. you're outta luck, amt cha,
| pal? Yer on yer uppers, stony broke
and nayhe with an empty belly. too.
huh lef Well, l guessed that much.
: uH hlind yet. ANTI Well
"eod ID lHl for little job tonight and
we both can make lotta jack out of
it, see?0
"fou-you mean-burglary? Tom
muttered hesitantly. with an invoiun-
tary contraction of his heart.
"Hamph Not anything like safe
cracking or breaking into house
don't, Too many people staying np
with the Kids over Christmas trees to-
night ain't keen on takin' fool
chances like that, I'm teIin va Nav.
TINS wantcha for is something soft
saie and easy as falling off leg. You
kcow the big prices people are willing
10 pay for real booze since the conn
Try went dry. don't cha? Well rlght
te-'t mere Know a certain warehouse
nat got 70 cases of whisky stored ia
ne hasement. Real bonded stuff