The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-04-16
The Black Sheep.

live cheaply and spend the winter in
study than to try at this time to find
employment. He told Jack that in
few days they would go out to
place ON Couer D'Alane Lake and there
"hole up" for six weeks or two
months until spring work opened up
in the Palouse, or until the weather
got so that man might get job
railroad grading and work with some
comfort. "You II never get rich work
ing kid, and my advice is use all the
time You can get to improve yourself
and work when the pay is good and
the weather is with you. The only way
you can get any joy cut of life is by
using your head in the management
of your affairs.
Argue as he would Collins had no
effect upon the boys determination to
get sufficient money with which to
achieve a college education. lie wanted
to rank among the best in the world
and by the best ho meant the most
learned. 1t is true that at the cabin on
the shores of Lake Couer d'Alane.
among the virgin pine woods he ap-
piled himself assiduously to a system
attic study of MARKHAM Economics while
Collins encouraged him in the reading
of working class history. Both Bollins
and Rudolph were trying to do what
the whole world is trying to do, what
religion for ages has tried to do, make
a man what by nature he is not
Mentally Jack could grasp the idea of
their socialist faith. He saw the ephe-
neral justice of it. He sometimes be-
came even enthusiastic over its pos
sibilities. But it never became
a spiritual fact with him. He
learned socialism; he did not become
socialzcd. His mind was that of a
naturalist rather than that of a So
ciologist. He seemed to have but one
idea and that was to get a job and
save money with which to go to school
where he might sharpen his tools of
reseach.
While at the cabin he daily scanned
the advertisements in the news papers
and tried to persuade his companions
to go with him in search of a job.
But these old veterans would not
bulge. They had "holed up" for the
winter. And the winter was their play
time. The time they spent in com
panionship of books. The hours in
which they communed with the mind
of civilization They had no ambition
to cope with capitalism during the
season of bad weather.
After about three weeks of the cabin
Jack became thoroughly restless and
they all agreed to go back to Spokane
for few days. When once more in the
city the boy made up his mind that
happen what might he was going TO
get job. He walked down Railroad
Avenue and scanned the boards of the
employment offices for suitable work.
He noticed an advertisement for rail-
road help on the Chicago Milwaukee
and st. Paul and he went in to in.
quire about it. He bought the job for
two dollars, and then discovered that
it was located in Montana as well as
that it would take ninc dollars to get
there. But he had the money and was
bound to work. SO after giving Collins
and Rudolph an opportunity to tell him
what they thought of him, he was on
his way. Two days later he arrived
at the place designated, with four or
five ather men sent out by the same
employment office and was put to
work. He noticed that when he came
to this camp several men were leaving,
but he was bent on making money
and resolved to let nothing disturb
him. He worked four days during which
bad food gave him indigestion, and
quarters so filtry that his clothes
became alive with vermin. The foreman
on the job was big burly,. illiterate
sort of a fellow, who was not at all
choice in the language he used toward
the men. At the end of the first day
there was a group of new workers
came into camp, and a corresponding
number were discharged; it seemed to
be daily routine. Collins had explain.
cd this to him, but in spite of his OK.
perience at Anamoose he was inclined
to look upon it more as theory than
fact.
The game was to collect free from
the man for employment to employ
him a couple of days, then to dis
charge him, and collect fees again off
of new man who came to take his Job.
1t was just four days when Jack got
his walking papers" When they
had charged him for board, room and
hospital fees, he owed the company
thirty nine cents, which they generous
ly donated. He was now really broke
and three hundred miles away from
his friends, with the snow clad Rockies
between him and them. He decided
to 60 back on foot or freight and it
was during this trip that experience
proved to be the best teacher.
1t was fortunate for him that he
was in splendid physical condition, and.
that for the first two days of his
journey back to Spokane, the weather
was unusually mild. He walked the
first day up the railroad track, never
stopping to eat and kept on walking
all the next night and the next day.
Two days and night during which
he took nothing but water and cover.
ed the distance Of one hundred and ten
miles. 1t was during the afternoon of
the second day that he began TO feel
exhausted and eager for rest. Toward
evening he stumbled into the waiting
room Of a little telegraph station on
the road. He had no sooner sat down
upon the eoat, then he was fast asleep,
and did not awaken until the station
agent two hours later shook him by
the collar and told him to get out as
1t was time to lock up. Jack told the
man what had happened to him and
the agent informed him that he heard
that story every day. That the working
class would have to learn not to be