Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1920-12-11


could they resist expressing their fore
holdings.
The old folks loved their boy too
well to reproach him for his desertion
now In the first flush of his yc ing
manhood, but their hearts did ache at
thought of the separation.
you'll soon get tired of all that
hurly-burly there in the city. Tom"
his old father told him. "And when
you do, l want you always to remem-
Der 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
the best for you, son, but-when you
do find out that your fortunes not
away off there-just pocket your pride
and come back here to us who love
you"
So young Tom left the farm with
shining eyes and high heart and adj
ventured into the great, far-away city
In quest of fame and fortune.
How he Jared there and all the sor-
ry disappointments that repeatedly
overlook him during that year Of abb
sence would be a long and narrowing
story to tell. He chased his rainbow
to it's 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 lin
"Well,' anyway, I'm young and hus-
XIV and used to hard manual labor"
Tom consoled himself. 81 can at least
get a job with / contracting gang, as
a painter, or plumbers assistant, or
teamster. That will suffice to keep me
going for while until the sort of po-
sffion l want turns up
Rut even in those lines of work the
gr-A 4 country boy found himself sud
defky brought up short against blank
wan. He had no references as to past
city employment and nobody would
hire4him after once finding out that he
had no union card.
Hudded in his shabby overcoat on
a sreet corner in the squalid section
of 1.-THE city-the icy wind whistling
around him and biting through his
threadbare garments-poor Tom stood
onathe evening before Christmas, won
dering where he might find a shelter
in which to sleep THAI 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 moo>Nv reverie by
hearing a hoarse, wheedling voice Mt
his very elbow, saying what was in
tended as a confidential tone:
How'd ylike nice hot feed and
kume coin to Jingle in yer pants BIO?
Amt hungry, are yai"
Whirling about, Tom saw that his
accoster was an understood, burly fell
low with a tough, truculent visage and
hands showed deep into the side peck
cts of his coat. He wore battered
cap with the visor pulled low down
over his eyes and spat inadvertently
upon the sidewalk each time before he
spoke.
How'd y'like the idea, huh?" he re-
c.rated In his raucous, grating voice.
siding Closer as he spoke and casting
wary eye up and down the nearly
deserted, gloomy. wind-swept street.
Tom regarded him with distaste and
yndisguised mstrust. He looked like
4 typical thug. But misery cannot be
too fastidious about the company 1t
Keeps. Finally Tom scowled blackly
and answered:
whats that to you, anyway
"Woll. you're outta luck, amt cha,
pal? Yer on yer uppers, stony broke
and maybe with an empty belly. too,
huh, DO? Well. l guessed that much.
l amt blind yet, anti Well, |
need a pal for little job tonight and
we both can make lotta jack out of
II, seer
"You-you mean-burglafy? Tom
muttered hesitantly. with an involun-
tary contraction of his heart.
"Humph! Not anything like safe
cracking or breaking into house. |
don't. Too many people staying up
with the kids over Christmas trees to.
| night. amt keen on iakin' fool
! chances like that. I'm tellin yal Nav,
his | wantcha for is something soft
safe and easy as falling of a log. You
know the big prices people are willing
| TO pay for real booze since the cotIn.
| try went dry. don't cha? Well. right
near here know certain warehouse
| that's gol 20 cuses of whisky Stored IN
the basement Real bundled stun