The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1920-12-17

to the Ominous head
EHlHS shaking and phopheciei
III of disaster of all tn,
il neighbors. Even his ia
Their and mother, with past
/ years OF toll rapidly be
ginning to tell upon them, were pes
simistic of his chances of success, nol
could they resist expressing their fore
Bodings. His mother was worried by al
she had heard of the tempta
lions and Establishments that hese
the way of an unsophisticated coun
try boy away off in the big, callous
turbulent city, and his father-sorely
needing the hoys help about the farm
had no faith in Toms roseate expec-
tations.
The old folks loved their boy too
we'll to reproach him for his desertion
now In the first flush of his young
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, want you always to remem-
Der that We've still got a 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 l 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 a 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-
~ disappointments that repeatedly
overlook him during that year of alb
sence would be a 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'
His willingness to work hard, his per-
sonal integrity and decent habits, 1t
appeared, were not assets that counted
for much in securing a desk job in the
city.
well, anyway, I'm young and hus-
ky and used TO hard manual labor"
Tom consoled himself. 81 can at least
get a job with contracting gang, as
q painter, or plumbers assistant, or
teamster. That VIII suffice to keep me
going for a while until the sort of po-
sition 1 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
city employment and nobody would
hire him after once finding out that he
had no union card.
Huddled in his shabby oyercoat on /
a street corner in the squalid section /
of the city-the icy wind wtistling |
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 thar night without |
freezing. A few blocks away the huge
bulk of the railroad station frowned |
down upon the dilapidated stained I
brick structures that were the barrel
houses, the all-night lunch counters
and the hobo "fiopS" where a bunk for
the night might be had for dime. Off
beyond them hulked the great, square,
darkened warehouses of the wholesale
district The melancholy putting and
bell Changing OF trains reverberated
family from the freight yards and the
dirty, snow-e ncrusted sidewalks crack
led frostily, protestingly, under the
footsteps of the occasional shabby pc
1estrian sinking past the solitary Tom
with furtive eyes.
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
leart-Tom did not know. He was
startled from his moody reverie by
rearing a hoarse, wheedling voice at
IFS very elbow, saying what was in
ended as confidential tone:
How'd y'like nice hot feed and
Iome coin to Jingle In yer pants. bo? ,
Amt hungry, are ya?'
Whirling about, Tom saw that his
Lccoster was an understood, burly fell
ow with tough. truculent visage and !,
lands showed deep into the side peck
is OF his coat. He wore battered ,
ap with the visor pulled low down :
yer his eyes and spat inadvertently
pon the sidewalk each time before he
poke. :
How'd y'like the idea, huh?H he re- :
Ierated in his raucous grating voice, :
idling closer as he spoke and casting
wary eye up and down the nearly
eserted, gloomy, wind-swept street
Tom regarded him with distaste and !,
mistrust. He looked like 7
typical thug. But misery cannot be )
90 fastidious about the company 1t :
eeps Finally Tom scowled blackly :,
nd answered: :
whats that to you, anyway"
'sWell, you're outta luck. amt cha. :
al? Yer on yer uppers, stony broke
nd maybe with an empty belly. too. :
uh, bo? Well, / guessed that much. :
amt blind yet. ANTI Well.
eed pal for little job tonight and
e both can make lotta jack out of :
, seer
"You-you mean-burglary? ?" Tom i
uttered hesitantly, with an involun- :