Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1920-12-17

S1uuluS ~ lcll upOu IACAh, "CAO PoS-
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
now IT. the first flush of his young
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. It
mayn't be as fine and snowy as lots
you'll see there il 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 a 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-
~ disappoin,ments that repeatedly
overlook him during that year Of alb
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 lir
swell, anyway, I'm young and hus-
ky and used to hard manual labor"
Tom conso]ed himself. II can at least
get job with a contracting gang, as
a painter, or plumbers assistant, or
teamster. That will suffice to keep me
going for while until the sort Of po-
siti0n want turns up"
But even in those lines Of work the
green country boy found himself sud
denly brought up short against a 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 Overcoat on
street corner in the squalid section
of the city-the icy wind wAistling
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,
shivertng 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, wheeling voice at
his very elbow. saying what was in
tended as a confidential tone:
"1low'd y'like a nice hot feed and
some coin to Jingle in yer pants. boz
Amt hungry. are ya?"
Whirling about, Tom saw that his
accoster was an understood, burly fel-
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-
iterated in his raucous, grating voice,
siding closer as he spoke and casting
q wary eye up and down the nearly
deserted, gloomy, wind-swept street.
Tom regarded him with distaste and
undisguised mistrust. He looked like
q typical thug. But misery cannot be
too fastidious about the company it
keeps. Finally Tom scowled blackly
and answered:
"What's that to you, anyway"
"Well, you're 0utta luck, amt cha,
pal? Yer on yer uppers, stony broke
and maybe with an empty belly, too,
huh, DO? Well. guessed that much.
l amt blind yet, l amt! Well,
need pal for little job tonight and
we both can make lotta jack out OF
1t, seer"
"You-you mean-burglary?" Tom
nluttered hesitantly. with an inv0lun-
tary contraction Of his heart. =.
"Humph! Not anything like safe
cracking or breaking into a house. l
don't. Too many people staying up
with the kids over Christmas trees to-
night. amt keen on takin' fool
chances like that. I'm tellin' yal Nav,
this wantcha for is something soft
safe end e.sy as falling of log. You
know the big prices people are willing
to ray for real booze since the coun-
try went dry, don't cha? Well. right
near here I know j certain warehouse
that's got ~ cases Of whisky stored in
the easement. Real bonded stun!
Tho 'xatc!,n,alA is an old pal o mine
.ut il willing to let US sw1pe It II
we'll split on the coin we get after
wards. I've got another guy with a
flivver that's ready to meet us about 2
O'Clock this morning to haul away the
stuff as fast as we pass it up to him
through the alley windows. We've
got 1t all framed for q fake capture
and tying up of our other pal, the
night Waterman, 10 that the bulls can't
get wise to him. We're willing to- split
four ways on the swag Il y wanta 60
~ On II With IA. Whatcha ny now,
BIO. huh1 Safe and easy q falling ~
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fka1lilale: apipearanee IL ~ 1af.