San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-08

H.. nrosepted me with $40 and told
me gravely that travel broadened Tue
mind. e,
That night, while the moon was ria.
ing high, 1 called on 1.-THE only girl
and told her / was off TO make my
wav in the world. / intimated II
might be in far-off Alaska or at tnat
omfer rim of the world, the South
Sea Islands.
The next morning l set off for East
Liverpool, Ohio, 100 miles away anu
became a newspaper reporter AT
least. tried to be one.
After four days the city editor ask
cd me il l thought / would ever be-
come a reporter.
7 said rather haughtily that l per-
hans was not fit for plain reporting
hut | was certain to become Jour-
nalist. And he gave me slip and
told me to see the cashier going out.
And that was that.
Eventually, however, | did become
reporter, which shows what perse-
yerance will do. Some of the fussiest
city editors in the country have SAID
things to me they wouldn't print.
And SO il was that | went from one
lob TO another but always there was
a restlessness of spirit. | was the
square peg in the round hole,
A worlds fair came along and l
had saved enough to get to wherever
it was. | rode in the day coach. 1t
was hot, stuffy and uncomfortable.
Everything seemed sticky.
Big Idea Is Born.
~I1l open the window" / said TO
myself. And that proved how dumb
really was. l tugged at the thing
an hour and fell back in the seat
exhausted. But right there and then
was born the Big Idea.
laL know what i wanted TO do most
inViHe. / did not enjoy the Mid,
way Plaisance or the other cultural
exhibits at the fair fer dreaming
of a new future.
At night L would feverishly toss on
the pillow just thinking, thinking and
thinking. My favorite dream was to
be seated in a crowded railroad coach
reading. A sweet young voice would
saw: "Pardon me. but would you
mind opening the window. I'm faint"
And without looking up from the
with one finger-the one carrying the
horseshoe nail ring with serpent eyes
flip open the window, | would APP
parently be unmindful OF the polite
murmurs of surprise of fellow travel
ers about me.
Later on when travelling in Pull
man cars / never thought of sleep.
would struggle until dawn pinked the
sky with the train window. L never
once lost my temper or courage. Some
how. some day / would achieve what
others considered the impossible.
j haunted the public libraries and
wallowed in the history of railroad
ing. / read the various biographies of
the Pullman boys. OF course, | had
TO live and so / kept at my piffling
tasks heroically and secretly nurs-
ing the great ambition.
Planned to Use Dynamite.
There were trips when l carried a
vest pocket oil can and pair OF
pliers. Another time / took stick
of dynamite but the old lady in the
upper berth told the porter she had
headache and | didn't want to dis
turb her.
I have sneaked up behind train
windows, petted and caioled them but
to no avail. Once | walked non
chalantly through an empty train.
turned suddenly and bounced upon
window and all / got was a couple
II broken finger nails
Stdtiter souls than I would have
surrendered but my repeated failures
only snurred me on. I read all the
brochures on self mastery and the