The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-18
By ALEX JACKINSON

you know he wore a mustache when he was presi-
dent"
To aid him in achieving his goal Brill bought an
Atlas out of which he cut every presidents picture
and used them for comparison with his own. That
he thought was bit of ingenuity, no one else
would think Of
In a short time this contest became an obsession
with him. He dreamt, spoke and thought about it
without using discretion as to time and place In
the subway at the office he would suddenly
lay aside his work and begin concentrating on the
correctness of cut which puzzled him. At
such moments the $4,000 would swim before his
eyes. He couldn't get it out of his mind, so he did
the very opposite and allowed his imagination full
reign, and always imagining that he would be the
winner. AS the contest became difficult Brill
became more irritable, and extremely jealous of
every other person competing with him.
There was a deep motive underlying his mad de-
sire to win. For the past twelve years Brill was
glued down to a salary which he was barely
able to get along. He sensed somehow that a pre-
mature senility beginning to hover about his
middle age and wanted to safeguard against it. In
an effort to do so, he at one time invested one
hundred dollars in stock of which he lost almost
half. That cured him of further gambling
As can be expected of one possessing his eccen-
tricites, Brill staunch believer Nothing could
shake his faith in the belief that fate would finally
reward him by bestowing the prize upon him. It
gave him immense pleasure to think about it. He
began to live on that one hope, which soon became
the reef which he chung to life.
Then came day when the last of the series ap-
peared. Brill stayed away from work then having
a cigar clerk whom he patronzed phone his en-
ployer that he was ILL., Instead he HE'D off to the
library where he spent all day going over the pic
lures. He carefully fitted reftted and pasted to-
gether the many parts, making slight changes here
and there. Toward evening he finally sealed them
in an envelope, and with heart full Of anticipa-
ton mailed them.
Following that came long period of watchful
waiting, sometimes yarieted by agonizing despair
The very next morning he phoned the newspaper
to see whether his contribution arrived "No in
formation given the phone" drifted thru the
receiver. He was crestfalen. day later he called
in person, and was informed that it would take at
least month before the winner was announced
Ere the week elapsed he called again.
During this time mis- mind began to undergo
complete change. Brill began to live in a state Of
unreality He often vsioned his name in bold head
line, "Mr. Morton Brill winner of the $4,000 pic
ture contest" He worked himself into a lethaI
fever thinking about it. His eyelids would futter,
and his mouth broaden into what onced served as a
smile as he did. This phantom chasing became an
inseparable part of his daily routine. AS result
he could no longer think clearly, and made constant
errors in his work. He didn't even get the usual
extra weeks pay when he was fired
To his wife he said that he was "lad off" but she
instnctively sensed the true reason. His conduct
was If anything, more accentuated at home
Mrs. Brill was former choir singer who married
Morton at mature age. There was nothing ro-
mantle about their meeting, and subsequent mar
rage Both believed in the "sanctity of the home I"
tho neither could explain what that meant In time
they adjusted their mental faculties to think in
one direction, and their marriage smoothly thru
the years. In Mortons placid demeanor Mrs Brill
saw something she alone termed as poise. And in
her Brill saw the ideal wife, obedient thrifty and
virtuous. They had two children which partly filled
the empty gaps in their lives.
of recent days Brill's conduct took turn for the
worse. With the loss of his position came the in
creased desire to win, and he made no effort to find
another one. "The ten thousand dollars will put
me on easy street." he kept telling and convincing
himself that such would be the case Brill already
figured out how best to invest the money. His wife
attempted to cheer him by sympathetic holdings of
her head, but then seeing that encouragement only
increased his abnormal attitude she said nothing,
but inwardly worried a great deal.
With victory Brill visioned himself becoming a
man of men. His name would be read by millions,
and envied by still more This puffed his insuffer-
able ego to lofty heights One day he spent six hours
writing statement in. which he credited his sue
cess TO "clean living and love for his wife" He
IN