The Ely miner., 1929-07-05

from my LIenu.
Dear Scotty:
Il grieve to leave you thus, but the
cruel foreman insists ON me working
off my ten days board. Racked With
pain as am. there appears TO be no
alternative bur flight Accordingly !
fade away once more into the IN
known. VIII write You general de
livery. Los Angeles. Good luck and
good-by. Yours to cinder,
HAPPY"
There was a hue and cry after MIN,
out he was gone, and sudden dis
gust for the place cume over me, For
two more days | worked. crushed by
gloom that momently intensified.
CLAIMANT and imperative IN me was
the voice of change. | could not be
come toil-broken. so | saw the fore
man.
'Why do you want to go?" he asked
reproachfully.
"Well. sir. the works too monoto-
nous"
"Monotonous Well, that's the rum,
NEST reason | ever heard a man give
for quitting. But every man knows
his own business hest"
Los Angeles will always be writ
ten in golden letters in the archives
of my memory. Crawling, sore and
Sullen, from the clutch of toll, rev
eed in q lotus life of ease and idle
ness Living was incredibly cheap
For seventy-five cents a week had
little sunlit attic, and for ten cents
| could dine abundantly. So. dream
ing and roaming the streets. spent
my days in state of beatitude.
But my small capital could not last
forever, and the time came when once
more the grim face of toll confronted
me, and again found myself mixing
with the spineless residuum of the
employment bureau.
got work as an Orange-picker. 1t
was matter of swinging long lad
ders into ruit-flaunting trees, of sun
shiny days and futtering leaves, of
golden branches plundered, and boxes
filed from sagging sacks. There is
no more ideal occupation. reveled
in 1t. Possibly | would have gone on
cOntentedly enough, perched on a lad
der. high up in the sunlit sway of
treetOps, had not the work come TO
an end. When | counted my savings
and found that | had four hundred
and ninety-five cents. such a feeling
of affluence came over me that re
solved to crafty my taste for travel.
Accordingly purchased ticket for
San Diego. and once more found my
self sOuthward hound.
A few days In San Diego reduced
my small capital to the vanishing
point, yet it was with light heart |
turned north again and took the All
Tie route for Los Angeles. was
absolutely penniless. The Lord looks
after his children, said l, and when |
became too inexOrably hungry | asked
for bread. emphasizing my willingness
to do stunt on the wOOdpile Per-
haps ii was because | was young and
notably novice in yagrancy, but peo
pie were very good to me.
On arriving in Los Angeles went
TO the post office. There was LET.
ter from the Prodigal dated New
York, and inclosing fourteen dollars.
which he owed me- He said:
II returned to the paternal root,
weary Of my role. The fatted calf
awaited me. Nevertheless, am sick
again for the unhallOwed swine-husks
Meet me in Frisco about the end of
February, and ] will glorious prop
ositiOn unfold. Don't fail. Look for
letter in the General Delivery"
There was no time to lose, as Feb
ruary was nearly over. took q
steerage passage to San Francisco.
resolving that would mend my for
tunes 1t is so easy TO drift saw
that as long as | remained friendless
and unknown nothing but degraded
toll was open TO me. Surely I could
climb up, but was II worth while? A
snug farm in the Northwest awaited
me. would work my way back
there, and arrive decently clad. Then
none would know of my humiliation
| had been wayward and foolish. but
| had learned something.
What with steamer fare and few
small debts to settle, ! found when
landed in San Francisco that once
more l was fatty broke. There was
no letter for me, and perhaps 1t was
on account of my disappointment, per-
haps on account of my extreme shab-
biness. but | found ! had quite lost
heart So ! frightened my belt and
sat in Portsmouth square, cursing my
self for the many nickels had squap-
dered In riOtOus living.
| was browsing on my bench when
some one addressed me.
Say, young fellow. you look pretty
well used up."
An elderly. gray-haired man came
and sat by me.
"Come. buck up. kid. you're pretty
near down and out. I've been study.
in you two days. Let's go and feed '
He took me TO a restaurant where
he ordered a dinner that made my
head swim
My benefactor was rather under
medium height, but so square and sol.
id you felt he was a man to be reck.
Oned with. His mouth was firm and
his chin resolute. Altogether his face
was curious blend of benevolence
and ruthless determination.
Feel better. son? Well. go ahead
an tell ME as much of your story as
you want TO-"
gave an account of all that had
happened TO me since had set foot
on the new land
(To BE CONTINUED)