Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-05-10
GETTING DOWN TO

THE KANSAS CITY KID
By TOM NOODLE

1ne OtneT DAY On a highway Uu
of Minot, walking in the hot sun
carrying a heavy grip. The Heralt
picked up the Kansas City Kid. Ht
was a hobo and he admitted 1t. HI
had a good coat of tan, an appetite
equal to the eating of a set of nicle
plated harness, all the Impotence OF
youth and he was worrying like
young colt in the harness for the
first time. He was on his way TO Sa.
co. He had a letter of introduction to
a man there who gives out jobs on a
rock excavating job. And he did have
such dreams He was going to work
on that rock crushing until he had
enough money to grub stake him to
go into the mountains to search for
| placer gold. Thus he had hitched his
wagon TO a star. If the gold thing did
not turn out there was all the chal-
lenge of the Canadian northwest.
There was a place to try the mettIe
of a man with its fish, its fur, its
minerals. its forests. There was a
place to see woh much man there is
in you when you are "a. A victim OF
the wanderlust divine. this child.
Why?
Gradually the story vas drawn from
him. He had graduated from high
schol five years ago. His dad had fig
ured out that his education had cost
him at least $4,000. He had an idea
tAAt. all an educated young mar had
TO do was to step out in the world
and say Here am T. and the world
would come running to his door and
shower him with material b0unties.
But the world isn't like that. There
was a long and painful period of
searching for a job. Then along came
the CCC and the first job after
school. 1t was up in the good clean
north woods around Grand Marias on
the north shore of Lake Superior. 1t
seems there were a lot of good books
there and this boy had a chance to
improve his MUD a bit. Also there
was a good friend in the camp chap
lain, long talks with him and quite a
group of serious, interesting young
men around him. 1t induced thinking.
The term of enlistment expired, but
this boy was glad to serve 1t.
The CCC is a good thing, he thinks.
A lot Of the good work it has done may
not appear for several years. There
are all kinds of people in a CCC camp
They get themselves quickly and au-
tomatically classified in the groups
where they belong, but only a hopeless
dullard will not be benefited by this
experience. There were serious talks
at the camp about what a young man
should do in times like these to help
himself. Everybody was agreed that
he should do all he can to help him
self. The chaplain said these are un-
usual times and you must be patient
but that In the years between 20 and
80 IT you can just make up your mind
waxat you want to do and get started
at It you are making real progress.
The hoy had M4ns about politics.
Democattc polHica III his home town
Kansas City, he thinks are just plain
rotten. He n going to go back there
some day and do his part to help
clean up. Most young men he knows,
he says, are much interested In pol
itics. They like this mar Roosevelt"
They find him human, sincere, evil
IDENTITY understanding. He isn't to be
compared with the old Democratic
political bosses In Kansas City. They
are Of a spokesman type. They need
cleaning out. In that CCC camp
there was time to study special
things like soil erosion, the neces-
sity OF reforestation, what is to be
done with water. Evidently a lot OF
knowledge was gained which will be
good in future years. One buddy In the
camp came In a sickIy, ~uDderWeight
chap. He spent 500 of the money he
earned in getting his teeth fixed.
that time he has gained 30 pounds
Now he wants to go up to Canada and
choke a ~silvertip grizzly to death.
The youth OF this time is NOSE In
teresting. If you viii take time to
cultivate 1t, and find what 1t is think
Ing about and what It's dreams are.
you will be much treasured. And YOU
will have more time to worry about |
unlovely shortcomings and less
about those of youth. Any OF we old
steers, no matter where we find our
selves, would Like to trade places with
the Kansas City kid. Maybe he is on
a fools errand. But he is falling down |
the elevator shaft of life having quite |
q few of the rough spots worn from
Its all adventure now, confused.
dreaming. but every days experience
VIII have some part In shaping the /,
destiny OF the matured man. Just a
hobo. you VIII say. |
Well, that's a great school. IL IT ia
a hard one. A hobo is on his own
Inc world doesn't give him any OF
The best OF it. 1t puts him IND against
stern experiences, like being hungry !
and cold. Those are experiences well
worth while. They will make the
boy a bit more human and a trim
from here to San Francisco and back
on your own will destroy a lot OF
and consume In the white
fire Of experience a lot OF ego. OF
course, boys shouldn't become no.
But did you ever think 1t takes
nerve % strike out and say goodbye
everybody and buck this old thing
they call life strictly on your own
in you will come out and a
lot OF stuff will be hammered into
that you could perhaps never ab-
nc tynl1 Iva 4