The Nome daily nugget., 1936-01-22
MIR. PIKE
 s By R. H. WILKINSON
@. Bell syndlcate.-wNn Service.
r T HAD rained the night before.
 The grass on the common was

The sun occasionally looked from be hind scudding clouds.
 Mir. Pike, gentleman of the streets, member of that vast and ever-increas. ing army of unemployed tbut by choice) paused at the edge of his fa' vorite grass plot, stretched. yawned, gazed judicially up at the weather, stopped and frsked the spears of green with a fattened hand.
 look of doubt and annoyance re- placed the usual complacency of his expression.
 The morning was well advanced; :45 was the accustomed hour that Mir. Pike stretched out full length in the warm sunshine of his favorite grass plot and gave himself over to slumber.
 Still bearing the look of annoyance. Mir Pike took few tentative steps off the cement sidewalk ard stood irreso- lutely in the damp grass, trying to de- eide whether or not he could resist the luxury of his habitual midmorning snooze, or risk the possibility of a rack ing cold by succumbing to 1t.
 To the right and left of him other Gentlemen of the Streets reclined in various positions.
 Some few. like Mir. Pike, stood erect with doubtful expressions; others, the less fastdious, the less particular and apparently the less susceptible to rack ing colds. were already stretched on their backs. indifferent to the damp ness.
 A third group had spread forth news papers as a protective measure.
 Toward this latter group Mir. Pike cast envious gances.
 It was a pity, he thought, that a man didn't have 2 cents in his jeans to buy newspaper.
 There were so many uses to which one could put newspaper.
 Even one of the tabloid editions wouldn't go amiss.
 Mir. Pike sighed heavily and wished for the hundredth time that the day might come when his finances would permit the purchase of morning news paper.
 After a while he sighed again. and sat down.
 The dampness, he told himself, wasn't as bad as he thought.
 And the scudding clouds had nearly all dispersed
 Mir. Pike yawned, lay back on his elbows, yawned again, reclined full length, tipped his battered felt hat for ward and slept.
 It was past noon when Mr. Pike awoke.
 The sun was radiating heat from Pike could tell that he had overslept.
 Somewhat perturbed, he got hurried ly to his feet, paused only long enough to stretch and carefully brush from his tattered Jacket the spears of grass that had gathered there, and moved with slightly better than shuffline pace to- ward the nearest cement walk.
 No one paid Mir. Pike great deal of heed as he threaded his way along the crowded walks; but the indiffer ence of fellow human beings had long since ceased to bother him.
 In fact, to have been accosted, would. at the moment, have proved extremely annoying.
 Mir. Pike crossed Fremont street and headed east.
 Shortly he turned into a less tray. eled thoroughfare, later turned again and so presently came abreast of a building in front of which a line of dowdy looking males made halting progress toward the entrance.
 Mir. Pike fell in at the foot of the line, and found various spots along the buildings side a comfortable lounging place.
 Eventually, MT. Pike found himself inside the building, and was served a steaming bowl of soup and three crack CTS.
 He found a place toward the end of long table.
 He ate with certain amount of leisure, unhurredly, relishing each mouthful.
 His attitude was that of man con. templating weighty problems while con- suming luncheon.
 And, indeed, MT. Pike was contem- plating a weighty problem.
 He was perturbed, annoyed and ey- tremely worried.
 For, despite the brightness of that monday sun, perceived by Mir. Pike on awaking 30 minutes before, he knew as the result of many previous scrutinies of that same sun that before the next night was ended 1t would again rain
 And if 1t raned, Mir. Pike's favorite grass plot would, on the morrow un.