Show I 1 CHAPTER I. I Im N Nt N. G. G that's G.-that's that's a cinch The sooner I chuck it the better Caught in the swirl virl of the busy city's midday rush engulfed in Broadways Broadways Broadway's Broadways Broadway's Broad Broad- ways way's swift moving flood of hustling humanity jostled unceremoniously by the careless indifferent crow crowds s discouraged from stemming further the iho tide of pushing elbowing men and women omen who hurried up and down the great thoroughfare Howard Jeffries tired and hungry and thoroughly disgusted disgusted disgusted dis dis- dis- dis gusted with himself stood still at the corner of Fulton street cursing the luck which had brought him to his present plight It was the noon hour the important time of day when nature loudly claims her her due when business affairs no matter how pressing must be temporarily tem tern interrupted so that the human human human hu hu- hu- hu man machine may lay in a fresh store o of n nervous energy From under the portals of precipitous office buildings mammoth hives hive's of human industries which to right and left soared dizzily from street to sky swarmed thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of of both sexes sexes clerks stenographers shop girls messenger messenger mes mes- boys boys all all moved by a common Impulse to satisfy without further delay delay de de- de lay the animal cravings of their phys ical teal natures They strode along with quick nervous step each chatting and laughing with his fellow Interested for the nonce in the days day's work making making ma map king plans for well earned well earned recreation when five o'clock should come and the uptown stampede for Harlem and home begin The young ma man sullenly watched the scene envious of the energy and activity of all about him Each one me mein in these hurrying throngs he thought bitterly to himself was a valuable unit in the prosperity and welfare of the big town No matter how humble his or her position each played a apart apart apart part in the business life of the great city each was an unseen unknown yet Indispensable cog in the whirling complicated mechanism of the vast world metropolis Intuitively he felt that he was not one of them that he had no right even to c consider himself their equal He was utterly useless to anybody He was without position or Dr money He was destitute even of a shred of self Hadn't he promised Annie not to touch liquor again before he found a job Yet he had already imbibed all ll the whisky which the little money left in his pocket would bu buy Involuntarily instinctively he be shrank back into the shadow of a doorway to let the crowds pass The pavements pavements' were now filled to overflowing overflowing over over- flowing and each moment newcomers from the side streets came came to swell the human stream He tried to avoid observation fearing that some some one might recognize him thinking all could read on his face that he was wasa a sot Bot a self confessed failure one of lifes life's Incompetents In his painful jelf consciousness Jolt he believed himself the tho cynosure of every eye and he winced as he thought he detected on certain faces side glances of curiosity commiseration and contempt Nor was he altogether mistaken More than one by passerby turned to look In his direction attracted by his peculiar appearance His was a type tyve not seen every day in the commercial commercial com com- mercial district the district the post post graduate graduate college man out ut at elbows He was smooth faced and apparently about 25 years of ago age His complexion was fair and his face refined It would have been heon handsome but for a drooping droop droop- ing lug irresolute mouth Bich v ich denoted moro more than average weakness of char char- acter Tho The face was thin like chalk-like In In- its lack Inck of color and deeply seamed with tho the tell tale lines of dissipation Dark circles under his hla eyes and a peculiar watery look suggested late hours and for alcoholic I r refreshment t. t Ills Hla li clothes had the cut of expensive tailors but they were shabby and needed pressing His linen was soiled and his necktie ranged His whole appearance was careless and suggested that recklessness reckless ness of mind which comes of general demoralization Howard Jeffries knew mat he was a failure yet like most young men mentally weak ho insisted that he ho could not be bo hold altogether to blame Secretly too he be despised these I sober Bober industrious people who seemed consented con rented with the tho crumbs of comfort I thrown to thorn thom What he be wondered Idly was their secret of getting on I How were they able ablo to lead such well regulated lives lives when ho starting out I with far greater advantages had fa failed lEd Oh he ho knew well where the tho trouble lay lay lay-In In his damnable weakness weak ness of character his lovo love for Cor drink That That was responsible for or everything But wan waa It i Wa fault if ho were born weak people eople who v behaved themselves and nd got got goton on ho he sneered were calm commonplace temperaments temperaments tempera tempera- ments WhO found no difficulty In con con- troUng their baser Instincts Th They edid e- e did right simply because they found it easier than to Lo do wrong Their vir- vir g n iA L fj o Jn 1 CID Jell nn Mrm Y DEG Lr AND KLEIN V V r LOW V VION RAC ION BY LR J Ji Mg J t 1909 BY OY O GW VV COMPANY I r J 1 c. c I L 4 I l r.- r. r fJ- fJ W j I l j r J I Jb A I i. i r I r i r. r 1 0 e C b bHe He Was a Type Not Seen Every Day In the Commercial District I I I tue was nothing to brag about It Iwas I Iwas was easy to be good when not exposed exposed ex ex- posed to temptation But for those born with the devil in them it came hard It was all a matter of heredity and influence Ones One's vices as well as ones one's virtues are handed down to us ready made He fie had no doubt that in the Jeffries family somewhere in the unsavory vory past there had been a weak vicious ancestor from whom whom- he had inherited all aU the traits which barred his way to success The crowds of hungry workers grew bigger every minute Every Everyone one was elbowing his way into neighboring restaurants crowding the tables and buffets all eating voraciously as they talked and laughed Howard was rudely reminded by inward pangs that he too was famished Not a thing had passed his lips since he had left home in Harlem at eight o'clock that morning and he had told Annie that he would be home for lunch There was no use staying downtown any I longer For three weary hours he had j I trudged from office to office seeking I employment answering advertisements advertisements advertisements advertise advertise- ments asking for work of any kind ready to do no matter what but all to tono tono tono no purpose Nobody wanted him at any price What was the good of a aman aman aman man being willing to work if there was was- no ono one nA to employ him A nice look out look out certainly Hardly Hardly- a dollar dollar left eft and no prospect of getting any more He hardly had the courage to tore re return urn home and fac face Annie With a muttered exclamation of impatience he spat from his bis mouth the half half con con consumed cigarette which was hanging from his lip and crossing Broadway walked listlessly in the direction of Park place He had certainly made a mess of things yet at one time not not so long I Iago I ago what a brilliant future life seemed to have in store for him No boy had bad ever been given a better start He lie remembered the day he left home to go to Yale he recalled his fathers father's kind kinel words of encouragement encouragement his mothers mother's tears Ah All if his mother had only lived Then maybe everything would have been different But she died during his freshman year carried off oft suddenly by heart failure His father married again a young joung woman 20 years his junior and that had started everything everything every every- thing off wrong The fhe old home life liCe had gone forever He had felt like an intruder the first time he he went home and from that day his fathers father's roof had been distasteful to him Yes that was the be beginning of his hard luck He lie could trace all his bis misfortunes ml fortunes for for- tunes back to that He couldn't stand for stepmother a haughty self fish supercilious ambitious creature who had bad little sympathy for her predecessors predecessor's predecessors predecessor's sors sor's child and no scruple in showing showing show show- I ing it Then at college he had met Robert Underwood the popular upper classman classman class class- man who had professed to take a great fancy to him He a timid young oung freshman Was waa naturally flattered by bythe bythe bythe the friendship of the dashing fascinatIng fascinating fascinating ing sophomore and thus commenced that unfortunate Intimacy which had brought about the climax to his trou trou- bIos bles Tho The amiable Underwood whom ho he soon discovered to be a gentlemanly gen gen- I scoundrel borrowed his money and introduced him Into the sporty sot an nn exclusive circle Into I which thanks to his hla liberal allowance from homo home ho was wal welcomed with r u I open arms With a youth of his proclivities pro pro- proclivities and inherent nt weakness s the outcome was inevitable At no no ime of study he regarded Resi Residence esi- esi dence in college as a most desir desirable ble emancipation from the the restraint of restraint I of of home life Ufe The love of books he c n- n a pose and he scoffed at themen the themen he hemen men who took their reading seriously sly T The e. e university attracted him mo mostly by its most undesirable features features' its features its sports its secret societies its etty cliques and its The broad spirit and the dignity of the alma mater he ignored completely Directly he went to Yale he started in in to enjoy enjoy en en- joy himself and with the sophisticated Underwood as guide went 1 to the devil faster faste th than n any man be before ore ore him himin himin himin in the entire history of the university Reading attendance at l lectures became became be be- came only a convenient cloak to conceal conceal con con- ceal his Poker playing automobile joy rides hard haid drinking became the daily curriculum In town rows and orgies of every description description tion he was soon a recognized leader Scandal followed scandal until he was I threatened with expulsion Then his I father heard of it and there was a aI a I terrible scene Jeffries Sr went Immediately immediately im imn- mediately to New Haven and there followed a stormy interview in which I Howard promised to reform but once the parents parent's back was turned things II went on pretty much as before There were fresh scandals the smoke of I which reached as is far as New York This time Mr Jeffries tried the plan of cutting down the money supply and Howard found himself financially embarrassed em em- But this had not quite the effect de desired ired by the father for rendered desperate by his inability t to secure funds with which to carry carryon on his sprees the young man started in to gamble heavily ly giving notes for his losses and pocketing the ready money when he won Then came the supreme scandal which turned his fathers father's heart to steel Jeffries Sr could forgive much I in a young young man He had been young h himself once once None knew better than thanh h he how difficult it Is when hen the blood is rich and red to keep l oneself in control But there was one offence which a man proud of his descent could not condone He would never forgive the staining of the family name by a degrading marriage The news came to the unhappy father like a thunderclap thunder Howard probably In Ina Ina ina a drunken spree had married secretly a waitress employed In one of oC the sporty restaurants In New Haven and to make the worse the girl was not even of respectable parents Her father Billy Delmore the poolroom king was a a notorious gambler and had died In convict stripes Fine sensation that for the j yellow press Bankers Son Weds J Convicts Convict's Daughter So ran the scare heads In the newspapers Ii That was the last straw for Mr Jeffries Jeffries Jeff Jeff- ries Sr He sternly told his son that he never wanted to look upon his face 1 again Howard bowed his head to J the decree and he had never seen his father since Bince All this the young man was reviewIng reviewing review review- ing In his mind when suddenly his reflections reflections reflections re re- were disturbed by a friendly hall hail Hello Jeffries old sport Dont Don't you know a fellow frat when you see seo him 1 He Ho looked up A young man of ot build with a pleasant frank franki i ti 1 y aP I Ir r o face was standing at the n news ws stand under the Park place elevated station n. n Quickly Howard extended his hand Hello Coxe he exclaimed What on earth are you doing in New York Whoever would have expected to ta meet you rou In this how howling wilderness Hows How's everything at Yale The athlete grinned I Yale be hanged I dont don't care a d d- d You know I graduated last June Im I'm In business now now now-in In a brokers broker's of flee fice in Wall street Say its it's great We had a semi panic last week Prices went to the devil Stocks broke 20 points You should have wen aAen en the excitement ex ex- on the exchange floor Our football rushes were nothing to It 1 tell you Its It's great Its It's got coi college ege beaten to a frazzle II Quickly he added What are you doing Howard averted his eyes and hung his head I Nothing he answered gloomily Coxe had quickly taken note of his former fornier classmates classmate's shabby appear ance He had also heard of ot his es en you hear muttered How How- ard Row with governor marriage and all that sort of thing Of course he went on fathers Cathers damnably damnably damn damn- ably unjust actuated by absurd prejudice pre pre- judice Annies Annie's a good girl and a good wife no matter what her father was D n D-n n it this Is a free country A man can marry whom he likes All these ideas about family pride and family honor are old world notions foreign to this soil Im I'm not going to give up Annie to please any anyone one Im I'm as fond of her now as ever ever I 1 haven't regretted a moment that 1 I II I j married her Of course It has been hard Father at mice once shut down money supplies making my further stay at Yale impossible and I l' l was forced to come to New York to seek seeh employment Weve We've managed t to flu fia up a small flat in Harlem and now like Micawber l Im I'm waiting for something something some some- thing to turn up Coxe nodded sym Come and have a drink he sal sail cheerily Howard hesitated Once more ha he remembered his promise to Annie but butas butas butas as long as he had broken It once he hI would get no credit for refusing now He Ha was horribly thirsty and de de- pressed Another drink would cheer him up It seemed even wicked to decline when it wouldn't cost him anything They entered a bar conveniently close at hand and with a tremulous hand Howard carried greedily to his hii lips the insidious liquor which had undermined his health and stolen away his manhood Have another said Coxe with a amile smile mile as he saw the glass emptied at ata ata a gulp I dont don't care if I do do replied How How- aid ard Secretly ashamed of h his s weakness weakness weak weak- ness he shuffled uneasily on his feet teet Well what are you going to do old man d demanded Coxe as ho pushed the whisky bottle over Im looking ool ng for a Job stammered Howard awkwardly Hastily he went wenton on It It isn't so easy If it was only myself I wouldn't mind Id I'd get alon along somehow But theres there's the little girl She wants to go to work andI and I wont won't hear of It I couldn't stand for tor that you know Coxe feared a touch Awkwardly he said TO BE E |