(_Wanderlust._)]
"When you came in the bunk house I had a hunch that there was going to
be something doing of a disagreeable nature, and I was a trifle uneasy,
as Baker was really an excellent specimen of physical manhood--but
then so was Reynolds an excellent specimen of physical manhood, and,
incidentally, the latter knew a few things about that 'manly art.'
"Truly, I gloated inwardly when, after he 'cussed you out,' and you
proceeded to give him a little practical demonstration of 'fist
against face and face against floor,' and repeated the same until he
had had enough.
"'He was going to hit you.' Yes, the horrid, mean, cruel, brutal man.
He hit your fist so hard with his jaw that the sheer force of it
knocked him down. But he at least was man enough to apologize, and
I noticed a marked change in him from that day on, a change in both
countenance and manner."
Six months in the bad lands of Dakota had tanned me till I could hardly
be told from an Indian. It did not affect Anderson so much for he was
naturally dark skinned and the change was not so perceptible. I put on
about twenty pounds while he added over ten. Six full months there had
broadened, thickened and toughened us.
On our way back East we stopped over in St. Paul for several days, and
there we blew in the little sums which represented six hard months'
work at thirty dollars per. As the old fellow would say, "we did it
brown," and had we not purchased through tickets to Chicago from
Yankton, we never would have landed there seven days after leaving the
ranch lands.
At any rate we landed in Chicago safe and sound, and not a sou between
the two of us. On leaving St. Paul we had forty-two cents; forty cents
we spent on the train for oranges, bananas and a couple of magazines,
while the two cents was spent for a postage stamp. This stamp was used
in mailing Anderson's letter, which he had written about a month before
while we were doing the cowboy stunt.
When we alighted from the train we were truly two wild looking men,
for neither of us had sufficient or proper clothing. We had intended
purchasing some garments in St. Paul during our stay there, but by
the time we were ready to make our purchases we found that we were
minus the cash capital required. Both of us wore sombreros, overalls
and flannel shirts. Back in the Windy City and broke again! But this
thought did not haunt us for we had grown accustomed to being in that
condition, no longer embarrassing.
We proceeded to an Employment Agency, where we had a few months
previously secured positions, and again we made application for jobs.
"Just anything," for we were down and out and needed the money. We told
the manager that we had had some experience as housemen and such a job
would suit us well enough. He informed us that he had a call for a
couple of men out on East End Avenue in the Hyde Park section, and that
we might go out there and make application for the places.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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