give me chance to work my passage. They envied
me my youth and strength, which would sooner or
later get me out of the country. These they no
longe-r possessed. Age and English hardship had
broken them, and for them the game was played
and up.

There was one, however, who was still young,
and who, I am sure, will in the end make it out.
He had gone to the United States as a young
fellow, and in fourteen years residence the longest
period he had been out of work was twelve hours.
He had saved his money, grown too prosperous,
and returned to the mother country. Now he was
standing in line at the spike.

For the past two years, he told me, he had been
working as a cook. His hours had been from 7 A.M.
to 10.30 P.M., and on Saturday to 12.30 P.M. ninety-
five hours per week, for which he had received
twenty shillings, or five dollars.

"But the work and the long hours was killing
me," he said, "and I had to chuck the job. I had a
little money saved, but I spent it living and looking
for another place."

This was his first night in the spike, and he had
come in only to get rested. As soon as he emerged
he intended to start for Bristol, a one-hundred-and-
ten-mile walk, where he thought he would eventually
get a ship for the States.

[[95]]

p094 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p095w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p096

v?