american tragedy

Chapter 32 (2)
Chapter 23 (2)
Your father is old and still working hard.He hasn't been feeling well lately.

Clyde, I'm so happy for you that you've made such great progress.Last night your father was talking about your Lycurgus uncle Samuel Griffiths.He is very rich and has a big business. You can send him a letter asking him to help you find a job and learn some skills.He might be able to say yes.I think he has no reason to evade, after all, you are his own nephew! Others say that he has a large collar factory in Lycurgus and is very rich.He might find you a job.This way you have a clear goal for your efforts.How it is, write and let me know.

I hope to hear from you often, Clyde.Write to me and tell me all about you, past and present, will you? We love you as much as ever and will do our best to lead you on the right path.We wish you success as soon as possible, and its enthusiasm is far beyond your imagination.But we want you to be a good boy and live a pure life.Son, even if a man gains the whole world, what is the point if he loses his own soul?

Write to Ma, Clyde, and always remember that she always loved you, and guided you, and prayed to God, to do the right thing.

love you

mom.

Therefore, before Clyde met Uncle Samuel, he already had him and his big company in his heart.At the same time, he was relieved to know that his parents were not as poor as they had been, and were probably living in a church hotel or boarding house.

For two months after receiving the letter, he was thinking of a solution almost every day.One day a visitor from Chicago bought some ties and handkerchiefs from the shop where he worked, and he sent them to the United Club on Jackson Avenue.Who do you think he ran into there? It was Rattler in his club uniform! He was here to do inquiries and deliver packages.When they met old acquaintances in a foreign land, they couldn't believe their eyes.Ratterer yelled, "Clyde!" grabbing him and whispering, "I can't believe it's you. What's the matter? Put it here. Where the hell are you from?" Ryder also asked him excitedly: "What about you? Aren't you Tom? How do you work here?

Rattler, almost forgetting their unfortunate secret, said, "Exactly. I've been here almost a year." Pulling Clyde's hand suddenly, as if to silence him. .Rattler was chatting with a young man when Clyde came in.Now he takes Clyde out of earshot and says, "I work under my real name, but I don't want people to know I'm from Kansas City, understand? I lied about being from Cleveland I'm here."

As he spoke, he squeezed Clyde's arm kindly, and carefully looked at his old friend from head to toe.Clyde also said very excitedly: "Very good, very good. I am very happy to be connected with you. My name is Tennet now, Harry? Tennet, remember!"

But Rattler quickly noticed that Clyde was wearing a deliveryman's uniform, and laughed: "Driving a delivery truck, it's ridiculous, you are actually driving a delivery truck! Haha, it's so ridiculous. What do you do?" This?" Rattler found himself displeased when it came to Clyde's current situation.Clyde said, "I've been very poor lately." Rattler said, "I want to talk to you. Where do you live?" Clyde told him. "Okay, well, I get off work at six, and you'll come over after I get off work. How about we meet at Henricy's on Randolph Street? How about seven? I get off at six. If you Convenient, meet there at seven o'clock."

He nodded in agreement.

Clyde got into the car and continued to deliver the goods.But all afternoon he thought about meeting Ratterer, and at 05:30 he hurried back to the warehouse, then in his boarding house on the West End, changed his clothes, and hurried to Henley West.He waited for less than a quarter of an hour, and Rattler also came, fully dressed, and greeted him affectionately.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again," he said. "You know, I've run into you among the gang since I escaped from Kansas City. After I left home, my sister wrote that there didn't seem to be any People know what's going on with Higby, Hegglund, or you. Sparser got locked up for a year, you know? But it's not about killing that little girl, it's about driving that car He didn't have a license. The police told him to stop and he didn't stop. He was sued for it. But, I heard," he lowered his voice solemnly, "we will be punished if we are caught too. Same crime. I was so scared, run!" He laughed. "What a shock! We also left him in the car with that girl, which wasn't very good, but we had no choice! We ain't going to be all caught up, are we? What's the girl's name? Oh, Laura Cyprus. You slipped away before I saw you. So did your girlfriend, little Briggs, you two Are you leaving?"

Clyde shook his head.

"Not at all."

"Then where have you been?"

Clyde told him the whole story of his wandering experience.He said: "You know what? That little Briggs went to New York with someone, Louise told me, a tobacco shop clerk. And she saw her go away wearing a new dress." leather coat." (Clyde flinched sadly) "Oh, you were wronged when you took to her. She didn't love you, and nobody. But you were obsessed with her, weren't you? He grinned at Clyde and, as usual, patted him on the arm.

He also tells some of his own stories, much more prosaically than Clyde's.In his story, what plays a key role is not struggle and endurance, but tenacity and self-confidence.Then he jumped at that opportunity."You can always find something to do in Chicago," he said.

Since then he has lived here, naturally, very quiet, but he can't find anyone who can tell the truth.

He also said that the United Club is not short of manpower at present, but he can say hello to Mr. Hailey, the director of the club. If there is any opportunity, he will try to inquire about it and find some work for Clyde.

"Don't think about those things," he said to Clyde. "It's no use at all."

The conversation was truly inspiring.Two days later, when Clyde was considering whether to resign from this job, resume his real name, and seek errands in various hotels, a waiter at the United Club sent a note: "Tomorrow noon at the Great Northern Hotel to see Latour Sir, there is a shortage of manpower over there. Although it is not the best, it is quite promising."

Clyde immediately called in sick, put on his best clothes and rushed to the hotel.With his qualifications, he was hired immediately, and under his real name, which finally put him at ease.In addition, what satisfied him was a salary of twenty dollars a week, including meals.His current income is only ten dollars a week at most.Then with the meal money, it will be much higher than the current income.And, despite being back in the old business, it works powerfully.

Less than three months later, the United Club was short of a waiter.Before that, Rattler had already served as the deputy foreman of the day shift waiter, and he got along well with the foreman, so he recommended Clyde.Ratterer had taught him the tricks of sycophancy in dealing with a new boss, and he landed the job without a hitch.

In Clyde's eyes, this place is very different from Great North.Its status and facilities are even slightly better than Green Davidson.He could get a close look at another way of life, only one that tingled the old scars of his vanity.In this club, there are elites who have never been seen before, well-known politicians, big bosses, politicians, famous doctors, scientists, generals, literati and social celebrities from all over the world. .

Another thing impressed him, made him curious and even admired.That is, the sex factor that abounded in the Greene Davidson Hotel and the Great Northern Hotel was missing here.As far as he knows, this sexual factor permeates almost every aspect of life he comes into contact with, and even becomes the driving force of life.But not here.Women are not allowed in the club.Most of these influential people like to be alone, showing the unique characteristics of great people: calm, resolute, and silent temperament.They usually dine alone, or get together in twos and threes to discuss books and newspapers peacefully, or travel by car.But in the main life, it seems to be isolated from sexual desires.And in the world with which he came into contact, there were countless instances of being affected, moved, or messed up by this desire.

In this upper world, a man can achieve or maintain his position only if he is indifferent to the ignoble thing of sex.Because of this, these people have to act as if they have no distractions and are spotless.

After working here for a few days, he was affected by the whole environment and the guests.He feels that in the club, he has become different from before.He is better at restraining himself and more grounded.He believes that as long as he tries hard to imitate the behavior of those big men from now on, one day, he will succeed.Who's to say it's wishful thinking? If only he'd worked hard, only had contact with decent people, and imitated them in every move.Then, among these influential figures who come and go, someone may take a fancy to him, give him an important position, and take him to a bustling world that he has never dreamed of!

But unfortunately, Clyde seems to have a heart that will never mature.There are people who, by virtue of a gifted mind, can eliminate all kinds of noises in life and thus succeed in success, but Clyde is born unable to do so.

(End of this chapter)