This paper was controlled by John B. MacDonald, an Irish politician, gambler, racer of horses, and the owner of a string of local houses of prostitution, saloons and gambling9 dens10, all of which brought him a large income and made him influential11 politically. Recently he had fallen on comparatively difficult days. His reputation as a shady character had become too widespread. The pharisees and influential men generally who had formerly12 profited by his favor now found it expedient13 to pass by on the other side. Public sentiment against him had been aroused by political attacks on the part of one newspaper and another that did not belong to his party. The last election having been lost to him, the police and other departments of the city were now supposed to work in harmony to root out his vile14 though profitable vice15 privileges.
Everybody knows how these things work. Some administration attacks were made upon his privileges, whereupon, not finding suitable support in the papers of his own party in the city, they having axes of their own to grind, he had started a paper of his own, the Globe. He had brought on a capable newspaper man from New York, who was doing his best to make of the paper something which would satisfy MacDonald’s desire for circulation and influence while he lined his own pockets against a rainy day. For this reason, no doubt, our general staff was underpaid, though fairly capable. During my stay the police and other departments, under the guidance of Republican politicians and newspapers, were making an attack on Mr. MacDonald’s preserves; to which he replied by attacking through the medium of the Globe anything and everything he thought would do his rivals harm. Among these were a large number of these same mock auction shops in the downtown section. Evidently the police were deriving a direct revenue from these places, for they let them severely16 alone but since the administration was now anti-MacDonald and these were not Mr. MacDonald’s property nothing was left undone17 by us to stop this traffic. We charged, and it was true, that though victims daily appeared before the police to complain that they had been swindled and to ask for restitution18, nothing was done by the police.
I cannot now recall what it was about my treatment of these institutions that aroused so much interest in the office and made me into a kind of Globe hero. I was innocent of all knowledge of the above complications which I have just described when I started, and almost as innocent when I concluded. Nevertheless now daily at ten in the morning and again in the afternoon I went to one or another of these shops, listened to the harangue19 of the noisy barkers, saw tin-gilt jewelry knocked down to unsuspecting yokels20 from the South and West who stood open-mouthed watching the hypnotizing movements of the auctioneer’s hands as he waved a glistering gem21 or watch in front of them and expatiated22 on the beauties and perfections of the article he was compelled to part from for a song. These places were not only deceptions23 and frauds in what they pretended to sell but also gathering-places for thieves, pick-pockets, footpads who, finding some deluded24 bystander to be possessed25 of a watch, pin or roll of money other than that from which he was parted by the auctioneer or his associates, either then and there by some legerdemain26 robbed him or followed him into a dark street and knocked him down and did the same. At this time Chicago was notorious for this sort of thing, and it was openly charged in the Globe and elsewhere that the police connived27 at and thrived by the transactions.
My descriptions of what was going on, innocent and matter of fact as they were at first and devoid28 of guile29 or make-believe, so pleased Mr. McEnnis beyond anything I had previously30 done that he was actually fulsome31 and yet at the same time mandatory32 and restraining in his compliments. I have no desire to praise myself at this time. Such things and so much that seemed so important then have since become trivial beyond words but it is only fair to state that he was seemingly immensely pleased and amused as was Maxwell.
“Upon my word,” I once heard him exclaim, as he read one of my daily effusions. “The rascals33. Who would think that such scamps would be allowed to run at large in a city like this! They certainly ought to be in jail. Every one of them. And the police along with them.” Then he chuckled34, slapped his knee and finally came over and made some inquiries35 in regard to a certain dealer36 whom I had chanced to picture. I was cautioned against overstating anything; also against detection and being beaten up by those whom I was offending. For I noticed after the first day or two that the barkers of some of the shops occasionally studied me curiously37 or ceased their more shameful38 effronteries40 in my presence and produced something of more value. The facts which my articles presented, however, finally began to attract a little attention to the paper. Either because the paper sold better or because this was an excellent club wherewith to belabor41 his enemies, the publisher now decided42 to call the attention of the public via the billboards43, to what was going on in our columns, and McEnnis himself undertook to frighten the police into action by swearing out warrants against the different owners of the shops and thus compelling them to take action.
I became the center of a semi-literary, semi-public reform hubbub44. The principal members of the staff assured me that the articles were forceful in fact and color and highly amusing. One day, by way of the license6 bureau and with the aid of McEnnis, I secured the names of the alleged owners and managers of nearly all of these shops and thereafter attacked them by name, describing them just as they were, where they lived, how they made their money, etc. In company with a private detective and several times with McEnnis, I personally served warrants of arrest, accompanied the sharpers to police headquarters, where they were immediately released on bail45, and then ran to the office to write out my impressions of all I had seen, repeating conversations as nearly as I could remember, describing uncouth46 faces and bodies of crooks47, policemen and detectives, and by sly innuendo48 indicating what a farce49 and sham39 was the whole seeming interest of the police.
One day McEnnis and I called on the chief of police, demanding to know why he was so indifferent to our crusade and the facts we put before him. To my youthful amazement50 and enlightenment he shook his fist in our faces and exclaimed: “You can go to the devil, and so can the Globe! I know who’s back of this campaign, and why. Well, go on and play your little game! Shout all you want to. Who’s going to listen to you? You haven’t any circulation. You’re not going to make a mark of me, and you’re not going to get me fired out of here for not performing my duty. Your paper is only a dirty political rag without any influence.”
“Is it!” taunted51 McEnnis. “Well, you just wait and see. I think you’ll change your mind as to that,” and we stalked solemnly out.
And in the course of time he did change his mind. Some of the fakers had to be arrested and fined and their places closed up, and the longer we talked and exposed the worse it became for them. Finally a dealer approached me one morning and offered me an eighteen-carat gold watch, to be selected by me from any jewelry store in the city and paid for by him, if I would let his store alone. I refused. Another, a dark, dusty, most amusing little Jew, offered me a diamond pin, insisting upon sticking it in my cravat52, and said: “Go see! Go see! Ask any jeweler what he thinks, if that ain’t a real stone! If it ain’t—if he says no—bring it back to me and I’ll give you a hundred dollars in cash for it. Don’t you mention me no more now. Be a nice young feller now. I’m a hard-workin’ man just like anybody else. I run a honest place.”
I carried the pin back to the office and gave it to McEnnis. He stared at me in amazement.
“Why did you do this?” he exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have taken this, at all. It may get the paper in trouble. They may have had witnesses to this—but maybe not. Perhaps this fellow is just trying to protect himself. Anyway, we’re going to take this thing back to him and don’t take anything more, do you hear, money or anything. You can’t do that sort of thing. If I didn’t think you were honest I’d fire you right now.”
He took me into the office of the editor-in-chief, who looked at me with still, gray-blue eyes and listened to my story. He dismissed me and talked with McEnnis for a while. When the latter came out he exclaimed triumphantly53: “He sees that you’re honest, all right, and he’s tickled54 to death. Now we’ll take this pin back, and then you’ll write out the whole story just as it happened.”
On the way we went to a magistrate55 to swear out a charge of attempted bribery56 against this man, and later in the same day I went with the detective to serve the warrant. To myself I seemed to be swimming in a delicious sea of life. “What a fine thing life is!” I thought. “Here I am getting along famously because I can write. Soon I will get more money, and maybe some day people will begin to hear of me. I will get a fine reputation in the newspaper world.”
Thanks to this vigorous campaign, of which McEnnis was the inspiration and guiding spirit, all these auction shops were eventually closed. In so much at least John B. MacDonald had achieved a revenge.
As for myself, I felt that there must be some serious and favorable change impending57 for me; and true enough, within a fortnight after this the change came. I had noticed that McEnnis had become more and more friendly. He introduced me to his wife one day when she was in the office and told her in my presence what splendid work I was doing. Often he would take me to lunch or to a saloon for drinks (for which I would pay), and would then borrow a dollar or two or three, no part of which he ever returned. He lectured me on the subject of study, urging me to give myself a general education by reading, attending lectures and the like. He wanted me to look into painting, music, sculpture. As he talked the blood would swirl58 in my head, and I kept thinking what a brilliant career must be awaiting me. One thing he did was to secure me a place on the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Just at this time a man whose name I have forgotten—Leland, I think—the Washington correspondent of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, came to Chicago to report the preliminary preparations for the great World’s Fair which was to open the following spring. Already the construction of a number of great buildings in Jackson Park had been begun, and the newspapers throughout the country were on the alert as to its progress. Leland, as I may as well call him, a cool, capable observer and writer, was an old friend of McEnnis. McEnnis introduced me to him and made an impassioned plea in my behalf for an opportunity for me to do some writing for the Globe-Democrat in St. Louis under his direction. The idea was to get this man to allow me to do some World’s Fair work for him, on the side, in addition to my work on the Globe, and then later to persuade Joseph B. McCullagh of the former paper to make a place for me in St. Louis.
“As you see,” he said when he introduced me, “he’s a mere59 boy without any experience, but he has the makings of a first-rate newspaper man. I’m sure of it. Now, Henry, as a favor to me, I want you to help him. You’re close to Mac” (Joseph B. McCullagh, editor-in-chief of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat), “and he’s just the man this boy ought to go to to get his training. Dreiser has just completed a fine piece of journalistic work for me. He’s closed up the fake auction shops here, and I want to reward him. He only gets fifteen a week here, and I can’t do anything for him in Chicago just now. You write and ask Mac to take him on down there, and I’ll write also and tell him how I feel about it.”
The upshot of this was that I was immediately taken into the favor of Mr. Leland, given some easy gossip writing to do, which netted me sixteen dollars the week for three weeks in addition to the fifteen I earned on the Globe. At the end of that time, some correspondence having ensued between the editor of the Globe-Democrat and his two Chicago admirers, I one day received a telegram which read:
“You may have reportorial position on this paper at twenty dollars a week, beginning next Monday. Wire reply.”
I stood in the dusty little Globe office and stared at this, wondering what so great an opportunity portended60. Only six months before I had been jobless and hanging about this back door; here I was tonight with as much as fifty dollars in my pocket, a suit of good clothes on my back, good shoes, a good hat and overcoat. I had learned how to write and was already classed here as a star reporter. I felt as though life were going to do wonderful and beautiful things for me. I thought of Alice, that now I should have to leave her and this familiar and now comfortable Chicago atmosphere, and then I went over to McEnnis to ask him what I ought to do.
When he read the telegram he said: “This is the best chance that could possibly come to you. You will be working on one of the greatest papers and under one of the greatest editors that ever lived. Make the most of your chance. Go? Of course go! Let’s see—it’s Tuesday; our regular week ends Friday. You hand in your resignation now, to take effect then, and go Sunday. I’ll give you some letters that will help you,” and he at once turned to his desk and wrote out a series of instructions and recommendations.
That night, and for four days after, until I took the train for St. Louis, I walked on air. I was going away. I was going out in the world to make my fortune. Withal I was touched by the pathos61 of the fact that life and youth and everything which now glimmered62 about me so hopefully was, for me as well as for every other living individual, insensibly slipping away.
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1
mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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licensed
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| adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词) | |
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license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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7
deriving
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| v.得到( derive的现在分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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10
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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11
influential
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| adj.有影响的，有权势的 | |
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12
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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13
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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14
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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15
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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16
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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17
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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19
harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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yokels
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| n.乡下佬，土包子( yokel的名词复数 ) | |
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21
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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22
expatiated
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| v.详述，细说( expatiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deceptions
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| 欺骗( deception的名词复数 )； 骗术，诡计 | |
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deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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legerdemain
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| n.戏法，诈术 | |
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27
connived
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| v.密谋 ( connive的过去式和过去分词 )；搞阴谋；默许；纵容 | |
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28
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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29
guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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31
fulsome
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| adj.可恶的，虚伪的，过分恭维的 | |
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mandatory
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| adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者 | |
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33
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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34
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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effronteries
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| n.厚颜无耻，无礼（的行为）( effrontery的名词复数 ) | |
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41
belabor
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| vt.痛斥；作过长说明 | |
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42
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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43
billboards
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| n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 ) | |
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44
hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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45
bail
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| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
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46
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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47
crooks
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| n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 ) | |
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48
innuendo
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| n.暗指，讽刺 | |
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49
farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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50
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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51
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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52
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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53
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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54
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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55
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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56
bribery
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| n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿 | |
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57
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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58
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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59
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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60
portended
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| v.预示( portend的过去式和过去分词 )；预兆；给…以警告；预告 | |
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61
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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