country on
the latest improvement in the line of a washing machine. But these
operations somehow afforded him but transient relief, and left him
always involved still more largely in debt. At different times in his
life he had also been a horse dealer, a dry-goods merchant, a saloon
keeper, the proprietor of a tenpin alley, and managed to grow poorer in
all these various occupations. The last I saw of him he was reduced to
peddling books in a small way, carrying his whole stock in a new market
basket. He was very importunate in his appeals to customers to purchase,
putting it upon the ground that he had been unfortunate and had a claim
to their charity. I happened to see him in the office of the popular
hotel in Podgeville, when he was more than usually clamorous for
patronage. He accosted nearly every man in the room with a dull,
uninteresting volume in his hand, and for which he asked a respectable
price. At last he set down his basket, and commenced a kind of
snivelling harangue to his little audience. Mr. Algrieve opened by
saying:

'Gentlemen, you'll pardon me for thrusting myself upon your
attention; but it is hard to have the world turned against ye, and
to work like a slave all your life to get something to fall back on
in old age, and then have to die poor at last! I hope none of you
have ever known what it is to be born unlucky; to never undertake
anything but turned out a failure, and to meet disappointment where
you deserved success. I am such a man!'

Here Mr. Algrieve produced a fragmentary pocket handkerchief for the
ostensible purpose of absorbing an expected tear, but really to give his
remark a tragic effect. He continued:

'Behold an individual who has been doomed to penury and
destitution, but who has not met his fate without a struggle. You
who have known me, gentlemen, for the last thirty years, know that
Jordan Algrieve has battled with life manfully.' At this point he
put out his clenched fist in defiance of his fancied enemy.' But I
have been compelled to yield to the force of circumstances--not,
however, till I had taken my chance in nearly every department of
honorary endeavor, and experienced the most wretched success. The
world has pronounced its ban upon me, and I must bow submissively
to its cruel imposition. I tried to serve my country in the
capacity of a public official, but my services and tale