16 Matches! Flypaper!! By Krausz, Sigmund
“Matches! Flypaper!!“ is the war-cry with which this future merchant-prince hurls himself into the daily life and strife of our western metropolis.
His is not an easy task, and many are the vicissitudes and disappointments that interfere with the happy pursuit of his daily vocation.
His cradle stood in far-away Russia, where he passed a blissful babyhood; but ever since the cruel ukase of the czar deprived his progenitors of the means of a livelihood, and compelled them to seek refuge across the briny deep, he had to contribute his share towards the support of the family.
He does it dutifully, and his smiling face betrays not the hardships of a pedlar’s life nor the anguish of his young heart.
He manages to save from his small earnings, and the future will see him a successful business man - perhaps a millionaire, groping with financial problems - but meanwhile the only question that interests him is whether the pedlar’s license will be increased or not, or how to elude the vigilance of the janitor in the big office building which he is about to enter, with the purpose of canvassing his wares, in bold defiance of the warning sign, “No pedlars allowed.”
Though he is very cunning in disposing of his matches, he is not always successful in solving this latter question, for the back part of his anatomy very frequently bears strong evidence that his cunning had found a match.
His is not an easy task, and many are the vicissitudes and disappointments that interfere with the happy pursuit of his daily vocation.
His cradle stood in far-away Russia, where he passed a blissful babyhood; but ever since the cruel ukase of the czar deprived his progenitors of the means of a livelihood, and compelled them to seek refuge across the briny deep, he had to contribute his share towards the support of the family.
He does it dutifully, and his smiling face betrays not the hardships of a pedlar’s life nor the anguish of his young heart.
He manages to save from his small earnings, and the future will see him a successful business man - perhaps a millionaire, groping with financial problems - but meanwhile the only question that interests him is whether the pedlar’s license will be increased or not, or how to elude the vigilance of the janitor in the big office building which he is about to enter, with the purpose of canvassing his wares, in bold defiance of the warning sign, “No pedlars allowed.”
Though he is very cunning in disposing of his matches, he is not always successful in solving this latter question, for the back part of his anatomy very frequently bears strong evidence that his cunning had found a match.
Dieses Kapitel ist Teil des Buches STREET TYPES GREAT AMERICAN CITIES
