Men of mark in Connecticut; ideals of American life told in biographies and autobiographies of eminent living Americans . bought a fewpapers and started upon his career, soon doubling his capital andputting aside a fair percentage. But there were broader fields forhim. Without realizing how broad, his boyish fancy began to pic-ture them till, after one summer as a newsboy, restlessness aroused hisspirit of adventure. It was in the days of the gold fever of 49. Wecannot dismiss this newsboy period, however, without enjoying oneglimpse of it which he himself gives, with a quotation which at thes
Men of mark in Connecticut; ideals of American life told in biographies and autobiographies of eminent living Americans . bought a fewpapers and started upon his career, soon doubling his capital andputting aside a fair percentage. But there were broader fields forhim. Without realizing how broad, his boyish fancy began to pic-ture them till, after one summer as a newsboy, restlessness aroused hisspirit of adventure. It was in the days of the gold fever of 49. Wecannot dismiss this newsboy period, however, without enjoying oneglimpse of it which he himself gives, with a quotation which at thesame time will illustrate that native wit which on many occasionshas served as a sesame for him. The quotation is from a speechdelivered not many years ago in Brooklyn. The papers I was sell-ing on the streets of New York, he said, were so filled with accountsof mountains of gold that I thought gold would not be Vorth a cent,and with this apprehension, instead of going west with the star ofempire, I went to Connecticut. I went there as to a reformatoryschool, thinking that when I was good enough I would return to New. o^^^tLt,^^.^^ ^^i ^/e5Lj2^^_5L.^ THOMAS M. WALLER 167 York and become a New York politician. I have stayed tliero agood while. I have returned to New York, bnt only to do business^not to be a politician. 1 have had some temptation to step into thepolitical waters here, but 1 have resisted it. I am satisfied tbat alarger probation is necessary. I am not good enough yet. His next step after being a newsy was to become a cabin boy ina fishing vessel sailing from New York. Speak of it as he will now,it was almost impossible that he should not be cauglit in the str<mgcurrent toward California. He had gone so far as to make his plansto sail i]i a schooner for the Golden Gate, when he came under thenotice of Eobert K. Waller of New London. Mr. Waller was of abenevolent disposition and his farsightedness was to be tested. Dis-cerning the boys capabilities, he offered hi
Size: 1337px × 1869px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorosbornno, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1906
