, I set out to find employment in
my profession, promising myself that I should soon be able to pay all
the debts of which I had been acquitted as a bankrupt.

I knew that I had as much of skill in my profession as a young man with
little practical experience could have. I saw that there must be a world
of work done by way of developing the resources of the country after
four years of paralyzing war. I thought there was pressing need of my
services and my skill, and I confidently counted upon quickly achieving
place and pay for myself.

I didn't know the ways of men then, but I soon found them out. Wherever
there seemed to be an opening for me, I found that Somebody's son got
the place, because Somebody could influence its bestowal.

Once I did get employment. There was a little stretch of railroad to be
built, by way of connecting one line with others. I applied for the
place of engineer, and was promptly informed that John Harbin had
already been appointed to it. You know John. You know what a blockhead
he is. I was graduated in the same class with him--he simply cheating
his way through. When I heard of his appointment, I was dumbfounded. I
knew that he simply could not do the work. He could not calculate a
curvature to save his life. As for the more difficult operations of
engineering, he was as helpless as a child.

I was curious to learn how he intended to get through with his task. I
soon found out. He sent for me and asked me to become his "assistant."
The pay he offered was barely sufficient to keep me alive. In brief, the
arrangement was that I should do the work while he drew the pay and got
the credit. That was because John Harbin's father was president of the
railroad that was making the extension, and John Harbin's father had no
purpose to let any good thing go out of the family.

I was rapidly getting my education in the ways of the world, and I was
paying a high price for it. For a few months I did the work of a
competent engineer on a salary that paid me less than a laborer's wage.
Finally I resigned in disgust and set out to find something better. I
tramped across country to every mine I could hear of--for in my studies
I had specialized in mining--but nowhere could I secure employment.
There was always some man with influence, where I had none, and always
the man with the influence got the place.

At last I tramped my way out here. I had made up my mind to ask no
longer for employment as an engi