The Flail (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1919 Excerpt: ... THE FLAIL BOOK TWO THE LOOP I9OO TO 1913 CHAPTER VII The red, surly sun had banked its fires for the night and was dissolving behind a smoky skyline of West Side roofs. A faint breeze was blowing off Lake Michigan, and bringing a little relief to the hot, panting crowds within the Loop that were flocking toward the trolleys, cablecars, and elevated trains. The sultry, humid afternoon had been as moist as a sponge. Rudolf Dohmer gazed up at the big clock in the tower of the Board of Trade building. It was a trifle after six. He had until seven for dinner. For these were days of feverish "overtime" in the offices of Rire and Dodson, brokers, where he had just completed his first day's work. La Salle Street was swamped by mid-year payments and collections. Coupons, snipped off of bonds, were due in fiscal freight loads, and were being dumped upon the banking and brokerage houses. Rudolf had entered the employ of Rire and Dodson just in time to catch his share of the load. He had finished his high school course the previous week. In the thrifty, toiling circles in which he had grown up, there was no breathing-space between leaving school and tackling wage-earning. The new employee was in receipt of fifty cents "supper money," an almost incredible sum from the frugal point of view of Becker Street standards of expenditure. He felt rich. He rambled aimlessly toward Van Buren Street, wondering where to eat. With half a dollar available for his meal, he longed to dine in greater splendor than the familar lunch counters afforded. Unhappily, however, he hadn't the remotest idea where to go. Cafe life was still a mystery to him. With a pang, he had often loitered in front of hotels like the Grand Pacific, the Great Northern, the Auditorium, the Sherman House, and less...