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His father had been a scholar, risen froentle From his seventh year the boy had faced life alone He

had never gone with the streament in the

backwaters There is no employment quieter, peacefuller than that of a

clerk in a haberdashery From Mondays till Saturdays, calm; a perfect

environment for a poet You would be surprised to learn of the vast

army of poets and novelists and dramatists who dispense four-in-hands,

collars, buttons and hosiery six days in the week and who go

a-picnicking on the seventh, provided it does not rain

Thomas had an idea It was not a reflection of his lamented father's;

it holly his own He wanted to be loved His father's idea had

been to love; thus, hurave So it

will be seen that Thoe was uneventful Blue day followed blue day When at length

the great port of New York loo in his spine Perhaps yonder he ht make his fortune; no

matter what else he did, that remained to be accomplished, for he was a

fortune-hunter, of the ancient type; that is, he expected to work for