Digital heart book

To be pure-minded, to be patriotic,
to get culture and money with both hands and with the
same irrational fervour--these appeared to be the chief
articles of his creed. In later days (not of course
upon this first occasion) I would sometimes ask him
why; and he had his answer pat. "To build up the
type!" he would cry.
"We're all committed to that; we're all under bond to
fulfil the American Type! Loudon, the hope of the world
is there. If we fail, like these old feudal
monarchies, what is left?"
The trade of a tin-typer proved too narrow for the
lad's ambition; it was insusceptible of expansion, he
explained; it was not truly modern; and by a sudden
conversion of front he became a railroad-scalper. The
principles of this trade I never clearly understood;
but its essence appears to be to cheat the railroads
out of their due fare. "I threw my whole soul into it;
I grudged myself food and sleep while I was at it; the
most practised hands admitted I had caught on to the
idea in a month and revolutionised the practice inside
of a year," he said.


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