He could hardly believe it, and grew half-delirious as
he thought about it. What would happen at the end? Would they let him
lie down and die in the street? Or was there some place where starving
men went to die?
So the day passed, and he found nothing. Several people advised him to
get out of town--this was no place to look for work, they said.
Apparently something was the matter with the place, but they did not
stop to tell him what.
This was the first large town Samuel had ever seen, and under other
circumstances he would have gazed at it with wonder. He passed great
buildings of brick and stone, and trolley cars, and a fire-engine
house, and many other strange sights. He came to a great high fence,
inclosing many acres of buildings, dingy and black with smoke; there
were tall chimneys, and rows of sheds, and railroad tracks running in.
He passed other factories, huge brick buildings with innumerable
windows; and many blocks of working-men's houses, small and dirty
frame structures, with pale-faced children in the doorways. The roads
and sidewalks here were all of black cinders, and it was hot even in
May.
And then he came to a steel bridge and crossed a river and the road
broadened out, and he climbed a hill and found himself walking upon a
macadamized avenue lined with trees, and with beautiful residences
overlooking the ridge. Rich people lived here, evidently; and Samuel
stared, marveling at the splendor.
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