An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

night beanery to have a cup of coffee and some pie. And

now all he was thinking was that he would only need to

work from noon until six, when he should be free until the

following morning at six. And then he would make more

money. A lot of it to spend on himself.

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Chapter 8

THE thing that most interested Clyde at first was how, if at

all, he was to keep the major portion of all this money ‘he

was making for himself. For ever since he had been

working and earning money, it had been assumed that he

would contribute a fair portion of all that he received—at

least three-fourths of the smaller salaries he had received

up to this time—toward the upkeep of the home. But now, if

he announced that he was receiving at least twenty-five

dollars a week and more—and this entirely apart from the

salary of fifteen a month and board—his parents would

assuredly expect him to pay ten or twelve.

But so long had he been haunted by the desire to make

himself as attractive looking as any other well-dressed boy

that, now that he had the opportunity, he could not resist

the temptation to equip himself first and as speedily as

possible. Accordingly, he decided to say to his mother that

all of the tips he received aggregated no more than a dollar

a day. And, in order to give himself greater freedom of

action in the matter of disposing of his spare time, he

announced that frequently, in addition to the long hours

demanded of him every other day, he was expected to take

the place of other boys who were sick or set to doing other

things. And also, he explained that the management

demanded of all boys that they look well outside as well as

inside the hotel. He could not long be seen coming to the

hotel in the clothes that he now wore. Mr. Squires, he said,

had hinted as much. But, as if to soften the blow, one of the

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boys at the hotel had told him of a place where he could

procure quite all the things that he needed on time.

And so unsophisticated was his mother in these matters

that she believed him.

But that was not all. He was now daily in contact with a type

of youth who, because of his larger experience with the

world and with the luxuries and vices of such a life as this,

had already been inducted into certain forms of libertinism

and vice even which up to this time were entirely foreign to

Clyde’s knowledge and set him agape with wonder and at

first with even a timorous distaste. Thus, as Hegglund had

pointed out, a certain percentage of this group, of which

Clyde was now one, made common cause in connection

with quite regular adventures which usually followed their

monthly pay night. These adventures, according to their

moods and their cash at the time, led them usually either to

one of two rather famous and not too respectable all-night

restaurants. In groups, as he gathered by degrees from

hearing them talk, they were pleased to indulge in

occasional late showy suppers with drinks, after which they

were wont to go to either some flashy dance hall of the

downtown section to pick up a girl, or that failing as a

source of group interest, to visit some notorious—or as they

would have deemed it reputed—brothel, very frequently

camouflaged as a boarding house, where for much less

than the amount of cash in their possession they could, as

they often boasted, “have any girl in the house.” And here,

of course, because of their known youth, ignorance,

liberality, and uniform geniality and good looks, they were

made much of, as a rule, being made most welcome by the

various madames and girls of these places who sought, for

commercial reasons of course, to interest them to come

again.

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And so starved had been Clyde’s life up to this time and so

eager was he for almost any form of pleasure, that from the

first he listened with all too eager ears to any account of

anything that spelled adventure or pleasure. Not that he

approved of these types of adventures. As a matter of fact

at first it offended and depressed him, seeing as he did that

it ran counter to all he had heard and been told to believe

these many years. Nevertheless so sharp a change and

relief from the dreary and repressed work in which he had

been brought up was it, that he could not help thinking of all

this with an itch for the variety and color it seemed to

suggest. He listened sympathetically and eagerly, even

while at times he was mentally disapproving of what he

heard. And seeing him so sympathetic and genial, first one

and then another of these youths made overtures to him to

go here, there or the other place—to a show, a restaurant,

one of their homes, where a card game might be indulged

in by two or three of them, or even to one of the shameless

houses, contact with which Clyde at first resolutely refused.

But by degrees, becoming familiar with Hegglund and

Ratterer, both of whom he liked very much, and being

invited by them to a joy-night supper—a “blow-out” as they

termed it, at Frissell’s—he decided to go.

“There’s going to be another one of our montly blow-outs to-

morrow night, Clyde, around at Frissell’s,” Ratterer had said

to him. “Don’t you want to come along? You haven’t been

yet.”

By this time, Clyde, having acclimated himself to this caloric

atmosphere, was by no means as dubious as he was at

first. For by now, in imitation of Doyle, whom he had studied

most carefully and to great advantage, he had outfitted

himself with a new brown suit, cap, overcoat, socks,

stickpin and shoes as near like those of his mentor as

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possible. And the costume became him well—excellently

well—so much so that he was far more attractive than he

had ever been in his life, and now, not only his parents, but

his younger brother and sister, were not a little astonished

and even amazed by the change.

How could Clyde have come by all this grandeur so

speedily? How much could all this that he wore now have

cost? Was he not hypothecating more of his future earnings

for this temporary grandeur than was really wise? He might

need it in the future. The other children needed things, too.

And was the moral and spiritual atmosphere of a place that

made him work such long hours and kept him out so late

every day, and for so little pay, just the place to work?

To all of which, he had replied, rather artfully for him, that it

was all for the best, he was not working too hard. His

clothes were not too fine, by any means—his mother should

see some of the other boys. He was not spending too much

money. And, anyhow, he had a long while in which to pay

for all he had bought.

But now, as to this supper. That was a different matter,

even to him. How, he asked himself, in case the thing

lasted until very late as was expected, could he explain to

his mother and father his remaining out so very late.

Ratterer had said it might last until three or four, anyhow,

although he might go, of course, any time. but how would

that look, deserting the crowd? And yet hang it all, most of

them did not live at home as he did, or if they did like

Ratterer, they had parents who didn’t mind what they did.

Still, a late supper like that—was it wise? All these boys

drank and thought nothing of it—Hegglund, Ratterer,

Kinsella, Shiel. It must be silly for him to think that there

was so much danger in drinking a little, as they did on these

occasions. On the other hand it was true that he need not

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drink unless he wanted to. He could go, and if anything was

said at home, he would say that he had to work late. What

difference did it make if he stayed out late once in a while?

Wasn’t he a man now? Wasn’t he making more money

than any one else in the family? And couldn’t he begin to do

as he pleased?

He began to sense the delight of personal freedom—to sniff

the air of personal and delicious romance—and he was not

to be held back by any suggestion which his mother could

now make.

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Chapter 9

AND so the interesting dinner, with Clyde attending, came

to pass. And it was partaken of at Frissell’s, as Ratterer had