"He had a lot of literature either really from a big
church, charitable organization, or fraudulently printed,
and he explained to me that I was to sell these 25 cents
a copy for the benefit of the heathen somewhere, or home
missions. I was to get 25 per cent of the money resulting
from such sales.
"About a week later, when I had received $12 besides a
little expense money from him. I discovered that he was
keeping all the money. I took the rest of the literature
and destroyed it. Three days later, when I was hungry, I
rather regretted destroying it.
"I joined a circus that was moving toward my home town in
Western Iowa, intending to leave it there and quit being
a tramp. I was then down in Eastern Pennsylvania. I was a
canvas hand. We went west by a tortuous route, and I never
could accumulate enough coin to pay my way home, so was
forced to stick to the place for many weeks.
"The second week one of the canvas hands came to me and
asked me to circulate a subscription paper among the men
for the benefit of one Will Turner, a member of the band,
who, he said, had dropped off the train while running over
from the last stop, and badly injured himself.