o-henry_short-fiction/src/epub/text/an-inspiration.xhtml
2019-11-10 00:06:16 -06:00

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops" epub:prefix="z3998: http://www.daisy.org/z3998/2012/vocab/structure/, se: https://standardebooks.org/vocab/1.0" xml:lang="en-US">
<head>
<title>An Inspiration</title>
<link href="../css/core.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
<link href="../css/local.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
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<body epub:type="bodymatter z3998:fiction">
<section id="an-inspiration" epub:type="volume se:short-story">
<h2 epub:type="title">An Inspiration</h2>
<p>He was seated on an empty box on Main Street late yesterday evening during the cold drizzling rain. He was poorly clad and his thick coat was buttoned up high under his chin. He had a woeful, harassed appearance, and there was something about him that indicated that he was different from the average tramp who beats his way by lies and fraud.</p>
<p>The Post man felt a touch of sympathy and went up to him and said:</p>
<p>“Theres a place around the corner where you can get a lunch and lodging for a small sum. When did you strike town?”</p>
<p>The man gazed at the reporter out of his small, keen eyes and said:</p>
<p>“Youre a new man on the Post, are you not?” “Yes, comparatively.”</p>
<p>“Do you see that block of three-story buildings over there?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Well, I own them and was just sitting here studying what Im going to do.”</p>
<p>“Whats the trouble?”</p>
<p>“Why, the walls are cracking and bulging out on the sides, and Im afraid Im going to have to put a lot of money into repairs. Ive got over one hundred tenants in those buildings.”</p>
<p>Til tell you what to do.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“You say the walls are bulging out?”</p>
<p>“Well, that makes more room everywhere. You just raise all your tenants rent on account of the extra space.”</p>
<p>“Young man, youre a genius. Ill put rents up twenty per cent to-morrow.”</p>
<p>And one more capitalist was saved.</p>
</section>
</body>
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