Upton Sinclair

“ You make money working at strike?"
Hal laughed, but did not explain. "What you working at?"
"I work at strike too--all alone strike."
"No job?"
"I work two days on railroad. Got busted track up there. Pay me two-twenty-five a day. Then no more job."
"Have you tried the mines?"
"What? Me? They got me all right! I go up to San José. Pit-boss say, 'Get the hell out of here, you old groucher! You don't get no more jobs in this district!'"
Hal looked Mike over, and saw that his dirty old face was drawn and white, belying the feeble cheerfulness of his words. ”

“ I get ride in automobile! Here I am, old fellow fifty-seven years old, never been in automobile ride all my days. I think always I die and never get in automobile ride!' We go down canyon, and I look round and see them mountains, and feel nice cool wind in my face, and I say, 'Bully for you, Mister Bud, I don't never forget this automobile. ”

“ A strange and wonderful sensation--to be dressed once more as a gentleman. He thought of the saying of the old negro, who liked to stub his toe, because it felt so good when it stopped hurting!
They went out to find a restaurant, and on the way one last misadventure befell Edward. Hal saw an old miner walking past, and stopped with a cry: "Mike!" He forgot all at once that he was a gentleman; the old miner forgot it also. He stared for one bewildered moment, then he rushed at Hal and seized him in the hug of a mountain grizzly. ”