Beggar. Oh! [Whimpering.] Oh, what a life I lead! What a life!
A Man [feeding sugar to the dog].
Beggar. I wish I were dead. Why did they pull me out? I want to die. What does life mean to me? What joy is there in life for me?
Artist. There will be less joy for you in death. [Laughter.]
Beggar. If I were only young. If I only had my two strong arms again. I never dreamed I would come to this. I never would have believed it—Forty years ago I was a workingman, yes, forty years until an accident—
Workingman. Were you a Union man, brother?
Beggar. Certainly—certainly. [Guardedly.] That is, I wasn't exactly a Union man but—
Workingman. What! Not a Union man. [Rushes at him.]
Townsman. What do you want to do to that poor man?
Workingman. Throw him back in the river. [He is held back.]