The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-10-12
4 TRAMP VINO HUYGERED AND
THTBsTED FOR WORK.

A robust tramp called at a house for
something to eat, averring that he had |
net tasted food for week.
"Why don't you go to work." asked |
the lady to whom he preferred his Pc
tition.
Work." ne calculated. e Work
And what have been doing ever since
the middle OF May but hunting work
Who will give me work? When do l
ever refuse work."
"Well," said the woman, II guess I
can give you some employment. What
can you do?"
Anything!" he shouted, in kind of
deIirious joy. Anything that any man
can do. I'm sick for something to fly at
Why, only yesterday worked all day,
carrying water in an old sieve from Flint
river and emptying it into the Missis-
sippi just because I was 50 tired of
having nothing to do, that l had to work
at something or would have gone rayin'
crazy. I'll do anytt ing, from cleaning
house to building a steamboat. Jest give
me work, ma'am, an you'll never hear
me ask for bread agiR."
The lady was pleased at the willing
ness and anxiety of this industrious man
to do something, and she led him to the
wood pile.
"Here," she said, "you can saw and
split this wood, and if you are a good,
industrious worker, I will find work for
you to do nearly all winter"
"Weu, now" said the tramp. while a
look OF disappointment stole over his
face, that's just my luck. Only three
days ago was pullin' blind COW out of
a we'll for a poor widow woman who had
nothin' in the world but that COW to
support her, an spraint my right
wrist till l hain't been able to lift a
pound with it sinst. You kin jest put
your hand on it now and feel it throb,
it's 50 painful and infamed. | could
| just cry of disappointment, but it's a
Bible fact, ma'am, that I couldn't lift
the axe above my head eff died fur it,
and I'd jest as lief let you pull my arm
out bv the roots as to try to pull that
saw through a lath. Jest set me at
something kin do, though, if YOU want
to see the dust fly"
every WE'LL" said the lady, " then you
can take these flower beds, which have
been very much neglected, and weed
them very carefully for me. You can
do that with your well hand, but want
you TO be very particular with them, and
get them very clean, and not injure any
of the plants, for they are all very choice
and I am very proud of them"
The look of disappointment that had
been chased away from the industriou:
mans face when he saw a prospect o.
something else to do came back deeper
than ever as the lady described the new
lob, and when she concluded, he had tc
remain quiet for a moment before he
could control his emotion sufficiently tC
speak:
eff amt the most unfortunate mar
in Ameriky," he sighed. I'm jest dy
in for work, crazy to get somethin' tt
do, and Pm blocked out of work at eve
ry turn. I jest love to work among
flowers and dig in the ground, but
never dassent do it, for I'm just blue
ruin among the poisies. Nobody eveI
cared to teach me anythin' about flow
ers, and it's a gospel truth, ma'am,
can't tell a violet from a sunfewer, no.
a red rose from a dog fennel. Las
place tried to get work at, woman o
the house set me to work weedin' the
garden, and l worked about couple o
hours, monstrOus glad to get work, nov
you bet; an pulled up every last Twin
green thing in the yard. Hope l ma!
die if didn't. Pulled up all the grass
every blade of it. Fact. Pulled up
vine wuth seventy-fve dollars, that haC
roots reachin cTar under the cellar ant
into the cistern, and yanked 'em RICH
up, every fibre of 'em. Woman was $,
heart broke when she came out and se'
the yard Just as bare as the floor of 1
brick yard that they had to put her Il
bed. Bibles truth, they did, ma'sm
and I had to work for that house thre,
months for nothin' and find my board Il