Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-10-23
Tramp" Printers.
A Very VIVID Portralture BY 0as Who
Knows Them.

lower type OF printer who has much !
that IL extremely fudicrous in HIS |
character. He is prone to error,
as the sparks fly upward; and joia
ed to his love for the cup which
both cheers aud inebriates there is
a delicious vagabOndism which, con
sidered from an artistic point OF
view, is positively adorable. Every
foreman bias had experiences of one
or two wanderers who arrive before
him clad in remnants of departed
grandeur; who, in husky voices with
beseechiug accents, ask for work,
and who are grnff1y Informed that
they may "sub' for any one who
is willing that they should do so.
To the editor of paper in a small
and prosperous New England city
once two of these wights, who ap.
peared to have sounded the depths
Of adversely. While the editor was
peacefully celebrating an article one
summer afternoon he had beard y
tilnid voice at the door saying: "Mis-
ter. can | speak to you q minutei'
An affirmative answer forthwith pro.
cured the Introduction of short,
prematureIy fat, and bald man, fol
lowed BY an immensely tall, lean
party, with q tremulous shock OF
hair. Both seemed to have been
for some weeks npon the road from
some remote point, and 10 have
slept BY rOadsides without dofHng
the garments. The shoes were in
the last stage of disreputable seed
mess. The short man wore huge
broad .brimmed white felt hat, and
the tail man held in his hand Il "stOve
pipe which might at some period
early in the previous year have been
secondhand, but which was now a
poor specimen of tenth or twelfth
hand. The editor desiring to know
to what lie WAS indebted for the hon.
or of the visit, the short man, wav-
ing his hand and mastering courage
spoke thus:
"Me'n my pardner's looking for
work, and we just went in To see
the foreman, n he sent us in here TO
see yOu.'
Tie editor endeavored to explain
that he had nothing to do with the
engagement of cOmpositOrs.
"Well, sir. that amt exactly IL,
continued the short man. whose con.
tidence seemed to increase in alarm
iuy PROPORTIONS. "iou see the fore
man said he'd let us come on az
subs as he was mighty short Of
men, and some of the regulars was
going of on vacations; but-we-
we WAS little hard up, aud sounded
him for-for IA dollar or two, n he
sent us tn see you.
The editor, Who was, withal
soucw hat touched 10y the desperate
plight of the two peripatetic prin
tiers, discovered that they had ,eai
IL been taken on as "subs- and nd
vapced them the two dollars. "Bu
where did Won come irony" he in
auired, his curiosity qnite over
coming his discretion.
From Chicago. Men pardne
, have been taking little promenade
, We had q good sit there, but we go
little airy, and they lifted us. W.
, got clean dead broke and had t.
! hoOf il all the way. We were go
; ing to Bos,o on, but when partlne
} struck this town he said it please,
/ him, and we kinder concluded 4
r reform and settle down, yon know.
This frank confession helped ma,
ters good deal. The men scenes
: willing to work, and the foreman
found them able. Besides he need
ed them. There was some fam
whispering among the handsomel
? dressed aud orderly compositor
when the couple first made its AZ
. peance, but the men speedily bega
1 TO rrmove any Objectionable fea
q tures. During the first geek, how
e ever, they did not remove thel
o coats, owing to a presnmable al
{ s.nce of linen of that quality whic
!: well.to-do persons are wont to wea
q But the second week the short ma
, blossomed into a red flannel shir
= which was gorgeous. at Amt
% heating. you know boys he sal
~ alphabetically. Then both men la
new shoes Then they went raj
. idly Oh from better to better. II
II editors e. were faithfully returned
y Candor compels him to add that u
short man said, in patronIzlng vel
az thought Id hurry and give
y. back TO you, for know you edito
ut haven't got any more money N &c
X know what to do with" This wi
It. gratifying. One day as SUNNI
n was melting into autumn, the e.
6, tor saw in the composing room tv
Il in h6an