St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-09-13
TRAMP" Printers.
Edward King in Boston Journal.

Edward King in Boston Journal
There is an erring, incorrigible, low
er type of printer who has much that is
extremely ludicrous in his character.
He is prone to error, as the sparks fly
upward and joined to his love for the
cup which both cheers and inebriates
there is delicious vagabOndism which,
considered from an artistic point of
view, is positively adorable. Every
foreman has had experiences of one or
two wanderers who arrive before him
clad in remnants of departed grandeur
who in husky voices with beseeching
accents ask for work, and who are gruf-
fly informed that they may '.sub" for
any one who is willing that they should
do so. To the editor of a paper in a
small and prosperous New England city
once came two of these woeful wights,
who appeared to have sounded the
depths of adversely. While the editor
was peacefully celebrating an article
one summer afternoon, he heard timid
voice at the door saying, sinister can
speak to you a minute ?" An affirma-
tive answer forthwith procured the in
production of short, prematurely fat
and bald man, followed by an immense
ly tall, lean party with tremendous
shock of hair. Both seemed to have
been for some weeks upon the road from
some remote point, and to have slept
by road sides without doffing their gar
ments. Their shoes were in the last
stages of disreputable seediness. The
short man wore huge broad brimmed
white felt hat, and the tall man held in
his hand 'stOve-pipe" which might at
some period early in the previous year
have been secondhand, but which was
now poor specimen of tenth or twelfth
hand. The editor desiring to know
to what he was indebted for the honor
OF the visit, the short man, waving his
hand and mastering courage, spoke
thus
''Me n my pardner's looking for work,
and we jest went in to see the foreman,
n he sent us in here to see you.n
The editor endeavOred to explain
that he had nothing to do with the en-
gagement of compOsitors.
'Well, sir, that amt exactly it," con-
tinued the short man, whose confidence
seemed to increase in alarming proper
tons. ''YOu see the foreman said he'd
let us come on dis subs as he was
mighty short of men, and some of the
regulars was going off on vacations;
but-we-we was a little hard up, and
sounded him fOr-fOr dollar or two.
II he sent us i'll to see yOu.n
The editor, who knew that the fore
man was wag, and who was, withal,
somewhat touched by the desperate
plight of the two peripatetic printers,
discovered that they had really been
taken on as "subs," and advanced them
the two dollars. "But where did Won
come FROM" he inquired, his curiosity
quite overcoming his discretion.
'From Chicago. Men pardner have
been taking little promenade. We
had good sit there, but we got a little
airy, and they lifted us. We got clean
dead broke, and had to hoof it all the
way. We were going to Boston, but
when pardner struck this town he said
it pleased him, and we kinder conclud-
ed to reform and settle down, you
know"
This frank confession helped matters
good deal. The men seemed willing
to work, and the foreman found them
able. Besides, he needed them. There
was some faint whispering among the
handsomely dressed and orderly com
pOsitors when the couple first made it's
appearance, but the men speedily be-
gan to remove any Objectionable fea-
lures. During the first week, however.
they did not remove their coats. owing
to presumable absence of linen of
that quality which well-to-do persons
are wont to wear. But the second week
the short man blOssomed into a red
flannel shirt, which was gorgeous. at
amt SO heating as linen, you know,
boys" he said apOlOgetically. Then
both men had new shoes. Then they
went rapidly on from better to better.
The editors two dollars were faithfully
returned. Candor compels him to add
that the short man said, in patronizing
vein, 81 thought I'd hurry and give it
back to you, for l know you editors
haven't got any more money N you
know what to do with" This was graf
flying. One day, as summer was melt
ing into autumn, the editor saw in the
composing room two richly apparelled
men, in whom he had some difficulty in
recognizing his shabby friends of some
time since. They had attained finan-
cial ease, and were at that moment in
forming the foreman that they couldn't
work that evening, and would put on
.'subs." They were going to indulge
in a carriage drive to suburb. "Mnst
enjoy this weather, boys, you know
said the short man 'tit's awful nice.n
The next day the office was crowded
with rumors of their exploits. Filled
with seductive and entangling fluids
which they had imbibed in suburban
hotels, they had wrecked "a carriage
and famed horse, and, Mortified at the
idea of having to pay three or four hun
dred dollars damage, had incontinent-
ly decamped, leaving their equipage to
be picked up by passers-by.
81 knew" said one of the composi-
tors thoughtfully next evening, tstbat
those blOats wouldn't last long. They
were too fresh And now THEY'RE on
the tramp again."
WhereupOn the dignified artisans who
were above the folly of tramping re-
snmed their wonted serenity of de-
meanOr.
Jewels at the Paris Show