New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-11-05
THE TRAMPS.


garments you can imaginative little
women and one little man.
But why did not Tony bark as usual,
and 60 into spasms IT fury and disgust,
as he was wont to do when such peo-
pie came to beg for a breakfast On
the contrary, if ever dog laughed, he
did, with every muscle Of his body,
while his little blunt tail was so agitated
that you could scarcely see its delight
ed twinkle. -.
These tramps asked for something
10 eat. Grandmother looked 1T them
eravely and kindly ever her glasses,
while grandfatneG' said, fercely, look
ing up from his paper, 1--WE shall
have to send Tony away if he hasn't
the wit to bite such people as these"
Then grandma asked, "What would
you like to eat?'' and the man Che was
50 small that his long coat dragged at
his heels, said, promptly, "Bread and
marmalade; and one OF the women (she
was small, too, and her dress was q
world too wide, and too long in the
waist) said, Lemon pie"
"And what will this other poor
woman havep" asked gentle grandma,
and the other one answered, in good
broad Irish brogue, "A cold potato,
num-"
Grandma turned and went into the
house, and disappeared at the pantry
deor. Then there began whispering
among the beggars, and grandpa de-
tected both of the women looking over
their shoulders with ag1eat deal Of sat-
isfaction at the skirts that dragged 50
heavily about their feet.
They spread them out behind, and
were so vain and complacent over them
that one would never have dreamed
they were forced to get their food by
! asking from door to door.
1t was little odd, indeed, that hum
cry people should have the heart to feel
vain over their own tinery.
Meanwhile Tony had tiattened him
self out on his front paws, his sensi-
tive ears dipping and rising as if to
catch every word of the conversation,
and his eyes so full of humor and
amusement-as if he could not keep
some very funny secret to hi1nself-that
one of the women warned him with
her foretinger. as if to say, ''Do behave,
Tony!'
Grandma brought out beautiful
slice of bread, spread thick with mar
malade, and gave it to the man in his
little, brown dirty hands; also piece
of lemon pie on pretty china plate,
with Gold-locks' own fork upon it, for
one woman; and the "cold potato,
num-" for the other, who dipped lit
tie courtesy as she took it, and-what!
-Whv. all three snickerod!
Now why did they not sit down on
that ample doorstep to eat their nice
lunch, if they really had come q long
way over the dusty roadsp
Or why did they not try the old gar
| den chair that stood nearp
Surely, If they had travelled far, they
would be glad Of the shade Of the old
elm which stood with its fine trunk so
close to the we'll that its roots had no
trouble in reaching down and helping
| themselves to the sweet cool water be-
low. Or, if their feet were sore with
heat, as those of trsmps must often be,
they would be quick to discover the
pleasant shade Of the lattice over which
the Virginia creeper spread such =
| mass of leaves.
But no, they showed no desire to sit
| down, nor even to quench their thirst
at the pump, the spot wayfarers were
always the first to seek when the sun
soorched the world as it did that day.
There they stood, and the blushing
dismay of the woman with the potato
seemed to grow more and more funny
to the others, and, instead of plying
her, or sharing their own dainty fare
with her, they burst into another
smothered laugh.
Grandpa, still looking very stern and
savage (as he really had never been
known to look before. for he was the
one always to see that everything was
| fed, from the tramps to the sparrows),
said, "All these tramps have bad man
ners. 1 really cannot imagine why
Tony dent bite themv'
Then grandma asked, mildly, if they
were looking for work.
What another litter from all threel
| It really was very impertinent, but
grandma did not mind it.
"And what work can you dor" she
asked of the man. IF you are good.
strong, willing fellow, think some
farmer will be glad to get you"
He looked up at her, roguish and
sheepish in the same breath. and she
went on: ,=-
~ might find some securing or cook
ing for these women, but do not allow
trailed skirts in NV kitchen"
At this grandpa spoke:
II should want to take q feather
buster to all three before I took them
in. Tony, do, pray, bite them; don't you
see they are tramps?'
At this point Tony's delight could no
longer be kept to himself, and it burs,
out in series Of barks, as he wen,
capering round and round upon the
grass, as if he were bewitched. Surely
the secret he had been trying to keep
must have gone to his brain and made
him happy lunatic, if you could judge
by his actions. ~.
Grandpa laughed quietly to himselt
at Tony's odd way of keeping disrepu-
table people oil, the premises, and
! grandma Kept on asking the kindest,
sweetest questions. even though sh+
got no answers. The tramps seemed
afraid to speak. They had no pitiful
histories to tell, that was plain, or they
would have told them to her; for who
could better comfort the troubled than
shee
Another very strange thing in their
conduct was that, whenever grandpa
spoke or scowled, they turned their
faces right toward him, and looked
straight into his eyes, as if to have htn'
cross was the most curious and ridicu.
lous thing in the world.
The little brown-handed man had
made great crescent bites in his bread,
eating as if every mouthful relished
the woman with the pie piled her forl
with a good deal of skill; but the cold.
potato woman did not taste of hel