The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-10-10
An English Tramp.

One bright, sunny June day 1 over
took gentleman to whom pace seemed
of no consequence whatever. "Good
morning, SIR" said he. l responded
accordingly. "On the peg, sir, like my
self?" continued he, quickening his pace.
Yes," Ireplied, mentally, however,
disavOwing the "like myself" part of
the sentence. "Fine day for walking,
sir!" he continued, keeping just yard
or so behind, to which I assented. go
ing far, sirp" after q pause. s. To FOlke-
st0ne," l replied. $50 am 1, sir, - said
he. quickened my step a little, so did
he; neither Of us spoke for some min
utes, until we approached the well
known Maypole Inn; EVERY thirsty
work this, sill" said he looking wistfully
at the snug little hosiery, outside Of
which, on bench, burly rustics were
quaffing tempting pots of ale. Perhaps
he'll stop here, I thought, if l give him
pint. So I turned in, ordered pint
for him and glass for myself, drank
my glass, paid for both, and turned out
again into the sun. I bid him 7" Good
morning and pleasant journey con-
graduating myself upon my escape from
his company. had gone but few
yards when 1 heard: !" All right, sir,
I'm a-comin';;" and, looking back, saw
my friend wiping his mouth on his
sleeve, and hurrying after me as if I
were his master and he my
valet. was evidently going to be sad
died by this "old man of the road"
but I tried another dodge. Pretending
that intended to visit a romantic spot
lying off the high road, dived down a
by-lane, wishing my companion a.sec
Ond "goof morning." and leaving him
on the high road. BY doing this, and
reappearing on the road at point half
mile further on, 1 hoped that he would
abandon his idea of making me his trav-
cling companion, would stop and pursue
his path at his own pace. In this, how
ever, was deceived, for, on rejOining
the road at least half an hour later on, I
perceived him calmly seated on mile
stone as if waiting for me. A smile of
recognition lit up his ugly face, and he
hoped down, again to trudge along be-
hind me. At midday l halted for
lunch. Into the inn with me came my
companion. He was so ragged and
weather-stained, and looked so wistfully
at my plate of bread and cold meat. that
1 had no heart to keep him any longer
at q distance, so ordered portion for
him. How that tramp did dispose of
the cold beef and the bread and the
pickles, not to mention draughts of pOr-
ter which would have rendered me ut
terly incapable of further exertion un-
der hot sum- "The best feed, sir, I've
had for many day, and God bless you
for it," were the first words he uttered as
he brushed away the last lingering cr,,mb
from his beard. "Well," L said,
'syOu're quite welcome" and lighting
my pipe left the room for prOwl about
the premises, as is my nOt-tO-be-cOn-
strained wont when at mine inn on
walking trip. strolled about for some
minutes, Eliminating on the decay of
past grandeur which still fingered in the
vast outhouses and stabling of the old
hOstelry, and returned to finish my ale,
pay the landlord, and resume my jour-
ney. Judge of my intense rage and
modification, when l found that my
knapsack, which, very unlike an old
traveller, had left on the parlOr table,
had been completely emptied of its con-
tents. Instead of them appeared the
remains of our lunch and dirty wooden
comforter. Similarly, my tramp friend
had disappeared, and, as l had re-
marked the wooden comforter before as
being a prominent feature in his attire,
l Immediately arrived at the conclusion
that he was the perpetrator of the out
rage. Calculating afterward, l made
out that my Autolycus had fleeced me of
several pints of beer, a good two shil-
lings worth of brad and meat, not
little tobacco, and the contents of my
knapsack. More carefully than ever
did l avoid tramps for the future.-AN
the Year Round.