The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-06-18
A TRAMP.

ming.
A TRAMP.
That is Just it. was trampl In the
light of to-day hate to admit it, but I
must. I had been machinist, with a
pretty, gentle wife, good wages, pleas
ant home; and then the hard times came.
Hard enough they were to millions be-
side me, but did not think of them. /
had more means than many others l
knew-food, if it was coarse, fire enough
for warmth-but what I wanted, cried
out for, ragged that L could not get, was
delicate living and luxuries for Annie,
for she was dying. I know now nothing
could have saved her; consumption is
helpless and hopeless; but one day when
I went down to the Charleston steamer
the day she sailed, to adjust some little
matter in the machinery that they
thought out of gear, I saw the wife of
one of the firm for whom I worked up
town brought on board to go to Florida
for the winter.
She looked little like Annie; her eyes
were clear and gray too, and her face
wan and sweet. She was wrapped in
soft shawls and lying back in a chair car
ried by two servants; q kind-faced nurse
was with her and her husband beside
her. had glimpse at her state-room
as passed through the cabin, for they
were arranging it SO that she might be
settled before the rest of the passengers
came aboard. 1t was like nest, crowded
with comfort. If could have stolen
that fur-lined cloak and that swing-chair
would have done it; as it was, swore.
What had this woman done to have all,
nra6 IQ1of viii 70 fD hou
kept thinking of all this; brooding day
and night as wages grew lower and work
less, and Annie faded away. She was @
good woman, that wife of mine, and not
bit afraid to die; but she was afraid to
leave me in the furious bitterness of my
condition then.
One day I came home and found her
paler than ever. I had brought her an
orange, but she could not taste it. 7 sat
down by the lounge and she put her
thin, white hands in mine.
Crank" she said in whisper, "when
am dead try to be good; try to know
God. I couldn't talk about it, dear; but
/ have prayed. God is good, Frank. I
know it. I am going home."
could not bear this. I did not be-
ieve in it. God good, and Annie dying
while that other woman was saved by the
money had as good right to have as
Jim Lawrence! I knew afterward that
all the luxuries he lavished on his wife
were as useless as the coarse shawl and
common food I gave mine. She died
before Annie, and away from him. I
stopped down to kiss my wife and stop
her from such talk. Her lips were cold;
her hot hand grew chill in mine; her
great gray eyes looked at me with one
bright look of love, and then closed.
Annie had gone away.
Well, why should / work after that?
I went to hear Communist harangues,
and learned the stale old story that
property was robbery. Why was Mr..
Lawrence rich and I poor? It was an
outraged Society owed me a living, and
I would have it as well as he. did not
stop to consider that he was once poorer
than I, and had worked successfully for
his money, or to ask why society owed
me a living. I took the specious argu-
ments of ofdemagogues for what they were
on the surface. They suited my fury
against man and my ignorance of God
too we'll not to be adopted. It was May
when the Iridion Works closeds but I
had not worked there for two months I
had lived on what few dollars I had left
after Annie was buried, and now and
then got a porter's job, for I was as
strong as horse. Still, always ex-
pected to go back to the Works If the
worst came to the worst, and when they
closed up for want of orders felt as if I
had nothing to stay in the city for, and
like great many others, made up my
mind that, since I was. born into the
world, it should give me free living. I
went on the tramp.
I can't say liked it at first; it was a
great while before could sleep well in
barn, or under an old musty hay-stack,
but had grit enough left to persist, and
the lazy life, the fresh air, the trees and
grass and creatures, all SO different from
the grimy shops and dirty streets, did
seem amazing pleasant. 1 suppose this
sort of life changed me inwardly, too. j
got to feel more like wild beast. I
liked to see women shut and lock the
door when came into the yard, and
hand out the food I asked for through
the window. How used to scare theml
I don't wonder. I was big, dirty,
ragged, and full of bad thoughts that
showed out at my face and ran over at
my lips. would not have stopped at
knocking down any man who came
across my way, but they generally let
me alone. AIUer aWulle SOI revolver.
It was never loaded, but it was just as
good to frighten women with, and many
one fetched me warm food and drink
when let them see it. did like to see
them turn white and shiver I was so
angry with everything that / liked to
terrify and hurt everybody I could.
Hateful and hating one another" That
is about as near my state then as I can
tell it.
SO I tramped all summer. did not
think often about Annie I didn't like
to, for good enough reasons. By Sep
tember I had got way up into Vermont,
among the hills, and began to think I
must work back to the city, when one
day stopped at an old red farmhouse
between Tyson and Ludlow to get some
dinner.