The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-03-17
THE STORY OF A TRAMP.

THE STORY OF A TRAMP.
That's what they call me-yes, men
a tramp. Don't be afraid, mem,
wouldn't harm hair of yer head. Jest
let me set here on the Shady steps and
rest Bit. If ye have aacrust % bread
nandY-ah! thankee, thankee, mem.
Ye.have kind o friendly. pitiful face
as seems to say ye don't think so bad O.
me as some do. We're hard lot-a
hard lot tramps, an people have a
hate an dread of us that kind O. knocks
us lower and lower, an makes us feel
more an more like sneakin' prowlin'
thieves. They shove us sometimes a
mouthul out the door, an slam it pru-
IDENTIFY in our faces, while they run to
some, crack or crevice an eve us Sc
cretly and suspiciously, whisperin'
their Judgments of the poor beg
gars who feel all the vileness inside
Of EN- stirrin' up. at .sech treatment.
Not but it's material enough, pose,
mem, but human natur', YOU know,
dollt thrive in that way, an a man gets
hard, an bitter, an bad when every
body appears to be thinkin' evil @ him.
Ocourse, as ye say, an its very true,
mem, man ought o. give reason for
people to hev faith in him, but ah, mem,
mebbe ye don't know how dreadful
discourasin It's to try to, pull -yerssl
right up an alone out O the mire that
has somehow sucked We in, am walk off
on solid foundation without q slip or a
waver an all the time not. u soul to
believe in ye, an everybody a-snteerin'
an a-scoffin' ye down. No, We don't
know, ye don't know. 8RS'i 3
There's tramps as are born tramps,
mem, an there tramps as are made
sech by the drivin'. stream of circum-
stance which they hain't got the-well,
tho moral strength, as ye might say, to
swim aginst. o, I've thought it all
over mem. sittin'r under the blessed
trees, an in the shadow of the rocks
along the dusty roads [ travel. I've
kind o reasoned it all out with my head
a.eanln' on my hand while | rested in
pleasant places until startled an dis
tressed by some child or girl stealin'
past me-; scared an breathleSs, breakin'
INTO swift run when once they had
cleared me, an cryin' wild to the first
ones they met that there was a tramp
down the road! An then the whole
efowt Gro would creep sl.yly back to peer at
me picRin up my rags, an gettin'
ready to trudge on an on.u~
traps, mem, as ye say, l needn't ha'
lrlited like dry stick with the current
mat sucked me into these boggy places
Shere nothin can pluck me out, mabbe;
oat I'll tell ye the .story mem, if ye'll
'are !" hear. Yer so, kind O. gentle an
mar table I'd like to have We know how
came to be askin' bit of supper at
Ier door. -,-,..-.,.
! wasn't a bad boy-a little weak,
neooe, little weak. but my mother
laa q Kind OF reason for that. Eli men.
ION It, The reason may be weak, too.
Ion will understand" said my moth
!, Martin was born under great
r'ou4ppIe, with the fathera-drinkin' night
= day, an myself a-weepin' an a.
iayin, rebellin' an .despairin,. gsan' a.
nn up in shiftless, hopeless sort of
'ay that was quite unsettlin' to the
perit OF the babe that wished might
ever be borned.n r.r4
: an | know growed up, mem, with |
y Ieelln' that some wrong had been |
one me, and that l he'd to stand agin
"orld OF abuse an trouble, an that it /
'uiunt matter much what | done.
wouldn't amount to nothin' no |
ay. An this is a kind o' feelin', |
iaps, you don't know mem, that sort
pushes a weak feller like me right /
oas INTO vagabond life-not that he
!, iizes where he is gittin' no, no, not
y : nes IS last m the mud of the. vaga-
'na track, an can't get out without
p psa'lent, helpin' hand that he doesn't
lu oa,, A strong, gruh. gritty natur
:. uu.u rise up IN ,asspirit o, rage an cry
:. mao agin the wrongs seen an sui
rec RED an that the kind mem, that
axe 'a al these wild, disturbances; an
Up community stirred up with the
D's' M an = threatenin s, an all sech.
use me ii We please mem, this amt I
s'ory, but Eve been a-thinkin' O.
ese = things a good deal along the road
= aaow. What dye sayp, x wayside
laent u an philos' pher? Well, p'raps
Mignt call me so.f It's betterin .taI
sup, men, f,yA4uTxsz
VOW y. Y, matters run along with no great
- - ,iii got in love, an then | was
y aaPpy -an' very miserable, aspem i
!, ma sss sue was sweet as an apple-blos-
!, ! an my heart was sot on her, but |
pla{ed sort O. fast an loose with
: 80 never felt quite sure whether
= :, soared Tor me or no. An 1 had aper-
: a jealousy of Stephen White, who
= = smarter, bolder man than mel
= nau' thought a hankerin' fond
~ y ior Linda which I couldn't all the
: - make out whether was pleasin' to
! put at last, when I'd about give |
, noplL that he'dever be honest with
Z !, she sad all of sudden one day !
: ! !; sne marry me, an didn't low
! ssume to change her mind afore / got
! priest an took her at her word. IL
:. : a-aoln first-rate in them days. an,
! ,ain q good deal of money with odd
!, !, = on nan an on that paid l thought. bet
sn s lar work for which I'd never
dQV troin; |