Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-27
A TALK WITH A TRAMP


Nothing on Earth Worth H0ring-Whut
Gingerbread and Apples UiU DO in Un-
Hmbering Tag,unt's Tongue.
philadelphia Times
In the shadow of the great ship Shell
burne at Walnut street wharf yesterday af-
ternoon man leaned indolently against
barrel with his feet dangling over the
muddy water at flood tide. He was a
tramp. In the uncertain lines in his face
the past and about what he called his
clothing there was something that told of
utter neglect and indifference. A tuft of
brown hair thrust through the top of his
hat waved to and fro like plume in the
river wind. His shoes had been worn so
long that the soles had evidently become
rebellious and had usurped the rightful
place of the uppers, while the heels had
given up the unequal struggle for exist
ence and had faded away entirely. Por-
| tions of his coat auttered in the autumn
breeze like the flag streaming from the
peak of passing schooner and his shirt,
at one time boastful of ruf1es and linen
preaching dissolution. Viewed from the
waving crest to the rebellious shoes, the
man had not one redeeming feature. He
was only a tramp; no one would have
dreamed of calling him anything else.
Il say, Judge" he said, in a voice rusty
with long disuse, and lack of care, shave
you bit of chewin' about yeo clothes?
No? Maybe pipe, or a cigar? No?
Well, that's funny you don't use it? and
with half grunt he waved his feet over
the water and tried, to whistle. It was a
failure. ''Say, Judge" he began again,
I'm hungry. Could you go me nickel!
CAM get glass of beer and sand
| witch for nickel. Eh?"
''rll tell you what I'll do,'' was the re-
ply. 'rll buy half the stock of that GIN
ger bread peddler and give it to you if you
will sit here and talk to me like the tramp
that you are. What do you say ?"
jest try me an see. 1 can strike that
gingerbread basket like a cyclone I
can"
Six pieces of gingerbread, two apples
and three cakes were spread out on the
wharf timbers. The cakes disappeared
| first, and as the pile of gingerbread began
| to diminish the tramp began to talk, in re-
| spouse to a series of plain questions.
WHY HE WAS A TRAMP.
s'What's the-use-of my-being-a
tramp?" repeating the first question, with
gulps of gingerbread punctuating the SEN
tence. .Why. III answer that like the
Scotch do, by asking another. What's
you can answer that to your own satisfac-
| lot fo &c
mine, but to me, plain, unadorned
tramp, it's the question that does the bust
ness. 1t settles things, as it were. You
see I am nothing but:: a tramp, but can
think and reason in my own way, just as
| you can in yours. I'll be honest with you,
for I see you expect it. Plainly, then,
it isn't worth while to be anything
else in this world but tramp.
wasn't responsible for coming into the
world and I can't help myself about going
out of it. can't take anything with me
when I die; so, what's the use of having
anything. If man must work hard all
his life for a few thousand dollars, what is
the good of it when he dies? No, no; Pm
not speaking about the future world, for
don't take that into consideration at all;
I'm talking about this world. Now, there's
Smiths island out there in the river. If
you knew that to be desert island and
nothing to be gained by going there,
would you waste your time and strength
by swimming there? Not to any extent
you wouldn't.
"The rich man works hard and tries to
enjoy his money. He gets his clothes and
food, and that's all. she better off than
I am! His clothes are better and his meals
regular, but that's only matter of taste.
IF am satisfied with my way and he is
satisfied with his way, is either man any
better than the other, so far as this world
goes? Not particle. fulfill my destiny
and he his. was born a tramp; my moth
or beat the skin off my back as long as I
lived with her. never went to school and
never cared to.
'sWhy do live? What excuse have ]
for existence? Well, that's hard one.
Y6n see that block of wood out there go
ing up with the tide? well, that's like me-.
That block of wood is drifting along there
without its will or consent. As far as !.
can see my life and the world are both
mistakes, but as am here and no means