Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-28
UPLAND DOWNS.
A Chapter from ihe Aife of a
Commercial Traveller.

n on Tue ~ FAbAtSeus
Five years ance / saw you, old
fellow: we bad some rare fun IN New
York, but how the deuce are YOU
Cad, I'm glad 10 see you; comA to my
room aod I'll have p couple OF bottles
put on ice. $50,
The speaker was dressedin the hight
Of fashion, aud if his diamond pin was
q little TOO large for good taste, his
vocation as a successful and popular
drummer, perhaps, made it excusable.
He led the way to the elevator in the
Southern Hotel, and continued:
"Christmss is here again, and we are
all a year older. Well, more's the
pity; I'd like to finger in the thirties
a few years longer, though. I'm on
my way back TO Gotham. after a stir.
ring trip through the Southwest, and
I'm through with business. | move
we make a night Of it--in a quiet way,
Of course. Take the easy chair and
I'll have some cigars brought up
but my dear fellow, business"
"Haug businestl Boy, poke that
fire and have half a dozen Of Mumms
put on ice, dye heargp
an 60 you one bottle and then must
20 away | want to hunt upa Christ
mas story for the Rep
rs that all? I'll give you n
already cut aud dried; so sit down
aud let the loud dumfungus roar. I'm
nicely settled now and have a tip top
trade of my " working up, which
no house can command without my
services, but | want t. tell you about
the time when | was too poor to buy
hemp to hang myself with. A fellow
doesn't like TO tell these things until
he is way beyond them, you know, and
pride stands in the way Of a lot of in
terestiDg newspaper matter, but as
I've got a box in Winchester county, a
bank account of $40 QUO and a deuoed
good trade, | don't mind giving you
the story, provided you linger with me
until two o'clock, for I'm as much Of
a Bohemian as yourself. Well. here's
'Hsppy Days, and after you light that
cigar IL start in with my story,
which, by the way, you nd better
call
MY IMPECUNI0Os CHRISTMAS.
I'd struck New York without the
requisite, and didn't know a soul; so,
after the few dollass | had went, Igot
worried. 0ne night | was broke and
plwned my watch, blew the proceeds
in, and, Of course, lost. Then | moved
into a cheap room in the bOwery, for
which | paid Sl.25 per week. 1t had
a lamp and stove 10 it, but | hadn't
oil or fuel, so | used to 90 to bed after
supper, when | had any Ny chain,
ring and scarf pin went next, and |
advertised in all the papers hut could
not strike a jjb-there were 10000
young men out of work that winter.
Tho stove i had was tied together
with pieces o wire, and | burned up
the alterBste Stats Of my bed, living for
some three weeks
on FIFTEEN CENTS A DAY
for meals in the meantime; then |
burned up the bed stats which re-
NAMED, prOpped up the mattress with
The stove and Hooked my overoostto
pay the rent. For two days l did not
eat bite, and slept, slept most OF the
time to keep warm and forgot my pov
erty aud want. because was too proud
to make my condition known to any of
the SO called charitable organizations.
The next move | made was to 20 to a
second hand dealer aud trs de off my
own clothes for a rig which was too
large, but as | got eight dollars to
boot / was glad to make the swap.
After this was gone and all my applica-
tons for work failed, | decided to
leave the city and try my luck 10 Phil
adelphia. crossed over to Jersey
City and tackled a Pennsylvania rail
road conductor, telling him [ was
broke and wanted to touch the Quaker
CITY, but he simply laid a hand on my
shoulder and | took the hint. Then |
tackled a brakeman and he eonsoled
me with the information that he put
three or four of the train every night.
| waited three or four trains, and
finally determined to beatmy way, aud
so bought a pint bottle of whisky, and
as a midnight train pulled out |
jumped on the pilot of the engine and
rode as far Is New Brunswick. Here
l got off, as the depot lights made me
conspicuous, but as the train pulled
out | sprang on the front platform of
the baggage wagon and rode to Tren.
ton. AS We lett Trenton . brakeman
happened to see me and ordered me
OF the train, but | gave him my story
aud handing him the bottle told him
to take a drink. He said he dared not
drink there, as he might be seen and
reported, but he'd take the bottle
inside and bend his lonely elbow. |
suppose he did, for | never Jaw him or
the bottle again, and | rode
out to Philadelphia without anv
further m~olestation, although
l nearly froze to death. l couldn't
get any work in Philadelphia and had
a ten cent time of it for a week. and
then beat the Reading road 10 Read
ing, where | arrived at midnight hun.
CRY, cold and penniless. | walked up
aud down the streets until | was tired
out and got into a big dry goods box
to sleep. Id hardly had the tradi.
tiOnai forty winks when a peeler came
along and | was told TO move on.
Representation availed not. | had TO
move on, and | had to keep on moving.
Tor every policeman who came along
aud found me sleeping on stems or
reared up against a lamp post said the
same thing, and | thought of the bow
IN Dickens who had to move on All
through his miserable life. NV NEXT
railroad trip wa in a freight train
eandWiched In between a lot of pine
boards In a skeleton car, and when the
conductor found meat FIVE o'clock one
morning | was insensible from cold
and hunger, jlmmed in between the
boards, which had shifted. He put
me OF, and as the train was of the
track and the hands all busy | went
Into the oaboose, warmed myself and
STOLE THE CONDUCTORS BREAKFAST
which | carried into the woods. and |
don't think | had a qualm of con.
science as | devonred that meat and
drank the coffee. Well, there | was
70 all purposes a yelitable tramp. and
1 didn't know whether to suicide or
commit a felony 50 as to GET taken
care OF for a month or two at the ex
pense Of the State"
WHY didn't Won wr;ta -