The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-01-06
Tho Daby's bank,

No, said the engineer, as he closed
one valve and opened nnnthar T
anything for q long time. / had the
knowledge in my head all the while. but
it was lost under a heap of rubbish.
What fools mon are when they are left
to themselves sometimesl Now look at
me. Would you say WAS ever a
tranp?"
"A tramp! His white. muscular
thront-white and wholesome under the
coal dnst|hls strong, we'll knitted
frame, clear eye and Arm hand denoted
a man OF pluck and oourage-a practl-
cal worker; not the idle, nervelees, re.
laxed object whloh is denommatod a
tramp, aud which is a blight Oh the face
of nature. No; this man, guiding the
good engine Mohawk, was never q
tramp, aud we told him So.
"But ! was, gentl8men," he said.
oooliy sighting a long stretch Of road
over the backbone of his engine, and
letting her out little for dead level
het. was not only tramp, but
the meanest kind OF one, and | worked
harder aud suffered more to get into
that condition than / ever did to reach
this" and he looked proudly ut the
u,
"l1l tell you how it was" he said at
last as lo slowed up to round q curve,
and then went easily on past the heids
clad III their summer verdure, pu8t
woods that were panoramic in flash Of
beauty, and away iuto the open country,
II Was O. tramp-no matter how came
to be, Or why. I lost home, friends,
self-respect, all that makes manhood
but I diln't wear o red-ribbon at my
watch charm then, and my brain was
muddled-there wore more like mo
aud went from bad to worse, but I had
never broken tho laws wronged any
one but myself, when fell in with some
| fellows who thought they hai found o
tool, and they had. They say every
man has his price, and they offered me
mlne it was the price Of my soul, too,
and agreed to take the money and do
the work.
1T was this---to snoak around AMI
get acquainted with the inside of a
house-the house Of the richest man in
the place, and to show them the way
they said l looked the most respectable
Tor tho purpose. Gentlemen, you
wouldn't trust one Of the gang with q
ten cent bit, least of all me as 1 looked
then, but 1 felt almost proud Of the
compliment, and that afternoon I was
to 60 up to the house to look for work
or to ask for food. Just as it happened
to strike me. when there was no ono
home but the women folks, and look
around to sec how we could got in that
night--for ropbipg, and perhaps muir
der was what they meant.
s. s" 1t WAS just such pleasant, peace
full afternoon as this, and all tho doors
l and windows opon, and not a soul saw
me as lounged in through the garden
and up tho veranda. Tho gang haC
| fallen in with had made ono mistake.
they had kept mo sober for the work
not olear-headed, but sober enough t
make me feel that was doing q mean
dastardly trlok, to make mo for the frs
time in many day ashamed Of nay owl
company. But Id gone so far 1, mus
60 on. I had walked up tho steps ant
into tho house without seeing q soul
and l stepped into long, cool room
and there 1 saw on tho mnntel, in
greet goldsframed glass, white fac
and two red, biood-shot eyes--my own
but what fright 0tliey gaze mo ant
then l say something else, a small irol
bank, such 'as children keep pennies in
1t was made OF latticed bars of wrcugh
iron, and between every bar was th
gleam OF quarters and half dollars, an
} smaller coin, ! hadn't penny to m
J pane. l was hungry, tired, footsor
and disgusted with what ! had nndsl