Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-12-05

THEY'RE awful lushers and hard gang
They haven't got any tools to lackass
about the land, and can travel lieht'
A printer on the turf can get around
without any danger of arrest for Il has
come 10 be recognized thing, and
maeistratu will let up on one oil them
where he'd give me all that the law
allows. House pa!a.ers who have
taken to this life can do odd jobs around
farm house and make themselves 80
useful that they can lay up for a week
at a time
This sort of thing would get tire
some, I should think?'
'Tiresome the tramp shouted
why, what is there more varied than
seeing a country so beautiful IN so
many different ways and leading the
life of gentleman a? If it's tiresome
to wander about at your own sweet
eating where you please, drinking
where you will, sleeping as long as you
like and studying humanity without
caring a shred to-day where you are or
what happens tomorrow, what do you
call work? It's work that's tiresome.
This being told to do this or that and
do it instantly and we'll; TO so here,
and having to go; boiling your brains
thinking how you'll make your weeks
wages pay for your weeks wants; be-
ing slave, afraid to offend a master
for fear you'll be bundled neck and
crop into the street; that's where your
tiresomeness comes in.'
There seems 10 be no humor in
tramp life. though
That's where you're wrong, young
man. the tramp said, there's more iun
in tramping than there is in mistrel
show. Why, l could tell you oi hum
dred laughable incidents that would
stir up your mlrih. 1 recollect one
day that pal of mine and myself went
ND to q farmhouse in Iowa Tor dinner.
There was the dinner on the table and
not soul about the house. Jump ln'
old man, ! said; and the pair oil US sat
down and tucked away at corned pork,
cabbage. potatoes and corn bread till
we were bursting. l had tumbled to the
fact that the men were of on the out
skirts of the farm and the women bad
conc to call 'em for grub. While we
we're eating a couple OF tramps came to
the door and said one 10 me: Boss,
give me something TO eat" Cert,
saws l. Go around there to the pile
and saw some wood l had noticed
the wood pile and buck saw as l went
IN. Well, sir, those two fellows went
for the wood with all the energy there
was in 'em. My pal and myself hump
ed along the table, wrapped up about
four pounds of pork and lot Of bread
and potatoes 10 a newspaper, and
skipped across the railroad cut 10 the
woods on the other side. There We
GOT behind the trees and waited. In
five minutes four farm hands and two
women came up. What they said
when they saw the dinner table l
dom. know, but in about three seconds
the saving ceased and some bowling
becan. and 10 two seconds more sTo
tramps were flying before four farmers
and dog. l suppose the farm hands
thought that the poor boys had helped
themselves and then started In TO pay
for what they had taken. l thought at
first of going over to the house to ex-
plain and set the fellows right, te-
cause an apology was really due, but
somehow or other / postponed it, and
the explanation hasn't been made yet.
That was funny enough, wasn't il"
The reporter conceded that the sit
uation had some humorous elements
in it.
When do the tramps hold their con-.
vention p
Somebody's been giving you that
funny story. That's all monkey work
and noonsLine. They've never held
a convention. When gang of forty or
fifty is IN one neighborLood, they talk
business over, but such thug as q
regular convention they've never had