St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-06-28
A Philosopher in Rags.

stone wall by the roadside in Dorches.
ter about dark last night. The speaker
was OF medium height and rather slim.
He wore a skull cap and an ill-iitting
coat. His shirt had probably been white
once. His trousers had seen better
days. On one foot was congress shoe
aud on the other a large boot. His face
needed to be shaved. He was tramp.
.Tour pard? How did you happen
to lose him?h asked some one.
''Well, yer see, we were sittin' on a
fence up the road there and a cop came
along aud told us to git. Pard, he
skipped, and / told him l would meet
him down the road here. 1 wasn't
afraid of the cop: sat there and had a
chin with him. l guess pard will turn
up. Have yergot any terbaccer?"
Some tobacco was produced.
Yer see. boys continued the man.
81 arrived in town this morning; just
| came from Putnam. Conn. Came up
on the New York 4 New England Did
yer know it, That's good road to
travel on. l met three of the old boys
on the train"
Ibid you have to pay any fare?"
"Well, / guess not: came up on the
freight. The brakeman on that train
is a smart chap; he played good trick
on me. Yer see, l was on the roof of
one of the box cars. and thinking that
it would not do for him to see me, l
crawled down into the car as he came
along. He saw me, and what did
he do but lock the door, and of course
that locked me up in the car.
Bimeby he came along and asked me
what station wanted to get off at, and
l told him Hyde Park. and when we
got there he opened the door and let
me out"
Yes: what are the best roads to ride
on deadhead?"
1.-The Boston and Albany is n. e.; so
is the Providence. The Fitchburg is
the bully road, and the Old Colony
pretty near as good"
''Were YOU ever in Boston before?-
"1es, plenty of times. Boston is the
darling place to live in, if feller has
plenty OF money. If / ever strike for.
tune am coming to Boston to live"
''Are you married?"
"Yes; left my wife in New York.
She was a tough un."
"How did you happen to leave hera9'
"She had three bad habits-eating,
smoking and dr.nking-and it cost too
much to support her; just the same
with all women"
"Do YOU ever do any work."
Very seldom the doctor says thai
work will injure my health. I had
job offered me about II month ago. A
man down in Hartford said he would
give me $50 a month to run an eating
house for him. You know | am lust
taking vacation. and didn't want to
break it for any such position as that.
Work and had a falling out. ain't
lazy. but guess l was born tired and
never got over it,
'.Do you find any trouble in getting
enough to eat?''
''Yes. / generally keep something
ahead. though" Here the tramp un.
buttoned his Prince Albert and dis
played an inside pocket filled with food
and cigar stubs. He began to analyze
the stuff. THAT piece of cake |
bummed from little kid up the street;
those apples were given to me by the
old man that keeps the bakehouse out
near Hyde Park; that piece of bread
got from n philanthropic old lady who
lives in the large old-fashioned house
up at place called Mount Bowdoin.
She asked me if l didn't want a job
saving wood out in her barn. told
her that l was in a hurry to get to
Lowell to see my wife, who was dying
of consumption. This touched the old
lady's heart, and she gave me ten cents.
l guess have got enough for couple
of days.
"What do YOU find the hardest stuff
to get hold OFF"
Tobacco and money. 1 can get
along without money. but without the
tobacco / am gone. The other day a
man offered me glass of whisky, but
told him | would rather have a
chew. He didn't have plug. but he
gave me dime and bought one."
'.Do you find any trouble in getting
enough to drink?''
old whisky and plenty of it; but over in
Detroit the darned rascals make three
sarrels out of one of the Canada barrels.
They adulterate it; but that is business,
and they make money out of it.
81 started to go into that house there,
but l saw n dog laying out on the back
piazza, and l thought / had better skip.
amt afraid of dogs, but this one was
lgly looking
where are you going to sleep to-
night9''
Il have been down to the police STA
ion. bat don't ike the looks of the
'anche, and there's too MANY COPS Law
ng around. guess will go out to
he Milton station house; they furnish
| good feed out there; down here thew
lon't. Milton the daisy place for
grub; there's none o. yer brass-buttoned
,eelers around there"
'Where are you going to strike for
when you leave this place?"
81 was thinkin' of goin' over to
europe, but its hard to beat a passage
m steamer, and if they happen to
,etch You they will make yer work yer
assage. So l have kinder given up the
isa. guess l will go West. Well.
oys, must skip; here comes cop. II
on see chap that looks like me, and
nswers to the name of Jim, send him
long. Good day. boston Globe.
Il never feel comfortable when
here's man around that smiles all